The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah
The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a warning story about the destructive consequences of sin. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in Genesis, notorious for their blatant sin. Genesis 18:20-21 says,
“So great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah, and their sin is so grievous, that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has come to me. If not, I’ll know.”
When Abraham learned of God’s plan to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he asked God if he would save them if he could find them. fifty innocent and pious people. God assures Abraham that if he finds fifty righteous people, he will spare the city for his sake. Abraham then asks about a decreasing number until he reaches ten people and God answers: “For the love of ten, I will not destroy it” (Genesis 18:32).
God’s angels arrive in Sodom and Gomorrah
According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Sodom was one of the oldest cities in Syria. It is commonly mentioned in connection with Gomorrah, but also with Admah and Zeboim, and on one occasion — (Genesis 14:1) … — with Bela or Zoar. Sodom was evidently the main city of the settlement.
After leaving Abraham, the angels of God arrived at the gates of Sodom and Gomorrah, where they were greeted by Lot the gatekeeper. He begged the angels to join him in his house so he could wash their feet and serve them a meal. The angels agreed and went to Lot’s house. Lot was a foreigner in the kingdom of Sodom and did not succumb to the lustful and degenerate sins that reigned in the city.
Sodom, sodomy and sodomites
One of the most frequent sins in Sodom was the homosexuality of men, engaging in sexual relations with other men and boys. Sodom is where we get the term “sodomy and sodomites” named for this widespread sin of the people. After the angels entered Lot’s house, the men of the city surrounded Lot’s house. According to Genesis 19:5, “They called to Lot: ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Get them out so we can have sex with them.’”
Lot pleaded with the crowd to reconsider, even offering his two virgin daughters in place of the two visiting men, whose angelic identity was apparently unknown to the lecherous Sodomites. “Out of our way,” they replied. “This guy came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play judge! We will treat you worse than them” (Genesis 19:9). As the crowd moved to break down the door, the men inside pushed Lot inside and closed the door. door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. The two men said to Lot: “Do you have anyone else here, sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city that belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we’re going to destroy this place. The cry of the Lord against his people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
The burning of Sodom and Gomorrah
After Lot fails to convince his sons-brother-in-law to leave the city, he fled Sodom with his wife and two daughters encouraged by the two angels that the Lord would take care of them. The angels first tell Lot to flee to the mountains, but Lot asks his family to go to a nearby city called Zoar to ensure his survival.
The Bible describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:23-29, stating:
“When Lot arrived in Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained burning brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah; of the Lord of heaven. He thus he destroyed those cities and all the plain, and destroyed all the inhabitants of the cities, and also the vegetation of the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Abraham got up the next morning and returned to the place where he had stood before YHVH, and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw thick smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. . Therefore, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the catastrophe that brought down the c cities where Lot had lived.”
According to biblical commentaries such as the NIV Zondervan Study Bible, Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back, “for disobeying the instruction not to look back. Her action suggests that she identified with the people of Sodom. Her failure to flee God’s punishment becomes a vivid warning to others (Luke 17:32).”
Now the story of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a lesson in the consequences of sin and the wrath of God.
Bible Commentary on Sodom and Gomorrah
God reveals to Abraham the destruction of Sodom: Genesis 18:16-22 The two who are supposed to have been created angels went to Sodom. The one called Jehovah throughout the chapter continued with Abraham, and would not hide from him what he intended to do. Although God is lenient with sinners, of whom they imagine that the Lord does not see, and does not look; but when the day of his wrath comes, he will look to them. The Lord will give Abraham the opportunity to intercede with him, and will show him the reason for his conduct. He considers, as a very shining part of Abraham’s character and example, that he not only prayed with his family, but that he was very careful to teach and govern them well. Those who expect family blessings should become aware of family duty. Abraham did not fill their heads with matters of dubious dispute, but taught them to be earnest and devout in the worship of God and to be honest in their dealings with all men. How few can give themselves such a character in our days! How little do the heads of families care to base their subordinates on the principles of religion! Do we watch from Saturday to Saturday if they advance or retreat?
Abraham’s intercession for Sodom: Genesis 18:23-33 This is the first recorded solemn prayer in the Bible, and it is a prayer for the salvation of Sodom. Abraham earnestly prayed that Sodom would be spared from it, if a few righteous people were found in it. Come and learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners and how fervently we should pray for them. We see here that the effective and fervent prayer of the righteous can do much. Abraham, in fact, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously spared. So be encouraged to wait, through fervent prayer, for God’s blessing on your families, your friends, his neighborhood. For this, you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham. He knew that the Judge of all the earth would do the right thing. He does not pray that the wicked be spared for their own sake, or because it would be harsh to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who may be among them. And only justice can be an argument before God. So how did Christ intercede for transgressors? Not blaming divine law, nor alleging anything as mitigating or excusing human guilt; but beseeching HIS OWN obedience from him unto death.
The destruction of Sodom, and the release of Lot: Genesis 19:1-29 Lot was good, but there was not one more of the same character in the city. All the people of Sodom were very wicked and vile. Therefore, he was careful to save Lot and his family. Lot delayed; he joked. Thus, many who are under conviction about his spiritual state and the need for a change, put off that necessary work. The salvation of the most just men is by the mercy of God, not by their own merits. We are saved by grace. The power of God must also be recognized to lift souls out of a sinful state. If God had not been merciful to us, our delay would have been our ruin. Lot must flee to save his life. He must not yearn for Sodom. Commandments such as these are given to those who, by grace, are delivered from a sinful state and condition. Do not return to sin and Satan. Rest not in yourself and in the world. Reach towards Christ and heaven, because that is escaping to the mountain, without which we must not stop. Regarding this destruction, notice that it is a revelation of the wrath of God against sin and sinners of all ages. Let us learn from here the wickedness of sin and its harmful nature; leads to ruin. (Excerpts from commentary by Matthew Henry)