Genesis 19:1–38
Introduction
Genesis 19 is an interesting chapter to say the
least, for it encompasses several views. We can see the standpoints of a sinful
world, of God answering the prayers of the righteous, and of God’s people
falling into a spiritual decline that has devastating consequences. And because
of these different standpoints within the chapter there are several approaches
that an expositor can take.
One could look at this chapter from the standpoint of
God’s judgment upon the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The wickedness of
Sodom is no surprise as we come to this nineteenth chapter. The book of Genesis
starts pointing out the sinful condition of this city back in chapter 13. But
God’s patience has come to an end, and he now brings judgment upon a city and a
people who have rejected the knowledge of God. Before you begin to think God
unfair for his judgment upon this sinful city, let me just point out that when
the Lord first revealed the sinful condition of Sodom, it was some twenty or
more years before. The Lord does not act hastily in his judgment, but is
patient, not wanting any to perish.
There is a great warning in Genesis 19 for all nations,
especially for the United States. The hallmark of the grievous sin that
consumed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality. Such was the case
when the two men (who were really two angels) showed up in the city; all the
men of the city wanted to gang rape the two heavenly hosts. Because the moral
condition of our own nation is not far behind Sodom and Gomorrah’s, Americans
should be concerned that we too will face the judgment of God. I have to agree
with one commentator who said, “If God does not judge America, then the Lord
will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Genesis 19 also allows us to observe the close connection
to Abraham’s petition for both the righteous and the unrighteous, as we studied
in Genesis 18. We will see the results of Abraham’s standing in the gap for the
righteous and unrighteous alike. Before the Lord rained down judgment upon the
city, he rescued Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family. We often look at the
rescue of Lot as being on the basis of Lot’s righteousness. And he was
righteous, for Peter tells us in his second letter that “righteous” Lot was
rescued from Sodom. But Genesis 19 reveals in two places that Lot was rescued
for other reasons.
In verse 16 we read, “But he [Lot] 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.” As we will notice later, Lot hesitated to leave the
city, but God would have compassion on him and rescue him anyway.
Another reason Lot was rescued is revealed in verse 29.
“Thus 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.” Abraham’s petition for his nephew
resulted in Lot’s rescue. That is why it is important that we stand up for the
righteous and unrighteous alike.
I have chosen to approach this multifaceted chapter from
the standpoint of “righteous Lot,” and his spiritual decline. Until now, our
study has focused more on the life of Abraham and how God worked in his life.
But it is beneficial for us to observe Lot’s life and how he refused to let God
work in his life. God’s people, especially those who think that spiritual
decline is beyond them, can learn from Lot’s experience. Paul warns us of such
pride in 1 Corinthians 10:12 when he says, “So, if you think you are standing
firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” Paul warns us of the possibility of
spiritual decline, and the greatest candidates for it are those who think it
could never happen to them. This is precisely what happened to Lot. How did
righteous Lot end up in a place like Sodom and Gomorrah? How could he stray so
far from his great start? Lot’s spiritual decline was gradual.
The Spiritual Decline Is Gradual
As we observe Lot, don’t think for a moment
that Lot’s condition, as revealed in Genesis 19, happened suddenly. The
spiritual decline was gradual, but continual. When we first met Lot back in
Genesis 11, Abraham’s father, Terah, took not only Abraham and his wife, but
also Lot to the Land of Promise, Canaan. But Terah did not make it to Canaan,
instead he settled in Haran. After Terah died, the Lord again called Abraham to
go to the land of Canaan. Abraham obeyed and Lot went with him.
We can only speculate on why Lot decided to go with
Abraham. It would be a reasonable supposition to believe that Lot went with his
uncle on a voluntary basis and that his tagging along with his uncle was done
out of an act of faith in the Lord as well. Whatever the case may be, Lot
decided to venture with his uncle on this journey of faith. Unfortunately, Lot
did not follow in his uncle’s footsteps, but instead he made choices in his
life that would bring him to the spiritual bankruptcy we read about in Genesis
19.
The first step of Lot’s spiritual decline started many
years before, back in Genesis 13 where Abraham and Lot separated for the sake
of peace. After Abraham told Lot to choose his direction, “Lot lifted up his
eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered
everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the
garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar” (Genesis 13:10).
Lot looked, saw, and chose the valley of the Jordan on the basis of appearance
alone. Yet, what seemed to be especially appealing was really not, for we are
told several times that the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked. As Abraham
and Lot separated, we are told in Genesis 13:12 that Lot “moved his tents as
far as Sodom.”
Lot pitched
his tents right outside the sinful city.
We find the second step in Lot’s spiritual decline in
Genesis 14. In this chapter the city of Sodom is attacked and the people living
there are taken captive. Verse 12 shows us the decline of Lot, “They also took
Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in
Sodom.” In Genesis 13 Lot is living outside of Sodom; in Genesis 14 Lot is
living in Sodom.
When we get to Genesis 19 we read, “Now the two angels
came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.” Lot not
only lives in Sodom at this point, but he is also now one of the leaders in the
city. To be sitting at the gate of Sodom suggests that Lot was in a
high-ranking position, for many important decisions and judgments were made
there. For Lot to be sitting at the gate of a sinful city such as Sodom
suggests that the inhabitants of Sodom accepted him. Though he was a righteous
man, his spiritual decline kept him from being a champion of righteousness and
justice in a sin-saturated city.
This reveals the gradual process of Lot’s spiritual decline.
At the heart of this gradual process were Lot’s sensual
and sinful desires. The apostle John in his first epistle spoke about these
sensual and sinful desires when he spoke about the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life. These lusts, John warns, are of the world.
The gradual process of spiritual decline takes place when God’s people are led
by sensual sinful desires instead of by the expectations of the Savior.
You begin to see the sensual aspect of Lot’s demise when
you compare Lot with Abraham. When they separated Abraham was willing to trust
the Lord to lead him, whereas Lot was led by what he saw. Abraham lived in a
tent, whereas Lot desired more than a tent and would eventually move into a
house. Abraham was a pilgrim looking for the celestial city, whereas Lot was a
citizen enjoying the benefits of the world.
As God’s people, we are by no means free from the
temptations of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, but we are free from being slaves to them. The gradual process of
spiritual decline takes place when we begin to give into and be consumed with
the sensual and sinful desires that belong to this world.
Throughout biblical history and in our own time, we find
men of God falling into spiritual decline, a decline that was a gradual
process. King David did not wake up one day and declare, “I think I am going to
commit adultery today.” David’s decline was a gradual process of leaving sinful
desires unchecked. With Lot also, his inability to deal with sin gradually led
him to a moral earthquake. Today, we hear about preachers or other Christian
leaders falling, and we need to understand that their decline didn’t happen
overnight. It was a gradual process, a process that came about from some moral
fault lines within their lives.
Just recently an earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude shook
central Mexico killing several people. This earthquake didn’t just happen.
There were things taking place beneath the ground’s surface long before the
earthquake erupted and destroyed lives. The spiritual decline of those who are
spiritually inclined is similar; things are happening beneath the surface long
before we see the moral earthquake take place. When God’s people don’t deal
with underlying sin issues, they lead us to a spiritual decline. And when we
don’t deal with the spiritual decline, it brings destructive consequences.
The Spiritual Decline Is Destructive
As the story of Lot unfolds in Genesis 19, we
begin to see the destructiveness of Lot’s spiritual decline. Yes, Lot is
considered a righteous man, but he has decided to seek the best of both worlds.
He wants all the comfort of heaven and salvation, but at the same time he wants
all the temporal joys and benefits of a world that is doomed for destruction.
Because of wanting his feet in both worlds, Lot’s spiritual decline brings on a
destructive insensitivity to the things of God.
Destructive Insensitivity
We see the destructive insensitivity revealed
in how Lot responds to the heavenly visitors in the beginning of the chapter.
Now 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. And 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.” Yet 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. (Genesis 19:1–3)
The hospitality Lot shows to the two angels is
indicative of his righteous character. It was customary to show hospitality to
guests. When you compare Lot’s hospitality to the hostility of the men of Sodom
toward the guest, you see the vast contrast between them, despite the fact that
Lot had declined spiritually.
However when you compare Lot’s hospitality to Abraham’s
hospitality in Genesis 18, you begin to see that Lot was insensitive to the
presence of God. The first indication of this destructive insensitivity is
revealed in how Lot addresses the two angels in verse 2: “Now behold, my lord
…” Compare this address with Abraham’s in Genesis 18:3: “My Lord, if now I have
found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.” Abraham’s
response clearly revealed that he understood this visitation as divine. He was
sensitive to the Lord’s presence. It’s a different story with Lot. He in
essence calls the two angels “sirs.” When we give into the gradual process of
spiritual decline and we become entangled with the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life, we become desensitized to the presence of
God in our life.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who lived during
the time of Hitler, gave a great commentary on this destructive insensitivity
that comes from giving into the sensual and sinful desires of the flesh.
In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards
desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power, desire seizes
mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled. The
flesh burns and is in flames. It makes no difference whether it is sexual
desire or ambition or vanity or desire for revenge or love of fame and power or
greed for money, or finally, that strange desire for the beauty of the world,
of nature. Joy in God is extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the
creature. At this moment God is quite unreal to us, he loses all reality, and
only desire of the creature is real. We are filled, not with hatred of God, but
forgetfulness of God.
When we are carried away by temptation we
become dangerously insensitive to the presence of God in our life. When this
takes place, it then leads to destructive compromise.
Destructive Compromise
Lot’s destructive insensitivity led him to a
destructive compromise, a compromise that would affect his life in many ways.
As Lot gave into and was led by his worldly lust, he would begin to compromise
his very own righteous convictions. Scripture tells us in 2 Peter that Lot was
disturbed by the sinfulness within the city of Sodom. It literally “vexed” his
soul day and night. Even though he was displeased with the sinfulness of the
city, he would still become a prominent leader sitting at the gate and
upholding the unrighteous laws that governed the city. Instead of sitting at
the gate enjoying the acceptance of the people, Lot should have stood there
proclaiming the righteousness of the Lord, being concerned about pleasing God,
not man. But Lot chose to follow the way of the world and compromise his
righteous convictions, thereby compromising his character.
After the heavenly guests entered Lot’s house to enjoy his
hospitality, we are told that Lot would receive some other visitors from within
the city. Notice verse 4: “Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men
of Sodom, surrounded the house, young and old, all the people from every
quarter; and 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.” You
see the perversity of the city in these verses. Men, both old and young, wanted
to have sexual relations with the two angels, whom they thought were men.
Lot found himself in a complicated situation. He had to
make a choice. He could comply with the request and let them have the men or he
could refuse the request and stand up for righteousness. Lot chose to protect
his guests, but he did not stand up for righteousness. Instead he made a
proposal that would truly be a compromise of his righteous character. “Now,
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” (Genesis
19:8). Protecting the guests was noble, but sacrificing his two virgin
daughters can hardly be considered a quality of a holy and righteous character.
The only moral choice in this situation would have been to stand up for
righteousness and not give into unrighteousness. Lot’s spiritual decline
compromised his righteous convictions and righteous character. For Lot and for
us, the destructive compromise of spiritual decline brings about a destructive
influence to those around us.
Destructive Influence
Lot had a great opportunity to be the salt of
the earth and the light of the world in Sodom and Gomorrah, but that
opportunity passed when he started that downward spiral to destruction. Had the
Lord called Lot to Sodom we might have a different story concerning Lot’s
influence, but because Lot was led to Sodom by his own worldly desires, he
failed to be a positive influence to the inhabitants of the city. Instead, he
became a destructive influence to the city of Sodom. Even worse, Lot would
become a destructive influence upon his own family.
After the men of Sodom refused the daughters of Lot, they
began to try to overtake Lot and his guests. The text tells us in verse 11 that
the two angels struck the men of the city with blindness so they could not find
the door. The two men then told Lot of the coming judgment upon the city and
that he needed to get his family out as quickly as possible. As Lot tried to
get his family together, you begin to see that Lot lost his righteous influence
over his own family on account of his spiritual decline. Notice what verses 12
through 14 tell us.
Then 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; for 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.” Lot 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.
Lot’s spiritual decline kept him from having a
positive influence upon his sons-in-law, so much so that they thought he was
joking.
The reason he had lost his influence is clearly stated by
Lot’s actions in verse 16. After the two angels came to Lot’s house the next
morning and warned Lot and his family to leave the city without any hesitation,
we are told, “But he hesitated.” Lot, knowing that the city was about to come
under judgment hesitated because he and his family had fallen so in love with
the world that it was hard to let go. The world had such a hold on them that
the angels had to seize their hands and drag them out of the city. Lot wasn’t
rescued because he was willing to leave the city. No, Lot was rescued because
the compassion of God grabbed hold of this backslidden believer and rescued him
from the coming judgment. If Lot hesitated to leave the city, then you can see
why he was unable to positively influence others to leave with him.
This destructive influence that Lot had would even affect
the behavior of those who left the city with him. In verse 17, Lot and his
family are commanded to hurry and go to the mountains and not to look back.
Well, ignoring this command proved destructive to Lot’s wife, “But his wife,
from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
Lot hesitated to leave, but his poor wife inwardly refused to leave. She became
another casualty of the destructive influence of Lot’s spiritual decline.
Spiritual decline brings about a destructive
insensitivity, a destructive compromise, and a destructive influence. But Lot’s
story does not end there, for in verses 30 through 38 we see that the spiritual
decline has a destructive demise.
Destructive Demise
There is a great deal of irony in these last
eight verses of Genesis 19. The two virgin daughters that Lot was so willing to
sacrifice to the men of Sodom would end up sleeping with Lot in an incestuous
encounter. Both daughters would become pregnant and both would give birth to
sons. Finding Lot in an incestuous relationship is enough proof to show the
destructive demise of those who love the world more than the Lord. But even
greater evidence of Lot’s destructive demise is found in the two sons born to
him through his own daughters. Verses 36 through 38 tell us about adversaries
to the nation of Israel. “Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by
their father. The first bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father
of the Moabites to this day. As for the younger, she also bore a son, and
called his name Benammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.”
These two sons would become the Moabites and the Ammonites—people who would
always be the enemy of God’s people. Lot could have walked by faith and not by
sight and avoided this demise.
There is a Christian man in Texas who is in prison waiting
to go to trial on eight federal indictments, two of which are money laundering.
How did this man end up in this destructive demise? It was a gradual process.
He let sin go unchecked and eventually the underlying problems came to the
surface and shook his world and the world of those close to him. A Christian
pharmacist in the Kansas and Missouri area is going to spend a few years in
prison because he became greedy and decided to water down chemo treatments. How
did he come to this destructive demise? His decline also was a gradual process.
Lot’s story is a great lesson and warning for God’s
children. Do not love the world or anything in the world. You cannot love the
world and the Lord at the same time. To avoid Lot’s demise we must take a
spiritual check-up every day. The only hope we have of avoiding Lot’s spiritual
decline is by coming to Jesus each day and asking him to give us his power to
deal with those areas in our life that could lead to spiritual decline.
Some of you might already have traveled down Lot’s path
and you find yourself in a destructive situation on account of your
worldliness. There is hope. Turn to Jesus today and he will forgive you and
heal you. He may not take away the consequences, but he will make you whole
again and give you a fresh start. Ask the Lord to change your heart.
Others of you are not in Lot’s situation, but instead, you
are in the situation that the inhabitants of Sodom found themselves in, objects
of God’s judgment, and what you need is the mercy of the Almighty Judge. You
also have hope. Turn to Jesus from your sin and self and you can have
forgiveness of sins, heaven, and eternal life.
