Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 15:5-6 And he. heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number. and he counted it to him for righteousness.

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1 Chapter 14 Table of Contents Chapter 16 Sodom and Gomorrah Introduction This lesson addresses some very important issues: What does God consider righteousness? How can anyone be counted righteous in God s sight? Does God care if people choose to live an immoral life? Is homosexuality really a sin? In the story that we are going to look at today, the Bible will answer these questions very clearly. Also, this story will remind us what happened in Noah s day, and it will make us think about what is happening right now in our society. God s Promises Renewed to Abram Genesis 13:14-17 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. After Lot left Abram, the Lord spoke to Abram and promised once again to give him all of the land of Canaan. He told Abram that He would give him all of the land as far as he could see. Also, that he would give him so many descendants that no man Genesis 15:5-6 And he would be able to count them. God emphasized this brought him forth abroad, by repeating the same promise to Abram again. and said, Look now toward This time, God used the stars as an example. How heaven, and tell the stars, if many stars can you see thou be able to number in the sky at night? How them: and he said unto him, many stars can you see in the sky on a dark and So shall thy seed be. 6 And cloudless night? Can you count the stars? Can he believed in the LORD; anyone count the stars? and he counted it to him for Well, one night God took Abram outside of his righteousness. tent and told him to look up and see if he could count the stars. Then God promised Abram that his descendants would be as many as the stars. Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? Now even though Abram did not have any children, he believed God. He simply trusted what the Lord promised. Abram knew that the Lord was the Creator and honored the Lord s opinion as being the right one. He believed God even though he knew that what God promised seemed impossible. Abram and 107

2 Sarai had been married for many years and were now old, but they had never been able to have a child. But Abram trusted in God to give him a child and to send the Deliverer as one of his descendants. Therefore, because Abram believed God, God counted it to him for righteousness. This means that God accepted him as if he had no sin. This does not mean that Abram was not a sinner. He was a sinner just like every other man, but because of his trust in God, God accepted him as if he were perfectly right. Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. What is righteousness? The root word is right. God counted it to him or gave Abram credit for being right or acceptable to God. But Abram was a sinner, a descendant of Adam, just like us. So, what did God find in Abram that would cause God to credit Abram with righteousness? Why should God accept Abram, a sinner? The only reason that God credited righteousness to Abram was that Abram believed God. You might say that although Abram s bank account with God was in debt because of his sins, God put righteousness into Abram s account so that the balance is back to zero. The righteousness was given to him as a gift from God, and that is the only reason that Abram was fully acceptable to God. Why did God do this for him? He did it because Abram believed Him! Abram knew that he could not save himself from his sins, but he believed that God was going to send a Deliverer who would be able to save him from Satan and sin and death. Genesis 15:13-16 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Do you know what will happen next week, next year, in ten years time? What about in one or two hundred years time? No one knows the answers to these questions except God. He alone knows all about your future, and He knew all that would happen to Abram s descendants before they were ever born. We know this because He told Abram exactly what would happen to them that they would be strangers in a far off land that was not theirs; that they would be servants there; that the people of that land would afflict them for 400 years; that God would judge that nation; and that they would come out from that nation bringing great riches. 108

3 Sarai takes matters into her own hands Genesis 16:1-3 Now Sarai Abram s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. Sarai did not have any children, which was a disgrace to her. She wanted to have children and may have wondered if it was her fault that they did not have any children. She told Abram that the Lord had restrained (or kept her from) having children. So, she came up with a solution. She offered her maid to her husband so that he could have a child by the maid. When the child was born, it would be her child. Perhaps Sarai thought that she was helping God to give Abram a child. Perhaps she thought that God had even made a mistake. No matter what, we can see that her actions of giving her maid to her husband show that she lacked faith in God s power and ability to do what He said. She did not trust God. She thought that she had to make her own way for God s plan to come to pass. Then, she influenced her husband to go along with her plan. This is just what Eve did to Adam. The bad part is that Abram listened to his wife instead of God and had a baby by the maid. Genesis 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. Genesis 16:8-12 And he said, Hagar, Sarai s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. We can know that this was not part of God s plan to give Abram children because after the baby was born, Sarai said that she was wrong. She began to fight with the maid, and the maid ran away, but God made a promise to Abram concerning his children and God always keeps His promises. Even when man interferes, God still keeps His promises. Because of God s promise to Abram, God allowed the child to be born and to become a great people, but the Deliverer would not come through him. The Deliverer would come through God s chosen child. 109

4 God s Promise that Sarah Would Have a Son Genesis 17:1-5 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared unto him again commanding him to walk perfectly before Him. This time God tells Abram that the promise of the descendants is a promise that is between Himself and Abram. It is a personal promise between the two of them that will be passed on to Abram s seed after him. It did not include any other people. The sign that God gave Abram to show him that His opinion was fixed was that Abram s name was to be changed to Abraham. Abram means, exalted father; Abraham means, father of a multitude of children. God gave this sign to Abraham because He promised that Abraham would become the father of many nations. Now, every time someone called his name, Abraham would be reminded of God s promise. God also changed Sarai s name to Sarah because, even though she had never been able to have a child, God promised she would have a son. Sarai means princess, but Sarah means mother of nations. God did this to remind them that the child would come from Sarah and not another maid. Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? To Abraham and Sarah it seemed impossible that they would have a son. Abraham would be 100 years old. Sarah would be 90 years old. But the promise did not depend on their human frailty. It was God who made the promise, and He is almighty. The promise depended on God. God s Attitude Toward Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:20-21 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. Let s turn our attention now to Abraham s nephew, Lot. You will remember that Lot moved down near two wicked cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though there were many people in the world at that time, God saw everything that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did, and He heard everything that they said. God had been displeased with these wicked cities for a long time, even before Lot moved near them. For a long while, the Lord was 110

5 patient with the inhabitants, but now He decided that He could not tolerate their sinfulness any longer. They could not escape the judgment of God. Do you remember how God patiently waited for the people to repent in the days when Noah lived? The day came, however, when God decided He had given the people enough time to repent. Not one of those who refused to agree with God escaped His punishment. We must remember that He is sovereign and supreme. He doesn t need to ask anyone what He should do. When He decides to punish sinners, no one can stop Him. Don t be deceived! Just because God doesn t immediately punish sin, it does not mean that He overlooks sin. He will eventually punish all sin. No one can escape from God, our almighty Creator. He sees and will punish the sin of every person. God s Angels Came to Sodom Genesis 19:1-3 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. According to verse one, where was Lot? Yes, that s right! He was sitting in the gate of Sodom. Previously, Lot was living near the city, but now, he had moved right in and was living with these wicked people. He even had a house in the city. Who were his visitors, and why did they come? They were two of God s good angels who had not followed Satan. God sent them to Sodom for a special purpose: to warn Lot and his family of what was about to happen. Even though Lot lived among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, God knew that Lot believed Him. Lot invited the men into his house to spend the night, but the men wanted to stay in the street all night. Lot knew of the wickedness of the people of Sodom and he pressed (convinced, begged, or pleaded), them to stay with him. When they agreed, he took them inside and made them a feast. The Sinfulness of the Sodomites Genesis 19:4-7 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 111

6 The Bible gives us more insight into the sin of Sodom. What a sickening passage for us to read. But God put it here for a reason. He wants us to know what His opinion of sodomy is. He wants us to know how He feels about it. Sodomy is a sexual sin. 1 But, this sin does not just involve sex. It involves pride, fullness of bread, and too much time on their hands. 2 These people were proud; they were gluttons, and they didn t care about the needs of others. We should now stop and think. We should ask ourselves this question: Is our society doing any better today? The word sodomy is still in our language because the sin is still in our midst. As far as sex is concerned, God s only plan for sex was that it be the special bond between a man and his wife, and the means for them to have children. The unnatural, perverted, out-of-control, selfish passions that plagued Sodom are still raging today. For example, a horrible disease threatens our whole society because men and women have refused God s plan for their lives. Lot s earlier choice of the best land now appears to be quite different in light of this awful scene. If God had not sent His angels, what a horrible end Lot and his two daughters would have faced! The Bible tells us that Lot believed God, and God rescued him. Rescued out of Sodom Genesis 19:10-17 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for 1 Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 2 Ezekiel 16:49-50 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. 112

thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. God did not save Lot and his wife and daughters because they were good.

7 thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. God did not save Lot and his wife and daughters because they were good. Even though Lot was not living a wicked life like the people of Sodom, he, too, was born a sinner. But Lot had agreed with God that he was a sinner, and he trusted in God s mercy. Lot believed the promises given to Adam and to his uncle, Abraham, about the coming Deliverer. So, God s angels led Lot out before the wicked cities were destroyed. God always saves those who agree with Him and trust in Him. Abel agreed with God and trusted in Him, and God accepted Abel. Noah agreed with God and trusted in Him, and God saved Noah from the flood. Lot agreed with God and trusted in Him, and God delivered him before Sodom was destroyed. God Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 19:24-25 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. Once Lot was safely outside the city, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He did this because He hates sin. Just as He destroyed the world by a flood in the time of Noah, He destroyed these wicked people by fire. In 2 Peter 2:6 God calls the destruction of these cities an example of what is going to happen to ungodly people. 3 Remember that God is still the same today as He was then. He has not changed. He still sees and hates sin. He plans to judge sin and when He does, no one can escape His judgment. Lot s Wife Looked Back Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. When the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters out of Sodom, they told them not to look behind but to run to the mountains. Lot s wife disobeyed. She thought that she would be OK. She had no regard for obeying God s perfect plan to save them. God knew what was in her heart. She was like Cain. She did not trust in God. 3 2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 113

God knew why she looked back. She looked back because she liked the sinful ways of the people of Sodom. She didn t want to leave. All of her wealth and friends were there. Her home was there.

8 God knew why she looked back. She looked back because she liked the sinful ways of the people of Sodom. She didn t want to leave. All of her wealth and friends were there. Her home was there. We can now see that she was very foolish to ignore God s warning because when she looked back, God turned her into a pillar of salt. If we get angry with someone, we may make many threats, but after a while, we probably forget. God, however, doesn t threaten to punish and then forget. He is always the same. He remembers and keeps His promises to bless those who trust in Him and to punish those who disobey Him. God never forgets about sin until it is paid for in full. The blessing of God is life while the punishment for sin is death, separation from God forever in the Lake of Fire. Conclusion God is interested in all people. Even though there are now billions of people in the world, God still knows and is interested in every individual. Every living thing is important to God even sparrows. Though there are millions of sparrows in the world, the Bible tells us that Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. God knows when one sparrow dies. We are much more precious to God than the birds. Psalm 139:1-4 tells us: O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Think of the vastness of God s knowledge! This great, all-knowing, allpowerful God CARES about everyone, even you and me! God knows that we are studying His Word right now, and He wants us to believe what He is teaching us. God wants us to listen and to believe because not only is God interested in every individual, but He will also judge every single person who refuses to believe His Word. Some people think that they are just too insignificant for God to notice. That is not true. Remember what we just read from Psalms. Even the birds are important enough to God that He knows every one of them! How much more God cares about people; He knows everything about us. He knows everything about YOU! 114

9 Chapter 14 Table of Contents Chapter 16 God cares about us and wants us to believe Him, but He is also righteous and true and will judge the person who refuses Him. No person escapes God s concern; no sin escapes God s righteous judgment. God is the same today as He was in the day of Abraham and Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah. 115

Genesis Chapter Nineteen. Bible Bowl 2013

Genesis Chapter Nineteen. Bible Bowl 2013 Genesis Chapter Nineteen Bible Bowl 2013 Genesis 19:1 1. Who came to Sodom at even, after Abraham had asked God to spare Sodom if ten righteous were found in it? A. the LORD B. the angel of the LORD C.