IX - Genesis 18 and 19 Sodom and Gomorrah

Chapter 18 - Abraham and the Three Visitors---------------------- I hope to cover chapters 18 and 19 in this posting. Again, there is so much going on.-------------Ch.18 opens with Abraham sitting near his tent in the heat of the day, probably resting and trying to stay cool. He suddenly saw three strangers approaching him. Vs 2 says Abraham bowed low to the ground. Bowing low means that Abraham knew there was something very special about these three. ------------- I've given thought to these three visitors. My conclusion in my mind, and I am NOT stating this as a fact, is that this was Jesus and two angels, Michael and Gabriel. Don't get too caught up in this, but keeping that possibility in mind as you read these two chapters seems to give a more vivid picture of the events. The first thing that makes me think this is vs 3 when Abraham says "If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord". Remember, he bowed low to these men, a sign of reverence. He then calls One of them Lord. He knew he was talking to someone with divine authority.-------------- Abraham urges them to stay with him as his guests and they agreed. When they agreed to be Abraham's guests, Abraham immediately started directing people as to how he wanted to host these three visitors, even telling Sarah how much of th finest flour to use to bake some bread. (about 36 pounds. gee that's a lot of bread. perhaps Abraham wanted a "banquet" type of meal for these three) And notice he told Sarah "quick". Abraham is clearly excited about having these SPECIAL people as visitors. After giiving Sarah detailed instructions, he RAN to the herd and personally selected a "choice, tender calf". I'm sure it was the best one in all the herd. He then gave it to the cook and had him to "hurry" to prepare it. Not hard to picture this whole scene. Abraham seems so nervous, but who could blame him. I believe he know exactly Who was in his house. How would I act if I had Jesus, Michael, and Gabriel were in my house for dinner. Peggy and I would be like two insane people running around, accomplishing absolutely nothing, but so excited we would hardly be able to speak.-------------- As Abraham's visitors ate the very best meal Abraham could provide for them, Abraham kept as close to them as he could, I'm sure still supervising the entire event. Then in vs 9 they asked "where's Sarah?" Abraham told them she was in the tent. (I'm sure that it was the custom at that time that the women would not be eating with the guests and the other men. I don't think this practice was ordained by God, as we'll see in the upcoming books that God held women in a very high place. Earlier in Genesis God indeed placed women to be subservient to men, but He did not place them in second-class status. I'll make this very clear as this History unfolds, further revealing the "personality" of God.)-----------------------Vs 10 - Then One of them said "I will return in about a year and Sarah will have delivered a son." Sarah was eves dropping (I can't blame her for eves dropping. I would have been doing the same thing) Vs 12 says Sarah laughed to herself because she thought this was impossible due to her barenness and her age, and said to herself : NOW? Now that I'm old and worn out I will be blessed with the only thing I've ever wanted? Now that I am too old to enjoy it or able to properly care for a child? What was the matter with dong this when I was younger and able? Then the Lord (Jesus) asked Abraham "Why did she laugh?" (Remember, she laughed to herself. Jesus knows our EVERY thought. How sobering that is.) He asks "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" We need to learn a lesson here. He goes on to repeat Himself and said that a year from now, Sarah will have delivered a son. Then in vs 15 it says Sarah was afraid. No wonder she was afraid. Think of what went through her mind: >How did He know I laughed? >Oh my, these Men really are from God >No wonder Abraham was so nervous and excited >Suddenly I believe Them. I'm gong to have a baby. My prayers are going to be answered. >I am in the presence of God >My life is going to change. She was shocked and her mind was racing. But her knee-jerk reaction to His acknowledgement that she laughed was "I did not laugh" The Lord immediately said "Yes, you did laugh." I can just picture the Lord correcting one of my "thoughts" (thoughts, mind you). He would say Merle scoffed at something. I can just hear myself responding "I didn't scoff". I would feel comfortable saying this because I didn't say anything, but rather I just thought it. But then the Lord would point His finger at me and say "Yes, you did scoff". He knows all of our thoughts. This kind of stuff is not hard to immagine once you've studied God through His scripture.-------------------Let's move on to vss 16 and following. - Their visit with Abraham is coming to a close. The Lord repeats His promise to Abraham about making him a great nation through which all nations will be blessed. Note in vs 19 that the Lord says "I have chosen him". Abraham was chosen because he was a man of faith and God was confident that Abraham would raise his family and household in a Godly manner.---------------vs 20 Then the Lord mentions the horror taking place in Sodom and Gomorrah. Called it so great and sin so grievous. Allow me to take a moment to comment on various sins. We are taught in Sunday School that all sins are equal, none greater than the other. Although it is true that all sins separate us from God and need forgiven equally, but the Old Testiment clearly tells us that all sins not considered to be equal in severity. Remember the definition of "sin" is "missing the mark", falling short of God's requirements. But the Bible speaks of 1) Sin 2) Transgressions 3) Iniquities. Is it important that we know the difference? It sure is important! These three are different and I'll get into that in the coming months. The reason this is worthy of mention is that it is quite clear to me that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were not merely running around telling little white lies or gossiping or murmering. Their behavior was horrendous. Indescribable in the English language. I picture in my mind the society in these two cities: violence and the entertainment of violence, unimaginable sexual lewdness, including rape, sodomy, violent homosexuality, sex with dead bodies of not only humans, but with animals, self- adornment to an ungodly level, lawlessness, ridicule of all things rightious or holy, parents being vialoted by their children, shaming any unselfish behavior as foolish, punishing righteous behavior by public humiliation, justice system so corrupt that the innocent are punished and the guilty are rewarded, forcing public displays of homosexuality until minds become numb and the difference between right and wrong become so blurred that rightious behavior is no longer recognizable. I could go on and on, but I invite reader(s) to mentally try to describe the actions of a society so heinous that God can no longer stomach it and must destroy it to get it out of His sight. This is not an exercize in futility. We must make ourselves aware of the fact that God, even with His seemingly infinite patience, can get a belly full and act harshly, and He should.--------------moving on.....Then in vss 22 following tells of Abraham making his plea (he's thinking about Lot, always making intercession, just like we do for our loved ones). He asks the Lord if He would spare them if 50 righteous were among them, then 45, and so forth down to 10. The Lord said He would spare them each time. This shows that God does not want to destroy righteous people and this reiterates the fact that we are to be the "salt" of the earth. As long as righteousness exists, God will not destroy the entire earth.-------------- Chapter 19 - Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed-------------------Notice in the first verse in chapter 19 - two angels arrived in Sodom. I think Jesus went back to be with the Father and assigned the two angels to deal with Sodom and Gomorrah.------------------------- Although Lot was always given to the materialistic as o[pposed to the Godly, we see here that Sodom had gone too far for even Lot to tolerate. Therefore it is safe to assume at this point that Lot and his family were the only decent people in the whole city of Sodom. I guess Gomorrah had no decent people at all. Lot immediately rocognized these angels as men he needed to protect. He advised them to come into his home for their protection and they finaly agreed to. Lot ws very hopitable to these men (angels). In the next few verses we get a glimpse of the evil that has gripped this city. Men of all ages approach Lot and want him to give over the strangers so the men can have sex with them. Sexual violence was open and widely accepted. They wanted to force homosexual acts upon these strangers. I guess they had done this so much with each other that they got bored with the same people, and the strangers aroused them. How sickening. Lot pleaded with these evil people to leave these strangers alone, and offered his two virgin daughters to them. (imagine that) But the evil men of Sodom still prefered the men to the virgin daughters. They threatened violence on Lot if he interferred with them having homosexual relations with the visiting men. They were in the process of overpowering Lot when the angels saved Lot from them and then struck the evil men with blindness, rendering them helpless, seeking relief from blindness. This is not the only time angels used blindness. (Acts)--------------------The angels then told Lot to gather his loved ones and flee the city because it was going to be destroyed. Lot tried to get his two future sons-in-law out, but they thought Lot was joking. Vs 16 tell me that Lot didn't really want to leave and the angels physically force him out of the city. I believe they did this for Abraham more that for Lot. I also believe that God does things for or against people for the sake of someone else that we are unaware of at the time. I think this happens frequently. (Samson will be another example of this)---------------In vs 17 the angel instructed them "Don't look back" Later it tells that Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Jesus mentions Lot's wife in Luke 17 to warn those who love the thins of the world better thatn God and His righteousness.------------ But in vs 18 and following, I find it interesting that Lot (although instructed to flee to the mountains) told the angeld]=s he'd rather flee to that small city over there. Although the angels granted Lot his wish I don't think Lot has learned much. He went to the city called Zoar (name means "small") and that city was spared.--------------- Vs27-29 - Abraham sees the destruction bu realizes God honored his request to spare Lot and his family. -------------------- The remainder of chapter 19 deals with Lot and his two daughters, the only three people to survive the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot left Zoar and went to the mountains and ended up living in a cave with his two daughters. As Lot was getting old his daughters, being concerned about having children, got their father drunk, had sex with him and conceived. The descendents of the older daughter would become the Moabites. The descendents of the younger daughter would become the Ammonites. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites would become a evil groups of people.