While they indulged in every vice, the state of their hearts were permanently set against the Lord. Woe to them! During the time of Isaiah, Israel openly, proudly, and knowingly defied God, and the prophet specified this behavior was identical to the actions that ultimately condemned Sodom and Gomorrah.
While their willingness to assault strangers was deeply evil, the hardened hearts of the people of these cities blinded them to the opportunity to repent and change. Their pride set them forever against God. Moving forward after Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah — though more often the former — are mentioned as a point of reference for wickedness. Has Israel fallen into dissolution? The prophet will compare them to these cities.
Isaiah predicted the downfall of Babylon to be like the downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham loved his nephew Lot and did not want to see his nephew destroyed. Many people assume that Lot was only rescued because of the intervention of his uncle, however, there is evidence God rescued Lot for other reasons. Lot saw all the evil around him, and it bothered him.
For his faith , God rescued Lot, though his wife did not make it out. Second, looking back meant regretting the loss of the cities. The righteous Lot understood that despite the difficulties facing him without a home, getting to keep his life and his standing with God was worth much more than anything the cities of vice offered.
She was warned of the consequences of looking back, of desiring the comforts of a sinful place over the mercy of God, and she suffered the consequences the angels told her would come.
God did not just turn his eye to Sodom and Gomorrah and decide they were not good enough for him to love them. They indulged in every wickedness and refused to turn their hearts to the Lord and repent. When Lot tried to convince them to do the right thing just once, they called him judgmental, and tried to assault him too.
Sodom and Gomorrah addresses gang rape, not a loving relationship. God had already decided to destroy the city prior to this incident. Same-sex rape was a common tactic of aggression and humiliation in the ancient world. Gang rape is completely different from loving relationships based on consent, much less mutuality and commitment. In Judges 19, a Levite and his concubine rest from their travels in the city of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin.
A foreigner living in Gibeah offers them hospitality, but "some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house" and said, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him" Judges Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing. Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. Those who expect family blessings must make conscience of family duty.
Abraham did not fill their heads with matters of doubtful dispute, but he taught them to be serious and devout in the worship of God and to be honest in their dealings with all men. Of how few may such a character be given in our days!
How little care is taken by masters of families to ground those under them in the principles of religion! Do we watch from sabbath to sabbath whether they go forward or backward? Abraham's intercession for Sodom: Genesis Here is the first solemn prayer upon record in the Bible, and it is a prayer for the sparing of Sodom. Abraham prayed earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if but a few righteous persons should be found in it.
Come and learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them. We see here that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Abraham, indeed, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously delivered.
Be encouraged then to expect, by earnest prayer, the blessing of God upon your families, your friends, your neighborhood. To this end, you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham. He knew the Judge of all the earth would do right. He does not plead that the wicked may be spared for their own sake, or because it would be severe to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who might be found among them.
And righteousness only can be made a plea before God. How then did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not by blaming the Divine law, nor by alleging aught in extenuation or excuse of human guilt; but by pleading HIS OWN obedience unto death. Then my life will be spared. AP 25 Thus he overthrew those cities AQ and the entire plain, AR destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.
AV 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. All rights reserved worldwide.
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