Genesis 19
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Good afternoon. I honestly wasn’t sure if i would be here tonight or be able to deliver this but God. I am so thankful for the but Gods in our lives aren’t you? We are about to experience a huge one tonight in Chapter 19 of Genesis but before we go there I want to read a passage from an authoritative figure from the bible in Peter.
6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked
8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
You need to underline this passage. Lot is called Righteous. We have read it before but I want to make sure you get this because when we read this today, you are going to wonder. But if God calls him righteous, we must also. If you read on in 2nd peter there, it says some good stuff. But don’t right now back to Genesis.
Remember that Abraham is visited by the Lord Jesus and the two angels. Jesus says if Abraham is going to teach his kids to fear me and to follow me, he needs to know what will happen if he doesn’t. He needs to see the consequences. Because remember God is slow to anger. That doesn’t mean he never gets angry. He will have enough. Then Abraham wants to test his judging abilities and goes all the way down to 10 people and God knows he will not find 10 but Jesus is done with the conversation. And Abraham trust that Jesus will do what is right but really Abraham is concerned with Lot. Let’s be honest.
1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth
2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.”
3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
We know they are supernatural beings. We know this because there is no way they could have walked from 18-19 and been at Sodom in the evening.
So first thing about Lot you need to underline is he was sitting at the gate. Why is that important? Only men of authority would be at the gate. He had climbed the ladder a little bit. He was a part of them.
Then look what he does though when he sees them. You think maybe he has seen them before? Maybe he recognizes something about them. What does he do? He bows down to them. Where do you think he learned that? So we see that he has some knowledge of how to respect the lord or to respond to Him.
The angels then say they will stay in the square. the most dangerous thing you could do in this time was to stay outside of the city. There was zero protection out there on you own. But if you went to the right city you could stay in the square and for the most part be ok. They didn’t want to bother Lot. But it is the safest to go into someones home instead of the square. You ever been to a city like that? You driving around and go I shouldn’t be here. Used to be certain parts of Nashville. He pressed them to stay in his home.
Look at what else he does that is comparable but maybe not quite. He makes a feast. Now for me when I think feast it is what Abraham did. Fatted calf, some cakes, bread, potatoes. I mean come one. But here we see he made a feast, no details given. Why you think? Assumption but this doesn’t seem to be the fuss that Abraham made. I don’t know that for sure but we did not get some unleavened flat bread with Abraham. So yes he is trying, but half hearted. Hello church.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him,
7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”
So let us not beat around the bush here or act as though it isn’t saying something that it is. These men wanted to sleep with these new who they thought men. This is the same idea same word that Adam knew Eve. Anyone that tells you that they didn’t want to sleep with them is false. They have an agenda themselves.
So they want to sleep and notice who. All the men. Old and young. There was not old men to cull the young or to teach the young. Usually in a society you have the young boys going crazy but you have some real men of old that would stand up and say enough of that. We are not going to have that. You will stop right there. The old men as the example were approving of that. Old men, what sin are you teaching young men to take lightly? Are you a good example to watch? Women i say to you also.
So they see them as men and want to have their way. For the record any time that an angel presents themselves, they are males.
So look at what happens. He shuts the door behind them. Visualize this. He has authority here. He is like the kids that the parents are home. He is like hey i know this is kind of norm for you but look we gotta shut this down. Not these guys. He shuts the door behind and says look, verse 7.
He says my brothers. He knows them. He doesn’t say people of strange city of which i barely know.
Ok then the next part. I am going to be really careful with this because we in this culture do not understand it and in all honesty shouldn’t. But it is here and when you read the bible you can’t just read the bible, you have to
Lot is saying don’t do this, but also I want you to hear what he is also saying. Look all sin is abhorrent to god right? No sin is worse than any other and any type of sexual misconduct is bad. But by what Lot offers, he is stating that the fact that you want to do this to men is even worse. They don’t know they are angels. Look what he says. Take my daughters. They are virgins have sex with them but don’t do this to these men. Don’t here what I am not saying. If you sin, you are going to hell if it is unrepentant. Right. So if I steal your wallet, you’d be mad and if i didn’t repent of that, i would go to hell because of it. But you’d get new credit cards and new id and all would be ok. But if someone drug your wife out and raped her, you’d rather me steal your wallet. Both equal on an eternal scale but will still be punished more. There is more severity in the latter. Correct? So he is saying it is bad if you take my daughters but it is more so if you do this with these men. It is a double blasphemy thing. Not only are you degrading the creation, but also blaspheming the law of creator about how men and women operate.
How is your righteous man ladies? You want this father? Look at him. just so he isn’t at odds with the city he forfeits his daughters. what a leader. what a man of God. talk about a good good father huh? How yall liking this guy? As long as i can do what i want to do i’ll forfeit my family.
9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.
10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.
Look at what they say. You came to visit and now you want to be judge? He was in the gate of the city. He was a big deal to them. Probably bought his place there brought goods. His uncle rescuing everybody brings some clout but as soon as he wont’ let them do what they want. How quickly they turn. How fast your friends will turn when you don’t go along. You wanna see how they really feel about you. Stand against something they want to do. You will find out really quickly whether they value you or just what you bring.
Genesis 19:11 (ESV)
11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
God’s anger arouse and he had had enough. I am telling you that in my head, once i got blind, I am out. I am done. Like let me in there. No you can’t. yes I am coming in. Oh i can’t see. i am still coming in. Notice that no one got a pass. Young and the old. Even though they didn’t help the younger both were accountable.
By the way what this means in blindness is a light. it was so bright that it blinded them.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.
13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
So i have to bring up a point here that honestly i don’t know that i brought up within my family study of this. Where are his sons in law? If all the men of the city young and old were there, is it possible that these sons of his were among them. Now I don’t know necessarily the ages of men. Maybe these because they engaged early in life back then were still boys. But it doesn’t seem entirely out of whack to think that his sons in law could have been among the mob. And if they were, they had no hindrances to his daughters, their wives, being thrown out to this mob. But here is the main point and I want every single one of you to underline this because it is our main takeaway i think.
Then end of verse 14. His sons in law thought he was joking. Why would they think that? Because lot you love this place. You have been here all this time. You haven’t changed. You haven’t talked to us about your god until today. You just kept right on living your life just as we did and now you wanna change. Now you wanna say something. Now you wanna stand up and be big dad. Now some of you, are new on this walk of Christianity prepare yourself because you will hear that. When we declare something will be unacceptable in our house. What are you doing on the side of the road being hauled away from dui. Now you are against drinking? Son this is last time we are going to your computer and find porn. Dad? I’ve seen the movies you watch. Now you are upset about it.
So 15
15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
Underline vs 16 first three words. But he lingered. We could stop right here for the last minutes of this time together. Chris do you love me or not. Obey what i say. But god this is so fun. God is just brings so much joy. Stop lingering. It is killing you. But yeah i just enjoy it. It makes me feel good. Maybe if you stop lingering come to repentance today. Give up the addiction today. turn it over to him today. Let him destroy it today. Stop lingering. we can avoid so much damage if we would just quit lingering. You know why it is so hard to give up, because sin is all we know. I have to have faith that Jesus is better. I have to have faith there is a heaven and hell. Stop lingering.
So the sons in law reject. they are done. by the way they don’t make it now we are talking about your wife and daughters and he lingers.
But look at God’s grace. They drug him out. lol Listen to me. Believe what you will about God engaging peoples lives but I see right here in this instance, his salvation was unavoidable. They were saving Lot and his family today. In his mercy his drags them out. He saved their lives.
Do you ever have compassion for God. in what he has to put up with. Look at this.
17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords.
Look at this idiot.
19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
How in the world can this man say but to them. there is no but!!! thank you for your mercy and thank you for your kindness but i am still gonna live the way i want. thank you for your goodness and mercy but i iwll not show that to any one else. thank you for you mercy and your kindness but i can’t forgive anyone else.
Can you imagine if i walked into your home and said i paid all your debt, no one is coming to haul you away. You will not go to jail. This house and car is yours. and my son is dead well because they were coming to get you and i gave them him. and you turn to me and say i am so thankful you did that but i don’t really like this house and could i get a better car than that. You better be lucky i ain’t god nor someone like me. I would as the grandmama’s of old say slap the taste out of your mouth. You wanna butt I’ll whoop yours.
We do this in the church all the time. You have no excuse. You have no buts left. God i am thankful for your kindness and mercy but you really want me to talk to people about you. I have to come in here and praise you outwardly. God i have to come in here and listen to preaching one or twice a week really? Like thank you and all but. I have to go help people. I pass. Thank you though. Be very careful before you start talking down on lot.
20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!”
How many people could live there? THen look at the mercy.
21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.
22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Lot is a very bold guy. Dave Ramsey says always ask. When he is negotiating. Make the ask. So i am gonna give you 2500 for this car and new tires. Lot is not afraid of asking. Even to God. Yeah i know you ust saved my life but come here let me ask you one more thing. AND GOD GIVES IT. Don’t nobody ever talk to me about how God is not full of grace.
23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot teaching his wife to love that place cost her life. What are you teaching?
So lot righteous huh? We might see him in eternity. But I wont see his wife. I won’t see his sons in law. May not see his daughters. But yet, he did enough right. He made it. He loved his life so much that he cost his family eternity.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.
28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like 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 which Lot had dwelt.
Who did god remember? Who was saved because of it? So just as we are covered by Jesus, so we are saved. That is what makes us righteous. Lot’s connection to Abraham made him righteous. Do you see the gospel. Yeah we have taught this story so many times and harped on the wife. But look at Jesus!!! He is what this story is about. The grace of God given through Jesus.
30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.
31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
33 So 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.
34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
35 Then 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.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
Moab means son of my father
Ben-ammi means son of my people