In one more sad scene, Lot’s untaught daughters commit two acts of immorality that produce two enemies of Israel that will be in conflict with God’s people for generations. Their destiny could be on your shoulders. This is also a warning to family leaders – your life influences those in your house. She stands as a “pillar,” memorial or monument, to the results of wrongdoing and wrong living. Lot’s wife’s heart was still in the city, mourning what she would lose, and she was not counted among the righteous. Lot still expressed complacency by asking for 1 city to be spared. God must judge those who don’t know Him and bring consequences for those who do.įour people of Lot’s immediate family were pulled from the city. God’s mercy and justice are both unchanging, and they never conflict. The chapter ends with a two-phase picture of mercy and judgment. Wouldn’t you rather your children live life to the full? God’s Mercy & Judgment ( verses 15-38) A righteous family life leads to safety and joy. In contrast, Abraham stands above the plain, safe from destruction because of his choices. Lot led his family into compromise, and he loses his children to worldly living. They would rather stay in their wealthy city, though doomed to destruction, than take an opportunity to repent. They naturally think righteousness is a joke. We learn he had given his daughters in marriage to men of the city living in the darkest immorality. Lot was allowed to warn his family members of coming judgment. We all stand in desperate need of a Savior. And that’s what every person is like until God changes them. Sin always wants more sin it can’t help itself. The men still tried to get into Lot’s house even after being blinded by the angels. The angels rescued Lot from death at the hands of the mob. Often compromised Christians don’t know they are compromising until they are tested. Foolish Lot tried to reason with them and offered a proposal that seemed like a better option to him, but is still darkness. The men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house and made an immoral proposition. In these verses, the story gets very dark. Our greatest need is not social good but forgiveness. People don’t change by their own efforts or by being persuaded – only God can truly change hearts and behavior. He has to protect God’s righteous messengers because he knows his efforts haven’t worked. Though a compromised Christian, Lot knew what was right and thought he could change the culture by doing social good. They were protective of their wealth and would not share the opportunity easily when someone wanted to join their city. The people of Sodom were not hospitable to strangers but downright hostile and cruel to visitors. Lot knew the sinful activities of his city at night and presses the two visiting angels to come to his house where they would be safe. The fourth ‘sin that broke the camel’s back,’ seen in Genesis 19, is pervasive immorality. Ezekiel 16:49 says the three sins of Sodom were pride, gluttony, and laziness. It was an agricultural wonderland, and all the cities were commercially successful. Sodom was the newest city in this wealthy valley. Sodom and Gomorrah only existed for less than 100 years, compared to nearby city-states that had existed for nearly 1000. He has become a leader in the wicked city of Sodom, tipped his hat to their immorality, and is rearing his family without biblical guardrails. When seeking to be Light in the world, we learn to befriend lost people without being associated with sinful practices. Rather, it should be read as a sub-narrative in Abraham’s story about how God’s people can slip into living like the world. It is often misunderstood and misinterpreted as judgment on one particular sin, but it is not. Genesis 19 is a hard chapter to understand. Listen When God’s People Live Like the World.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |