GENESIS 19 “Sodom and Gomorrah”
Intro: Some chapters and truths of Genesis are particularly unpalatable and challenging for Modern Man to embrace
-Gen 1: Darwinian Evolution; Gen 2: Feminist; Gen 3: Humanistic optimism; Gen 6: Global Catastrophe
-Gen 19 is one of these, because: Judgment of God.
-We don’t like the idea of a God who Judges: we want a God who loves, but not judges.
-We need a God who Judges: punishing the wicked and delivering his people from evil.
-Gen 19 teaches: We serve a God who judges evil and delivers His people.
CONTEXT: Life of Abraham
-Last week: Abraham’s visit with the LORD and 2 angels—Abraham’s intercession for the city (‘if 10 righteous found’)
–TODAY: The angels arrive at Sodom and we learn about God’s judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah
–While the notion of a God who judges is difficult for modern man to embrace, it is actually good news in light of the gospel.
-OUTLINE: 1. A Judgment Has Occurred; 2. A Judgment is Coming.
I A JUDGMENT HAS OCCURRED (GEN 19)
In Genesis 19 we read about a judgment that has occurred.
-Angels Arrive at Sodom and are Welcomed by Lot (1-3)
-Angels arrive at Sodom and, after initial hesitation, accept Lot’s invitation to stay in his home (1-3)
-Urging them not to stay in the town square shows Lot’s knowledge of the wicked Sodomites, and His righteousness
-Wicked Men of Sodom (4-9)
-Men of Sodom are wicked and demand that that Lot’s visitor’s are brought out so they can be raped (4-5)
-“may know”=Biblical phrase often denoting homosexual intercourse.
-Biblical Sexuality: All sex outside of one man and one woman is sinful.
–NOTICE: “young and old, all the people to the last man” =city is full of depravity and perversion.
-Lot seeks to Deliver the Men (6-8)
-Tries to persuade the men to give up their act, but in a terrible way (substituting daughters)
–NOTE: Fear can lead us to act out of folly or sin.
-The men respond is anger and violence (9)
-Lot is accused of being “judgmental/judgy.
-Christians are accused of this today as well when we speak out in sexual ethics and gender
-The men are furious and eager to pursue violence toward Lot
-Sadly, we see this today in some case of transgender mass murders toward Christians.
Lot and Family Delivered from Destruction (10-23)
-The Angels Deliver Lot from the Perverted Angry Mob (10-11)
–NOTE: Supernatural deliverance—struck with blindness. (Angels are POWERFUL!)
–NOTE ALSO: Extreme perversion of the crowd ‘wore themselves out groping for the door’
-Others too may be delivered from coming destruction (12-14)
-Lot’s future sons-in-law rejected Lot’s warning.
–TODAY: People think of God’s judgment and hell are foolish and laughable.
-Angels take them by the hand and walk them out of the city (15-23)
-Lot “lingered”, but notice the truth of God: “the LORD being merciful to him” (16)
-Very comforting: we often do linger, but God is so merciful to us.
-Lot and family are warned to flee: “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley” (17)
-Angels accept Lot’s request to go to a town, Zoar, instead of the hills (18-23)
God’s Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (24-28)
-Judgment has come from God upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (24-25)
-Note: the totality of it. All the people and even the vegetation.
-Lot’s wife: ‘behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt’ (26)
-Disobedience to angels’ instruction, and perhaps a desire to go back.
-Jesus’ warned us, ‘Remember Lot’s Wife.’ Luke 17:26-32.
–Temptation: to look back on past sinful pleasures/freedoms.
Summary: God judged Wicked Sodom but Rescued Righteous Lot (27-29)
-Abraham observes the destruction of Sodom (27-28)
-NOTE: God is faithful to his word, to bring about judgment
-God’s kindness to Abraham in delivering Lot (29)
-God is able to deliver his people and rescue the righteous from trials: 2 Peter 2:4-10
A Sad and Disturbing Epilogue (30-38)
-Lot is now “afraid to live in Zoar” so takes his 2 daughters and flee to the hills to live in a cave (30)
-Lot’s daughters are afraid of being childless, so concoct a plan to get Lot drunk and sleep with him (31-38)
-Notice: Out of fear, they go on a path of folly and sin.
-Origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites (36-38)
SUMMARY: God is a God who punishes the wicked and delivers the righteousness.
NCC 18: Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?
No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.
MORE JUDGEMNTS HAVE OCCURRED:
1. In History: Sodom and Gomorrah; Flood; Other events in Bible and outside of Bible.
2. At the Cross.
–PROPITIATION: A Sacrifice that absorbs the wrath of God. Hebrews 2:17
-GOSPEL: Christ was judged in our place. If we trust in Him, we are justified and right with God.
- A JUDGMENT COMING:
OBJECTION: That was the OT. God has learned his lesson, and now judgement is a thing of the past.
RESPONSE: The God of the OT is the same God as the God of the NT: a God who judges and shows grace.
-Jesus speaks about hell more than anyone else in the whole Bible.
-Paul warned of the coming judgment on the wicked. (2 Thess 1:5-11)
A Future judgment of everyone.
-Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8
For unbeliever: terrifying.
-Don’t respond like Lot’s future sons-in-law: scoffing.
-Fear, repent, believe in Jesus.
For believer: peace (Rom 5:9-11)
-God has already done the hard thing—saving you at the cross—he’ll also save you from future judgment.
