The Wickedness of Sodom

God Revealed His Plans to Abraham God told Abraham of his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-19). –He may have done this because Abraham was his friend (Isaiah 41:8). –When God said he had “known” Abraham, he is describing an intimate relationship, which Jones says arose because of Abraham’s integrity (p. 110). –He knew he would command his household to follow God’s instructions

Abraham’s Appeal for Two Cities The report of the wickedness of these two cities had come up before God (18:20-21). Some things are revealed about Abraham in his exchange with God (18:22-33). –“Abraham’s exchange with God is an example of a personal exploration of faith into the limits of justice tempered by mercy. Abraham remains ever respectful and cautious before God” (Jones, p. 111). –Abraham appealed for the cities, especially the righteous –He was persistent (50, 45, 40, 30, 20 or even 10) –He showed confidence in God’s justice (esp. vs. 25)

Righteous Lot When the angels of the Lord came to Sodom, Lot was sitting in the gate. –Commerce was carried on there. –In that place, justice was often meted out by the elders of a city Lot was hospitable. –He insisted the visitors come to his house for the night (Gen. 19:1-3), thus unwittingly entertaining angels (Hebrews 13:2). Lot was tormented by the unrighteous acts he saw committed (2 Peter 2:8)

Sodom’s Sin The men of Sodom were involved in the sin of homosexuality –They were not ashamed (Isaiah 3:9; Philippians 3:19). –They would even force strangers to participate in their evil deeds (Genesis 19:4-5). –Both young and old came to Lot’s house to get him to bring out his visitors so they might “know them carnally”

The Sin of Homosexuality Under the law of Moses, this sin was punishable by death (Leviticus 20:13). –It was part of the Gentiles’ downward spiral into sin Romans 1: –It is a sin one can escape and from which one can be cleansed (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

God’s Judgment Lot stood outside his house and pled with the men of Sodom (Genesis 19:6-11) –He even offered his virgin daughters –They accused him of acting as their judge The angels pulled Lot inside and struck the men outside blind, yet they were so sinful they still groped for the door! –Habakkuk 1:13 describes God.

Lot and His Family The angels delivered Lot, his wife and their two daughters safely from the city (Genesis 19:12- 29; 2 Peter 3:6-9) –Lot’s sons-in-law saw him as one who mocked. –Unfortunately, Lot’s wife ignored their instructions and was turned into a pillar of salt Lot’s daughters also involved him in sin (Genesis 19:30-38) –They got him drunk on two consecutive nights and lay down with him –Perhaps the evil which had surrounded them had influenced his daughters to think of such a plan