Isaac Born & Sodom Destroyed -- 3/22/09

Sunday, March 22, 2009

A PROMISE FULFILLED AND A CITY DESTROYED
Gen. 17:15-21:8

This morning we come back to Abraham, the father of the faithful, the friend of God. We will begin in Genesis 17, where we left off two weeks ago. At that time, we looked at more of God’s dealings with Abraham. We focused on the covenant in chapter 15 and the circumcision, which was the sign of the covenant, in chapter 17. We didn’t get to the child, who would be born in fulfillment (partial) of the covenant. However, there was a child born in chapter 16. And who was that child? Yes, Ishmael. God had promised Abraham a son, and now he had a son. So what was the problem? Ishmael was not the son that God had promised. You remember the background of his birth, don’t you? At the suggestion of Sarah, Abraham took her servant girl Hagar and had Ishmael by her. But this was not the son of promise; this was the son born of the flesh. Ishmael represented what Abraham could do. This morning we will come to see what God did.

Before we get to the birth of the son of promise in chapter 21, we will look at some of the events in the intervening chapters. We won’t be reading all of these chapters, because you have been reading them on your own in preparation. So let’s dive in.

I. Abraham’s Favor with God

As we look at Abraham, I want you to notice that he was a man who had great favor with God. We see that truth in these chapters.

A. A More Focused Promise (17:15-27; 19:9-15)

Let’s read Gen. 17:15-22…
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18. And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

God had already promised Abraham a son, but now the promise is much more specific. Verse 16, “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations…” Ishmael is not the promised son, because that son will come through your own wife, Sarah. Yes, we see in verse 15 that God takes Sarai and gives her the name “Sarah,” which means “Princess.” Remember that Sarah is almost 90 years old by this time and has never been able to bear a child. It is obvious that Abraham is capable of having children, and he had Ishmael to prove it, but Sarah is old and barren. Nevertheless, this is the promise of Almighty God, that Abraham will have a son by her. What favor God showed this man. The wife whom he has loved for all these years is finally going to bear him a son, the son promised by God.

How did Abraham respond? He fell on his face and laughed, saying in his heart, “Shall a child be born unto him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety, bear a child?” Please understand that Abraham’s response has been interpreted in different ways over the years. Some of you probably don’t even remember this part, because we usually remember Sarah laughing (chapter 18) and forget about this little incident. Here is the question: Does Abraham’s response reveal a lack of faith on his part? Or was this joyous laughter?

Those who take it as a lack of faith quickly point to verse 18, where Abraham says, “O that Ismael might live before thee.” Was he not still hoping Ishmael would be the promised son,
because he had no confidence that Sarah would really have a son? And after all, Abraham wasn’t perfect; he had plenty of failures both before this and afterward. So surely Abraham’s laughter was evidence of his doubt that God could deliver on His promise.

On the other hand, I want you to notice a few things. First of all, notice where Abraham was when he laughed. He was on his face. Abraham fell on his face. What does that mean? Go back to 17:3, “And Abraham fell on his face and God talked to him…” God had just introduced Himself as “the Almighty God” (verse 1). No wonder Abraham fell on his face. We find the same thing throughout the Word of God. Moses fell on his face before God; Joshua fell on his face before God; even the wicked king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before God. Why? Out of reverence for the living and Almighty God. I can find no instance where men fell on their face before God for any other reason. It was an act of submission to the Almighty.

Now compare this incident with Sarah’s response when the angel announced that she would have a son. You will remember that three strangers appeared to Abraham. Now let’s pick up the story in Gen. 18:9-15…
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13. And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14. Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Sarah overheard what the angel said to Abraham, and she laughed, because she was old and barren. Notice in verse 13 that the Lord specifically asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” You don’t find any such thing connected with Abraham’s laughter. It seems that there is a certain censure of Sarah’s behavior that is not true of Abraham’s. Furthermore, notice that Sarah denied that she had laughed. In short, she lied.

Finally, what do we read in the New Testament. Remember that we have been going back and forth between this section of Genesis and Romans 4. So let’s come again to Romans 4. Paul has been using Abraham as an example of an Old Testament saint who was justified through faith. Now let’s read Rom. 4:16-22…
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17. (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: 20. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21. And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Earlier in the chapter we read of Abraham’s faith, but the verse quoted was Gen. 15:6, “And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” That took place years before. But here in this section of Romans 4 we know he is talking about the events of Gen. 17-18, because he says Abraham was about 100 years old (99 according to Gen. 17:1) and because he speaks about the deadness of Sarah’s womb. Now Paul has in mind not just the promise of a son, but the promise of a son through Sarah. And what does Paul say about Abraham’s attitude? He was not weak in faith. He did not consider his own age or the deadness of Sarah’s womb. But he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. Rather, he was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully persuaded that God would deliver on His promise. That makes it very difficult to regard Abraham’s laughter as evidence of unbelief.

Then why did he laugh? Amazement. Joy. And perhaps he was perplexed. He believed it, but it was still quite a shock. Lord, how can it be?

But what about Ishmael and Abraham’s exclamation: “O that Ishmael might live before thee”? I’m not sure. This too has been taken different ways. Again, I find it hard to see it as evidence of unbelief. Abraham may have wondered what part Ishmael would play. After all, the boy was now 13 years old. No doubt, Abraham was very close to him. Remember that he was born when Abraham was 86. Perhaps in some sense he was jealous for Ishmael. Where does this newly defined promise leave Ishmael?

However Abraham intended it, God sorted it out. He first makes it clear in verse 19 that Sarah will have a son, his name will be called Isaac (meaning “laughter”), and the covenant will be established through him and his seed. Then the Lord assures Abraham that He will also bless Ishmael. Just to make sure that there is no confusion, He states again in verse 21 that the covenant will be established in Isaac, not Ishmael.

B. An Effective Plea (18:16-33)

Now come again to chapter 18. After the three visitors had again announced the birth of Isaac and after Sarah had laughed, we pick up the story in Gen. 18:16-23…
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17. And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18. Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

We read that “the men rose up.” Who are “the men”? Back in verse 2, we see that three men showed up at Abraham’s place. It is interesting that Abraham responds in verse 3, “My Lord.” But then down through verse 8 he addressed them in the plural. In verse 9, “They said unto him…” But in verse 10, “He said…” Then verse 13, “The LORD said…” Now come to what we just read in 16-23. 16, “The men rose up…and looked toward Sodom.” But then in 17, “And the LORD said, Shall I hid form Abraham that thing which I do…?” The LORD continues to speak down through verse 21. Then in 22, “And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.” The rest of the chapter is the conversation between Abraham and the LORD. So how many went toward Sodom? The answer is in 19:1, “And there came two angels to Sodom at evening…” So were they angels or men? Let’s read Heb. 13:2, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." It has long been held that this is a reference to Abraham’s hospitality, when these men/angels came to him. But why did only two angels arrive at Sodom? What happened to the third? It seems best to understand that the third was the LORD Himself (or the Pre-incarnate Christ, as some would contend). He stayed and talked with Abraham, while the two angels went on to Sodom, as they had business there.

As we will see in chapter 19, the Lord had plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But what about Abraham? Should He hide His plan from Abraham? Of course, we know that God is not obligated to share His plan with any human being. Nevertheless, we read in Ps. 25:14, "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant." Also Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." We read in Is. 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Nevertheless, He is eager to share His thoughts and His ways with those who fear Him. That is why we read in Ps. 103:7, "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel."

So in verses 20-21 of Gen. 18 the Lord shares His plan of destruction with Abraham. It goes something like this: “If things are as bad as they appear, I will destroy these cities.” Then the two angels left for Sodom. It is then that we read in verse 23-24, “And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there be fifty righteous within the city, will you also destroy and not spare the place on behalf of the 50 righteous?” Notice that he drew near. Praise God that we can draw near to Him. And what an insightful question. “Lord, surely you won’t destroy the righteous along with the wicked. Lord, be it far from You to kill the righteous with the wicked. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Most of you know the rest of the conversation. The Lord agrees that if there are fifty righteous, the city will be spared. Then Abraham, humbly acknowledging his own unworthiness, asks if 45 righteous would not be enough to cause God to spare the city? Okay, I won’t spare the city if there are 45 righteous people. Then Abraham continued to humbly plea for the righteous of the city, reducing the number to 40, then to 30, then to 20, and finally to ten. Finally the Lord said, “I will not destroy if for the sake of ten righteous people.”

What an earnest plea. Abraham didn’t want to see Sodom destroyed. Why not? Why should he care about Sodom? Because there were people there, lots of people. But they were wicked people. It appears that Abraham cared about that wicked city. But wait a minute. Did Abraham know that his nephew Lot was living in Sodom? We see in chapter 13 that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:12). However, we don’t know specifically if Abraham knew he went to live in Sodom. Do we have any other insight? Remember what happened in chapter 14. Sodom got involved in a skirmish. It was five kings against four kings, and Sodom was on the losing side. The warring kings took Lot, his family, and his stuff captive. Abraham armed 300 of his servants and rescued Lot. He knew Lot lived in Sodom.

But even so, why would Abraham care? Lot hadn’t done anything for him. After all, Lot was not humble enough to let his uncle take the pick of the land. Lot boldly chose what he thought he was the best, because he was a selfish man. Surely destruction was what he deserved. But Abraham didn’t see it that way. He cried out to the Lord, probably with Lot in mind.

C. More Mercy Extended (20)

Let’s skip chapter 19 for now. We aren’t going to read chapter 20, but I will give a very quick summary: Abraham did it again. After all the wonderful promises of God and after Abraham had believed those promises, he does a repeat of what we found in chapter 12. That’s right, out of fear, he continued to lie about his wife Sarah, telling King Abimelech that she was his sister. If you haven’t read the story, take time to read it this week.

So what was the LORD going to do with this repeat offender? While sin always has consequences, we see God’s great mercy here. Notice how the chapter ends in 20:17-18, "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." What mercy. I read this chapter and say, “It should have been the other way around. God should have had Abimelech pray for lying Abraham.” God loved His servant and continued to pour out mercy upon him.

D. A Gift Received (21:1-8)

Now come to chapter 21. Let’s read Gen. 21:1-8…
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. 8. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

Such simplicity. Notice the emphasis on the fact that this son came through Sarah, the woman who was old and barren. “The Lord visited Sarah… The Lord did unto Sarah… For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham as son in his old age… whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.” Praise God! He always keeps His promises.

Chapter 17 ends with Abraham circumcising all the males of his household. So Ishmael was 13 when he was circumcised; Abraham was 99 when he was circumcised. Then come back to Gen. 21:4-5, "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him." Isaac was circumcised when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded. So we see that Abraham was 100 years old when God favored him with the promised son.

II. The Destruction of Sodom and More Mercy (19)

Genesis 19 is one of those “ugly chapters” of the Bible. Perhaps it isn’t the ugliest, but it is definitely on the list. If someone wanted to write a book to impress people and sway them to their own viewpoint, he would not include passages like Gen. 19. In the New Testament Peter mentions “just Lot,” or “righteous Lot.” Genesis 19 is not a picture of his finest hour. But in the final analysis, while the Bible speaks about men like Abraham and Lot, it is not about men; it is about the God who created man and sent His Son to redeem him. So let’s not lose sight of the main character in this story, God Himself.

A reading of verses 1-11 reveals the depths of the sinful men of Sodom. While the latter half of Romans 1 may describe much of our society, we don’t have a monopoly on it, because it also describes much of what was going on in Sodom. This is the environment in which the two angels found Lot.

Before we go any further, we might as well deal with the question about “righteous Lot.” Peter tells us not only that Lot was righteous, but also tells us that he was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (II Pet. 2:7). That is, he was “oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men” (NASV). Apparently, he didn’t participate in the sinful practices of Sodom, but neither did he flee it. It seems to me that there is no excuse for Lot remaining in Sodom, but he did so. We sometimes sing: “O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear…” That was the case with Lot. Nevertheless, God did not leave him in that situation, for whom the Lord loves, He corrects. And that is why the two angels dealt with Lot before they destroyed the city.

Let’s read it now in Gen. 19:12-29…
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13. For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19. Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 28. And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

A. The Rescue of Lot and his daughters (19:1-7)

The angels graciously told Lot to gather any family members and get them out of the city, because they were getting ready to destroy it. There is no indication that Lot doubted what the angels said. Lot knew they were angels, as he had seen them strike a mob with blindness, and he was well aware that the city was extremely wicked and deserving of God’s wrath. So Lot went to his sons-in-law and warned them of the coming destruction. (Whether they had already married his daughters or were pledged to do so makes little difference for our purposes). But his sons-in-law treated his warning as if it were some kind of joke. They paid Lot no mind.

We don’t know if Lot had other family members. If he did, we are not told. But when the morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry and get his wife and daughters out of Sodom while there was still time. Now notice verse 16, “And while he lingered…” Lot was fully aware that God was going to destroy the city. Surely he knew these “men” were angels, for he had seen them blind a whole crowd a day or two before. Nevertheless, he lingered. He was still hesitant to leave the city. Why? Because too much of his heart was in that city. Jesus would say, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21). From the time he pitched his tent toward Sodom back in chapter 13, he had found pleasure in the life of that city.

At this point, the angels took matters into their own hands. They physically laid hold of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and escorted them out of the city. Why? Because the Lord had mercy on them! Praise God for His mercy. Praise His name that He carries enough about us to rescue us from our own lusts and stupidity.

B. Fire, Brimstone, and Salt (19:18-26)

Once the angels had brought them out of the city, they told them to run for their lives, to escape to the mountains so they wouldn’t be consumed by the destruction. But Lot was still reluctant. “Lord, thank you for being merciful to me and saving my life, but I can’t go to the mountains. I fear that something bad will happen there and I will be killed. Please let me go to that little town over there and all will be well.” Though we are not told the motive of Lot’s heart, it seems to me that it was a matter of loving city life more than fearing the mountains. He wasn’t going to die, if he went to the mountains, but he couldn’t conceive of being all alone there after becoming so accustomed to living in the city. Reluctantly, one of the angels agreed to let him move into that little town, assuring him that he wouldn’t destroy it. The town came to be known as Zoar, which means “little.”

Once Lot and his family had safely arrived in Zoar, there was nothing more to hinder the inevitable. We hear no more about the angels; now it is the Lord Himself who is about to act. The only restraint was His merciful concern for Lot. So now we read in verse 24, “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.” Let there be no mistake where the destruction came from. We are told that the Lord did it and it came from the Lord out of heaven. Not only was Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed, but all the cities of the plain with their inhabitants. Zoar was the loan exception. You may wonder what brimstone is. Some translations render the word “sulfur” (ESV, NIV). But whatever it was, it was hot and it was deadly. In the Bible it is associated with God’s judgment.

Now back in verse 17, the angel had said to them, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee…” The command was very clear: “Do not look behind you.” Now verse 26, “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Notice that she looked back from behind him. It seems that even at this time she was still reluctant to leave Sodom, because we see that she was tagging along behind. Apparently she couldn’t resist the urge to look back and see what would become of her beloved Sodom. Her glance cost her her very life. By making her a pillar of salt, the Lord preserved her disobedience as an object lesson for anyone who cared to look.

C. The Power of Sin (19:27-38)

In verse 27 Abraham comes back into the picture. When God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, and all the cities of the plain, Abraham could see the smoke. Now let’s read again verse 29, “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.” Remember that Abraham had petitioned the Lord, and the Lord had agreed to spare Sodom, if there were ten righteous people in it. Obviously, the Lord didn’t find ten righteous people. Nevertheless, He heard Abraham’s prayer and spared his nephew Lot. We don’t know if Abraham ever knew in this life that Lot was spared, but God knew and He honored the prayer of His servant.

If that were the end of the story, it would still have a great element of sadness, especially when we remember what happen to Lot’s wife. And imagine an entire city without even ten righteous people. Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of the story. As we come to the last part of chapter 19, we are reminded of what happened after God saved Noah and his family. But this is even worse.

I trust you’ve read it, so I will give you the review in a nutshell. When Lot witnessed the great destruction, he decided that maybe city life wasn’t so great after all. Though the instruction of the angels didn’t convince him to go to the mountains, the fire and brimstone did. He feared to remain in Zoar, and so he moved to the mountains and took up residence in a cave. That’s where this sad incident took place. He could escape from the world outwardly, but he still brought the world with him into that cave.

Lot’s two daughters had lost their husbands and concluded that they had no prospects of finding husbands in the mountains. So on successive nights, they got their father Lot drunk and had relations with him. So these two daughters were both pregnant by their own father. They each bore a son. One was Moab and the other was Ammon. The descendants of those sons would be a thorn in the side of Israel for years to come.

Do you get the picture. Lot was able to get his daughters out of Sodom, but the seeds of corruption were planted deep within them. And, of course, Lot was certainly not blameless, for he himself became intoxicated and didn’t know what was going on. So look at this picture. Though his life was spared, his wife became a pillar of salt, he impregnated his own daughters, and he is living in a cave out of fear. It all began with his lust for city life. And you will also remember that Abraham had rescued him when he had been taken captive. Nevertheless, he continued to live in Sodom. Though he was deeply distressed by the sin around him, he continued to live in the wicked city of Sodom. He paid a very great price for his sin.

Conclusion: The Rest of the Story

That was the end of Sodom and Gomorrah, but the lesson must never be forgotten. While the cities were never rebuilt, the Word of God never lets us forget what happened there. Believe it or not, after this story ends, there are yet 28 references to Sodom throughout the rest of the Bible! You can find those references in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Zephaniah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, II Peter, Jude, and Revelation.

Let’s learn two lessons from the Lord Jesus. Jesus was denouncing some of the cities in which He had ministered. Now let’s read it in Matt. 11:23-24…
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Capernaum was the headquarters of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. By settling in Capernaum, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which said, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up” (Matt. 4:16, quoted from Is. 9:2). Jesus taught and healed in Capernaum. How privileged was that city. But what condemnation to those who wasted that privilege. Though Sodom was wicked, it’s wickedness pales in comparison to those who had Jesus with them and yet rejected Him.

Let’s update this passage a bit: “And you privileged churches of America, you shall be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which you have witnessed had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. Yes, it will be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” You say, “But we haven’t seen the mighty works of Jesus, as those who lived in Capernaum did. No, we have seen greater, because Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (Jn. 14:12). No, we haven’t seen the physical miracles that Jesus did, but we have seen the works He has done in and through those who truly believe in Him, and those works are greater than the physical miracles He did.

Listen to me. You haven’t trusted the Lord Jesus. You haven’t repented and thrown yourself on Him. Your judgment will be far greater than the people of Sodom and the people of Capernaum, for you have seen the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. You have seen the very life of Jesus Christ in people around you. You are well aware that God can not only do physical miracles, but He can cleanse you of your sin and put His life within you. What are you going to say to Him on the judgment day? Whatever you say, His response will be: “I never knew you; depart from me, you who do iniquity.” The people of Jesus day will say, “But Lord, we have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26). You will say, “But Lord, I sat with your people. I walked and talked with people who knew you and loved you.” And because of that, greater will be your condemnation, for greater was your privilege.

But life goes on. Surely you will have plenty of time to fall down before the Lord and repent and believe. Please turn to Luke 17. After giving the example of Noah, Jesus then turns to our friend Lot. Luke 17:28-30…
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Hear me. The day is soon coming when Jesus will be revealed. Rev. 1:7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." The Lord will have absolutely no pity on those who have rejected Him. You say, “But isn’t He a God of love and mercy.” Oh yes, He is, but only a stubborn, God-hating, rebel can fail to see that the Lord has already poured out His love and mercy at the cross. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). It pleased the Lord to crush His own Son at the cross. “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Cor. 5:21).

Throw yourself on His mercy, for there is no other hope. Just as God fulfilled His promise of a son to Abraham, He will faithfully work His salvation in your life.