Genesis 19:12-22 The Judgment of God Against Sodom

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1 Genesis 19:12-22 The Judgment of God Against Sodom It was daybreak on August 25, A.D Life was anything but normal in the Roman city of Pompeii You see, Mt. Vesuvius had erupted early that morning - And the volcano was destroying the city Some people were trapped alive in the ash and stone that the volcano erupted - The doors to their homes were blocked - The ash crept in and eventually killed people Others were killed trying to outrun the volcano s terror - However, they were buried alive amidst the volcanic ash and rock Almost frozen in time, the volcano buried the city under many layers of volcanic deposits - During exploration of this city, many people were found to be holding to gold, pearls, and other jewelry o Apparently, they saw the destruction coming but didn t want to leave their possessions behind Isn t it interesting that volcanoes often produce very fertile soils? - This is what oftentimes attracts people to build nearby - They somehow overlook the dangers while enjoying the delights That is a story that we will examine this morning - Lot had chosen to live in the fertile Jordan valley - He was attracted to its lushness and fertile earth However, he tended to overlook the dangers of the other inhabitants of the city - That would eventually prove to be a disastrous choice As we noted last week, chapter 19 outlines itself in four (4) general divisions: I. The depravity of the city (19:1-11) II. The deliverance of the righteous (19:12-22) III. The destruction of the sinners (19:23-29) IV. The degradation of the family (19:30-38) We discussed the depravity of the city in last week s message (19:1-11) - This morning, we are going to look at the deliverance of the righteous In this passage, we will notice three (3) aspects of this deliverance - The deliverance was the mission of the angels (19:12-14) - The deliverance was because of the mercy of the LORD (19:15-16) - The deliverance was delayed due to the motive of Lot (19:17-22) 1

2 I. The deliverance of the righteous was the mission of the angels (19:12-14) Then the men said to Lot, Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; After the two angels cause the men of Sodom to become disoriented, the angels tell Lot to gather his family and leave the city of Sodom Nowhere in Scripture are we told that angels have omniscience - They don t have perfect knowledge of everything - That belongs exclusively to God Perhaps these angels were assuming that Lot had sons - Perhaps he did have sons who were living in the city - We are not sure If Lot did have sons, he makes no effort to warn them - Perhaps they had previously chosen a sinful path much like those who had surrounded his home last night Or, perhaps the angel is simply making an assumption that Lot has sons - We don t know for sure This was a general warning for Lot and his family to leave Sodom 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it. The angels finally inform Lot of their purpose in coming to Sodom - Back in chapter 18, the LORD told Abraham, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know (18:20-21) The angels have seen the sin of the city and the LORD will soon bring destruction - their outcry has become so great before the LORD This outcry is similar to what God heard back in chapter four - As you remember, Cain killed Abel and thought he got away with murder - But the LORD tells Cain, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground (4:10) In both cases, God heard an accusing cry of judgment - The innocent blood of Abel was crying out against the sin of Cain - The outcry of Sodom was one of judgment for its sins Aren t you glad that God is long-suffering? - He is perfectly righteous and holy - And He could rightfully be quick in judgment - But throughout Scripture, we see God s amazing grace and mercy 2

3 We note that the angels mission in verse 13, for we are about to destroy this place - What a thought! When we think of destruction, we think of bombs or earthquakes or hurricanes - But God uses none of those here in chapter 19 The agent of destruction is none other than the angels themselves! - They have been given amazing ability to destroy This word for destroy has been used prior in Genesis 1 - Back in chapter 6, the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth (6:11-13, emphasis mine) - This, of course, was the reason for the universal, worldwide Flood After the Flood, God vowed never to destroy the Earth with water again (cf. 9:11, 15) Abraham interceded with God in chapter 18, asking if He would destroy the city of Sodom if He found a certain number of righteous individuals in it (cf. 18:28, 31, 32) Here we are just a short time after Abraham s prayer of intercession - And we realize that God is bringing judgment and destruction upon this city We know that Abraham stopped praying when he reached the number 10 (cf. 18:32) - So the fact that God will destroy this city lets us know that there were not even ten (10) righteous individuals in the city! These angels are carrying out the purpose and plan of the Sovereign God Abraham had confessed, Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly (18:25) - The answer is, Yes 14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city. But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. Now that Lot has been made aware of the angels mission, he goes out and speaks to his sons-in-law - Now this is a bit confusing We know that Lot has a family - He has a wife - He has two virgin daughters Nothing else is mentioned specifically - Yet the angel mentioned a son-in-law and sons of Lot back in 19:12 1 Allen P. Ross, Creation & Blessing,

4 In order for Lot to have a son-in-law, he would have to have a daughter who was married - However, there is another option If we look at verse 14, the English text says, Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters - This seems to hint that these men were not yet married to Lot s daughters - Perhaps they were engaged But the daughters were still living in Lot s home, under his supervision - Thus, they were not married yet This isn t the main point of this verse - Whoever these men were, Lot goes to them and warns them of the impending danger But instead of repenting, these men thought that Lot was jesting - They thought that he was joking! - They clearly didn t take him seriously! 2 The root word for jest is the same root word used in chapters 17 & 18 of Abraham and Sarah laughing at God s promise of a son - They thought that this Divine promise was too good to be true When Lot s sons-in-law heard what Lot was saying, they thought that he was joking - They assumed that he was not telling the truth The angels had struck the men with blindness so that they were disoriented to their surroundings - These sons-in-law were spiritually blinded as well, not knowing the urgency and severity of the moment 3 Lot had lived too long as one like the Sodomites - He was one of the gang you might say - But he had lost his integrity and effectiveness 4 But the sad reality is that Lot was telling the truth! - These men chose to stay in the city instead of being rescued This highlights the mercy and compassion of God - God even extends grace and an opportunity for deliverance to these men - However, they themselves choose decadence over deliverance 2 Ibid., Kenneth A. Mathews, NAC, Vol. 1B, W.H. Griffith-Thomas, Genesis: A Devotional Commentary,

5 So in 19:12-14, we see that the deliverance of the righteous was due to the very mission of the angels II. The deliverance of the righteous was because of the mercy of the LORD (19:15-16) 15 And when morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city. Throughout this passage there are many specific references to time - The angels appear to Abraham in the heat of the day (18:1) - The Lord promises to return at this time next year (18:10; cf. 18:14) - Two of these angels appear to Lot in the evening (19:1; cf. 19:2, 4, 5) - Now verse 15 adds another time detail, when morning dawned There appears to be less than one entire day from Abraham s encounter with the three angels to now - What an eventful period of time! In the evening, two angels appeared to Lot in the form of men - He invited them into his home - He prepared a feast for them - Just prior to them going to sleep, a mob of men sought them out - After some amount of time, the two angels pull Lot inside his own home and disorient the mob of immoral men - Lot then is told to flee the city with his family - Lot then attempts to warn his sons-in-law without much effectiveness We don t know the exact timeframe of these events - However, we do know that this is the order of events Now that the warning bells have sounded, the angels tell Lot, Up, take your wife and your two daughters, who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city - This is now the second time that the angels have told Lot to leave the city - This time, much more urgency and appeal is given This time, however, the angels tell Lot to take his wife and two daughters 5 - No sons-in-law - No other people - Just his immediate family Lot obviously was able to persuade his wife and two daughters to leave the city with him - Of course, they had first-hand knowledge of what took place both inside and outside their home last night - They had seen the angels demonstration of power In addition to this, Lot s wife and two virgin daughters were still under his protection and supervision - Thus, they were still under his authority 6 5 Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 2, 56. 5

6 If Lot and his family do not leave, they will be swept away in the punishment of the city - The word here for swept away was the same word used by Abraham back in 18:23, Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (cf. 18:24) In response to Abraham s prayer, the LORD does not allow Lot the righteous to be swept away with the wicked - This is amazing grace and mercy - Especially when we see what Lot does next The angels destruction of the city would take place in early daylight - Not at night - But during the daytime when everyone would be aware of what was taking place 7 16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. You would think that Lot would be quick to flee the city - Sure, this was his earthly home - Sure, he had lived here for a number of years Let s be honest - After all, the sin would have to bother him - We would hope! Just a few hours prior, he was practically mobbed by the men of Sodom - The LORD was merciful in allowing the angels to rescue him and his family from this crowd But the Text tells us that Lot hesitated - The thought of leaving the city of Sodom caused him to hesitate There was a lapse between the angel s declaration and Lot s obedience - But why? - Why would Lot linger in the city of Sodom when he knew that it would soon be destroyed? You might imagine being awakened out of your sleep - A police officer rings the doorbell incessantly while pounding on the front door - You stumble to the door to hear him say, You must leave your home at once! There has been a terrible chemical spill in the area. What do you do? - What would you take with you? - Would you obey the officer s orders or would you try to grab as much stuff as you could? For whatever reason, Lot hesitated - But God s grace and mercy are so abundant 7 Morris,

7 Even though Lot hesitated, the angels took action, the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters - Can you picture the scene? You and your family have just been confronted with an angry mob of men intent on harming your family and your guests - Two angels rescued you and caused the men to be confused and disoriented Now they are telling you to leave the city - But Lot doesn t want to The angels are literally grabbing Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand - They are being forced against their will to leave the city! Why would the angels do this? - If they loved the city so much, why not let them die in it? - Let the captain go down with the ship, right? The reason why Lot and his family are rescued, according to verse 16, is that the compassion of the LORD was upon him - Could Lot take credit for his rescue? o Certainly not! Lot was ready to stay in the city, as far as we can tell - It was the mercy of God that moved Lot to leave Sodom God s mercy oftentimes is pictured as delivering or sparing others from danger 8 - That is what we see at the end of verse 16 the angels brought him out, and put him outside the city The basis for Lot s salvation was not his own righteousness or integrity - Quite the opposite, his deliverance was due entirely to the LORD s compassion 9 Church, we are no different - God doesn t save us based on our own good merit - God saves us for by His grace and for His glory! After being dragged out of Sodom, Lot and his family were now outside the city - It amazes us that a follower of Yahweh would have such a perspective - But as we have seen over the past six chapters, Lot rarely learns from his mistakes After being captured by some foreign nations in Genesis 14, he was taken off as a captive - Abraham came to his defense and rescued him, sacrificing personal resources in order to do so What did Lot do after his rescue? - He went right back to Sodom where he was comfortable - There doesn t appear to be any repentance; no desire to change 8 Ross, John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Genesis,

8 We have to keep in mind that delayed obedience is disobedience - Partial obedience is disobedience Lot had told his sons-in-law to flee the city - He was expecting them to believe him and leave at once Yet he himself found it very difficult to leave - It seems that Lot was better at giving commands than following them 10 Isn t it sad that Lot felt more secure inside an evil city than outside of it with God? 11 But if you think that we have seen the last of Lot s selfish, sinful choices, think again - As a matter of fact, the next few verses help us to see more of the heart of Lot So far, we have seen that - The deliverance was the mission of the angels (19:12-14) - The deliverance was because of the mercy of the LORD (19:15-16) III. The deliverance of the righteous was delayed due to the motive of Lot (19:17-22) 17 And it came about when they had brought them outside, that one said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away. The past few hours for Lot have been interesting, to say the least - He welcomed two visitors into his home - He prepared a meal for them - After the meal and before his visitors went to sleep, the men of Sodom surrounded Lot s home, seeking to feed their immorality - Lot attempts to appease the men of Sodom, offering his two virgin daughters as some type of counterproposal - The two angels have to rescue Lot from this angry mob who had turned against him - The two angels then force Lot to leave the city of Sodom We have to keep in mind that these angels were sent by the LORD Himself to destroy the city, we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it (19:13) - Yet Lot lingered - He didn t want to leave the city As the angels finally drag Lot and his family away from Sodom, one of the angels tells him, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away - One of these angels acts as the spokesman - He warns Lot to, escape for your life Before, when Lot told his sons-in-law about the pending judgment and destruction, they thought he was joking - They laughed at him, thinking that he was out of his mind 10 Victor P. Hamilton, NICOT, Genesis 18-50, Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary,

9 The angels have already told Lot of their purpose in visiting Sodom - Yet Lot hesitated! Now one of the angels makes it painfully clear to Lot that this is a matter of life and death - Many inhabitants in the city of Sodom would lose their lives that day - But Lot was allowed to escape with his life Remember, it is the mercy of God that is allowing this - God is showing His favor and grace toward Lot The angel tells Lot, Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away - These are pretty simple instructions, don t you think? Lot is told to run from the city of Sodom to the mountains, while not looking back - The sights and sounds of judgment falling upon the city would obviously be overwhelming to observe Once again, we remind ourselves that Abraham prayed to the LORD, saying, Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (18:23) - The angel sees to it that Lot and his family get out of Sodom before it is destroyed - The righteous are spared until a place of safety is reached Let s return to that earlier illustration that we used - If a police officer awakened you from your sleep early in the morning and told you that there had been a bad chemical spill in the area, how would you respond? I would assume that none of us I hope would stick around the area to see how bad the spill was - Most of us would get out of the area as fast as we could, right? But not Lot - No, he offers yet another sinful, selfish request to these angels 18 But Lot said to them, Oh no, my lords! When told to escape to the mountains, Lot tells the angels, Oh no, my lords! - Imagine Lot is now telling the angels what is best for him! In addressing these angels, Lot refers to them as my lords - This term has been used in Genesis of the Lord Himself (cf. 15:2, 8; 18:27, 30, 31, 32) - But it can also refer to humans who are in a position of superiority Lot acknowledges that these angels have been sent by God to destroy the city of Sodom - He recognizes that they far outrank him - Yet, he is not ashamed to tell them, Oh no! Once again, we see Lot in a position to make proposals - He tried to negotiate with the sinful men of Sodom - But that doesn t work out too well - Lot himself had to be rescued 9

10 Here we find Lot trying to manipulate the clear-cut command of the angels - Instead of fleeing to the mountains as the angels had instructed him, Lot has another option - He puts his offer on the table in verses Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die; Realizing that he is speaking to the angels who are of greater rank and ability, Lot refers to himself as your servant - He is of a lower rank than them He also acknowledges that he has found favor in the sight of these angels - We remember from Genesis 6:8 that Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD - Abraham used this same word back in 18:3, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by (italics mine) In addition to the favor that had been shown to Lot, he acknowledged that the angels had magnified their lovingkindness toward him - This is the Hebrew word hesed - It speaks of loyalty, faithfulness, and commitment We know from the NT that Lot was a genuine believer a follower of the LORD (cf. 2 Pet 2:7-8) - As such, he belonged to Yahweh For those of us who have trusted in the LORD for salvation, we are eternally bound to Him - Paul says that nothing will separate us from the love of God (cf. Rom 8:31-39) God was honoring the fact that Lot was a righteous man - God had promised Abraham that He would not destroy the righteous alongside the wicked (cf. Gen 18:23-33) This is what Lot confesses in verse 19, Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life - If you boil it down, the only reason why Lot is spared is because of the LORD s favor and lovingkindness But this doesn t stop Lot from making excuses for not fleeing to the mountains, but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die Lot makes a selfish justification for not obeying - He is fearful that God will not protect him as he flees to the mountain Funny, isn t it? - God provides two angels to protect him from the angry mob - God provides two angels to warn him of impending judgment - God provides two angels to drag him out of the city But God will somehow fail to protect Lot as he obeys the LORD s command? 10

11 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved. Instead of fleeing a long distance to the mountains, Lot recommends a shorter, easier option - He knows of a small town that is not far away Lot is so bound to the cities of the valley that he doesn t want to move too far from there - He must have a little bit of Sodom for life to continue 12 You have heard the expression, You can take the boy out of the country, but you can t take the country out of the boy - What a sad reality for Lot! o He hesitated when told to abandon the city o He had to dragged out of the city by a strong angel o He didn t want to go too far from Sodom Sodom had taken root in the heart of Lot - He simply didn t want to leave the city, even with its sinfulness! What a contrast between Abraham and Lot 13 - Abraham interceded for sinful cities in a very unselfish manner he didn t have to pray at all - Lot, on the other hand, interceded only for himself obviously a very selfish manner of praying This is but one more example of the differences between these two men Lot selects a small city, almost as if to say, I am not asking for much - Notice his words, Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved 21 And he said to him, Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar. With amazing mercy and leniency, the angel tells Lot that he has granted his request - Apparently, this angel had been given orders to destroy that town as well, along with Sodom - He promises, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken Obviously, there were no righteous people living in that city - Only those who were wicked and sinful - Probably much like the city of Sodom Instead of running to the mountains, away from the city life, Lot wants to flee to another city just like Sodom - He is fearful, selfish, and faithless Derek Kidner, Tyndale OT Commentaries, Genesis, Ross, Wenham,

12 Once again, the angel tells Lot to escape - This is now the fifth time this word has been used in just six verses o 19:17, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be swept away o 19:19, I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the disaster overtake me and I die o 19:20, Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved o 19:22, Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there The reason why the angel tells Lot to escape is because he cannot do anything until Lot arrives in that city - Until Lot is safe, the angel cannot bring down destruction and judgment upon Sodom and the surrounding cities We then learn that the name of the city where Lot seeks refuge is called Zoar - We know from Genesis 14:2 that Zoar was formerly known as Bela We know that Lot s desire for Zoar was just an excuse 15 - Look with me at 19:30 which we will study next week, And Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters Did Lot stay at Zoar? - No! Where did he flee? - To the mountains! - This is exactly what the angel told him to do in the first place! It is pitiful to see how hard Lot tries to negotiate his way with these angels - The warning had been sounded on numerous occasions - Urgency was in the air Yet here we see Lot as a man who had been so affected by the sin of Sodom that he argues to stay nearby - Yet I believe the Lord would have us learn from this man and his mannerisms Think of the audacity in Lot telling the angels, No! - Can you imagine? God had sent these angels to Sodom with a dual purpose - Rescue Lot - Destroy the city Yet in the midst of this threat of judgment, Lot wants to argue about the small details! - He tries to manipulate his circumstances for his own selfish ends Would you ever say, No to an angel? - Would you ever defy a Divine order? Be careful with your answer, beloved! 15 John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison,

13 Whether we want to admit it or not, we act in like manner when we sin - Sin is nothing more than telling God, No! When God says, Do this - We oftentimes say, No, I won t When God says, Don t do this - We oftentimes say, Yes I will! Do you realize this is what makes sin so bad? - We promote ourselves to being on a level of arguing and negotiating with God! When God s Word speaks, He doesn t want a conversation - He wants obedience We are in a worse state than Lot! - He said No to an angel - We defy the LORD Himself 2 Peter 2 is the only passage that speaks of Lot as being righteous - The apostle Peter goes back and reviews a few cases of how God displayed His judgment upon rebellion and sin o The demons who cohabited with women in Genesis 6 (cf. 2 Pet 2:4) o The sinful world of Noah who rejected his warnings (cf. 2 Pet 2:5) o The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. 2 Pet 2:6) - In the third chapter of his second epistle, Peter writes about why God is delaying His judgment on the entire world o He says, But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (2 Pet 3:8-12) There are those today who say that God will not judge sinners in the future - They affirm that God is loving and kind not wrathful like the OT But the apostle Peter affirms just the opposite - The God of the OT is the same God of the NT - The God of love is also the God of wrath The reason why God is delaying His judgment is not due to a lack of ability - It is because He is displaying His patience until He draws His elect to Himself God doesn t take great delight in bringing judgment upon sinners - But He will judge righteously since He is holy and righteous Himself 13

14 All those who reject Him will suffer the consequences - All those who receive Him will enjoy spiritual blessings Let s learn from the example of Lot - It is very easy to become comfortable with the sin around us There is a cliché about placing a frog in a cool pan - If you slowly turn up the heat, the frog will eventually stay in that pan and cook to death The nature of sin is to be gradual, deceptive, and manipulative - Satan will crank up the heat ever so slightly - But be assured, brethren, that the fire of temptation will have its effect on us This is such an applicable passage for us this morning, beloved - We can learn a lot from Lot - If we fail to learn from his example, we will most likely repeat his mistakes We, too, live with the reality of God s imminent judgment upon sinners - How we will live in light of that? Peter has exhorted us, Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! - Is that where your heart is this morning? Are you looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God? - If not, why not? Are you ready to meet the Lord? - Are you trusting in Christ for your salvation and deliverance? Remember, God saves no one on the basis of good works - Rather, God saves exclusively on the basis of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross If you are here this morning without Christ, I would urge you to repent of your sins and trust in Christ - Realize that your sins cause you to be separated from God - The just and righteous penalty for your sins is eternal, spiritual separation from God But God has been gracious to provide a way of salvation - Just as he did with Lot 14