Genesis 19 records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The two angels are welcomed into the home of Lot, but the men of Sodom are not so welcoming. It is obvious that they want to gang rape these two visitors. The angels cause blindness to come upon those men, and the next day they were escorted out of the city to get away from the destruction. Verse 16 states that Lot hesitated and that the divine visitors grabbed the hands of Lot, his wife and daughters and took them out of the city. They were instructed not to look back.
What are the sins of such an evil place? Obviously, the sin of homosexuality was one, but others are mentioned throughout the Scripture as well. Walter Bruggemann points some of these out in his commentary on Genesis. “Isaiah 1:10; 3:9 the reference is to injustice; in Jeremiah 23:14, to a variety of irresponsible acts which are named; and in Ezekiel 16:49 the sin of pride, excessive food, and indifference to the needy.”
Living with evil has a hold on us. Lot hesitated to leave the evil city of Sodom. Lot’s wife looked back and was changed to a pillar of salt. Sin has a way of becoming so ingrained in our lives that we don’t want to leave it behind. It is important to remove ourselves from places and things that tempt us. Our Lord taught us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” To live a righteous life we must remove ourselves from an environment of evil.
“Lord, deliver us from evil. Help us not to look back longingly on past sins. Keep us focused on life and not death, on righteousness and not sin, and upon Jesus and not worldly desires. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
About Me
- Robert and Ray Miller
- Robert is the pastor of First Baptist Texas City, Tx. And Ray is the pastor of First Baptist Mertens, Tx. Robert brings over 30 years of biblical study as a pastor. Ray brings a younger perspective to the Bible and also a command of the original languages. Our greatest passion is to see lives changed through the good news of Jesus Christ.
2 comments:
This chapter speaks volumes to me. Lot chose to live in Sodom and raise his children there. As parents we must always be aware of how our actions are and will affect our families.
The choice of a mate is so important and must be a matter of diligent prayer. Also, our lifestyles must be viewed in the light of scripture to insure they are according to God's will.
Lot selfishly chose the fertile plain when given the choice by Abraham and that led to living in such sinful conditions that God had to destroy the city and almost all who lived there.
"Father, help me examine my daily choices in light of your word and direction to ensure they bring forth fruit for you and not your destruction."
I find this story most difficult. It relates directly to what all of us must do each day which is to turn from sin. Our young people have such per pressure and constant bombardment from all the media to act a certain way to be accepted and in almost all cases it is sin that is being sold. Sodom is here and we must fight hard to make sure our youth understand this and have to tools to fight it. Good families and good mentors are badly needed.
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