Genesis 19:1-38 • The destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah... and Lot
- Steve Schott
- Aug 7
- 11 min read
► May 18, 1980
→ The day Mount St. Helens erupted.
→ Several times before the eruption, and lastly on 5/17, Harry R. Truman, owner of the Mt. St. Helens Lodge was encouraged to evacuate from the location of the lodge, which was on the north side of the volcano, at Spirit Lake.
→ It is presumed that he died the next morning, having ignored the multiple warnings to save himself.
► Today we are going to look at a passage of scripture that I believe to be one of the darkest passages in the entire book.
• It’s right up there with the flood
• It’s as horrifying as the cross, but without the good news it brings.
• It starts out bad, and goes downhill very fast into a bottomless pit.
The destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah
Part 1 • Doomed city • Gen 19:1 to 14
We see the flawed character of the men of the city and hear the condemnation of it from the angels
Genesis 19:1-38 → 1Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
• You might recall from our previous time, that after the LORD had told Abraham that he was going to have a child by Sarah, and were to name him Isaac, that the LORD told Abraham about the coming destruction of Sodom.
• You might also remember that Abraham tried to negotiate with God, to be lenient if He found 50 righteous in the city, then kept lowering the bar to 45, 40, 30, 20 then lastly 10.
• I'm sure Abraham was hopeful that somehow he would be able to convince God NOT to destroy Sodom, if for no other reason than to spare Lot and his family from this end.
• Now, the 2 "angels", as they are so called for the first time in this passage, have come to the city. Lot sees them when they enter the gates, quickly addresses them, and invites them into his home.
• They originally refuse, telling him that they "will spend the night in the square."
• Lot urges them "strongly" to come into his home and they enter and receive a feast. This would be similar to the hospitality shown to them by Abraham.
4Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
• Make no mistake – the men of the city, ALL OF THEM, come to Lot’s house with the specific intention of sexually violating his guests.
→ There’s a reason the word sodomy comes from the name of this town.
→ It just can’t be read any other way.
→ Now it starts to be clear why this town needs to be judged.
→ Keep in mind, that the Law would not be revealed to mankind for almost another 700 years. So somehow, whether by word of mouth, or just their own consciences, they had some semblance of right and wrong.
• Lot, to his credit, tries his best to compel the men of the town to “not act wickedly”.
→ To his discredit, he offers up his two virgin daughters as substitutes for the passion of the men of the city.
↑ Does he really care so little for the safety and purity of his own daughters?
↑ Is he afraid of what might happen to all of them if he can’t deflect the men to another target?
9But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. 10But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
• So Lot’s fears seem to be about to come true as the wicked men of the city first chide Lot for being critical of their lifestyle, but then attempt to mistreat not only the visitors, but Lot himself.
• The angels act, 1st by bringing Lot back into the house, and 2nd by striking the men of the city with blindness, preventing them from finding the doorway to Lot’s home.
12Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
• The angels encourage Lot, if you have ANYONE who is connected to your family, warn them now to come with you.
• Lot warns his 2 future sons-in-law to come with them, but they don’t believe him, thinking he is joking
→ Why would you joke about something like that???
Part 2 • Daylight escape • Gen 19:15 to 22
The angels(men) lead Lot and his wife and daughters out of the city
15When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. 17When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” 18But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! 19Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” 21He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. 22Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.
• For whatever reason, Lot pleads with the angels, claiming he is physically unable to climb to the hills, at least he doesn’t perceive he can get to safety in time.
• Lot asks to be allowed to seek safety in a small nearby town (which is in the valley and about to be destroyed), and the angels concede to this request, but warn him to hurry.
• “Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.” – Zoar in the Hebrew literally means “insignificance”.
• This town was destined to be destroyed, but was saved only because of Lot.
Part 3 • Destruction rains • Gen 19:23 to 29
The LORD rains brimstone and fire on the entire valley
23The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, 25and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
• I take the phrase “The sun had risen over the earth” to indicate that at least a little bit of time has passed since sunrise.
→ As it is over 15 miles from Sodom to Zoar, Lot and his family would have needed at least a little bit of time to get there.
• “brimstone” and fire – some other translations will say “sulfur”.
→ Quite possibly God used a volcanic eruption to create this much destruction. Perhaps a pyroclastic event, with lava bombs.
• A couple of the commentators I read suggested that this was a volcanic event.
• “looked back” – Moody Bible Commentary – “The Hebrew verb employed by the angels in their warning and in the statement afterward that Lot’s wife looked back (vathabbet) is not the usual verb employed to denote the action of looking or seeing, but is a less frequent verb that carries the specific idea of looking at something with desire, approval, or confidence”. (note 1)
• “pillar of salt” – all of the commentators I read
specifically stated their belief that this was a physical change, possibly caused by some of the same material as was involved in the destruction of the valley. As she looked back longingly at what she had left, she became a part of it permanently.
→ I ponder if it couldn’t have been metaphoric, meaning that once she looked back on all the destruction, she became bitter in her spirit.
→ Either way, she is no longer mentioned in the story.
27Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD; 28and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.
29Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
• When it says that Abraham “arose early in the morning” it seems like it would have to be the next day. It would have needed enough time for all this to happen.
• “God remembered Abraham” – just like Zoar was spared because of Lot, Lot was spared because of Abraham.
The destruction of Lot
Part 4 • Debased Lot • Gen 19:30 to 38
We see the flawed character of the men of the city and hear the condemnation of it from the angels
30Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. 31Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. 32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.” 33So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father.” 35So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.
• Originally Lot didn’t think he could make it to the mountains.
→ I guess after he saw the destruction, he decided he needed to get a little farther away from it.
• The rest of this passage is messed up!!
• The girls decide, since their future husbands are now dead, to get their father drunk, and then get pregnant by him.
→ This is SO WRONG!!!
• And the wrong doesn’t stop here.
→ The sons/grandsons become the beginnings of the Moabites and the Ammonites, both who would become enemies of Israel.
• This is the last we will hear about Lot in the historical timeline. What happens to him after this we will never know.
→ He will be referred to several times throughout the scripture, both Old and New Testaments, but only in the context of the events of this chapter.
► This story, which is really about Lot, not Abraham, in this chapter, goes from bad to worse, and then adds insult to the injury.
► There is nothing in this chapter that is encouraging.
► So what are the take aways for us?
• 1st, we need to understand that our standing with God is not based on our performance.
→ In 2 Peter 2:7, When Peter is recounting the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he refers to Lot as “righteous Lot”.
→ Does Lot seem righteous to you? He doesn’t to me.
→ Yet Peter calls him righteous. And he is righteous, presumably for the same reason as bumbling Abraham, in that he “believed” God.
→ This could be evidenced that he knew the “men” who visited him were actually delivering a message from God and in belief he obeyed and fled.
→ In like fashion, we need to remember that our “rightness” with God is not based on our performance, but on that of Jesus Christ and our belief and acceptance of that.
• 2nd, lest we should become callous about the sin around us, or even worse, about our own sin, this passage should remind us that sin of any kind is a serious thing to God.
• 3rd, this should also remind us that God is powerful. Nothing is too big for Him to accomplish. We can trust Him because there is nothing in this world that He can’t handle.
note 1 - Rydelnik, M. A., & Vanlaningham, M., eds. (2014). Genesis. In The moody bible commentary (p. 77). Moody Publishers.
Photo • 2024/07/05 - Mt. St. Helens, from Windy Ridge Viewpoint, Cougar, WA
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