The Judgment of Sodom

The Judgment of Sodom (Genesis part 34)
Text: Genesis 19:1-29
By: Ken McKinley

Well we’ve had a nice break from our study in Genesis, and any time you’re doing a study like we’ve been doing in Genesis, it’s good to step away from it for a while so that you don’t get burnt out or bored with it; but… it’s time to get back into it, and hit it hard for the next few weeks. So if you’ll take your Bible’s and turn with me to Genesis chapter 19; we’ll be reading verses 1 through 29.
Now before we begin, I have to warn you; this is one of the most disturbing chapters in the entire Bible. It shows the depths of man’s depravity, and the severity of God’s wrath. And I was tempted to just skip over this chapter, but as I was reading it throughout the week the Lord showed me that there’s just too much in this chapter that I would be doing an injustice to skip over it. And besides I’m called to preach the WHOLE COUNSEL of God’s Word. So let’s begin… Genesis 19:1-29 (Read Text).
Now if you remember last time we were in Genesis, God and two angels had visited Abraham, and God had told Abraham that He was going to go to Sodom and judge that city. Abraham asked God if He would spare the city if there were only 10 righteous people there, and God said that He would in-fact spare the city if 10 righteous people could be found there. Then God sent the two angels on ahead, and that brings us to our text this morning. And what we see in this passage is the complete and utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now the problem that people seem to have with this passage is that it seem so different than the Jesus we see in the New Testament. But the problem with thinking that way is that Jesus Himself affirmed the destructions of Sodom and Gomorrah. We see Him do that in Matthew 10:14-15, Matthew 11:23-24, and also in Luke 17. And some people say, “Well I don’t like the fire and brimstone type of sermon.” But it’s in the Bible. It’s here in Genesis, the 1st book, and it’s in Revelation, the last book. And since “All Scripture is given by inspiration from God, and it’s profitable…” Then we need to look at this passage, learn from it, and see how it applies to our lives.
So our text begins by telling us that the 2 angels come to Sodom and it’s in the evening when they arrive, and Lot was sitting at the gate. Now if you remember; a few chapters back, Abraham and Lot went their separate ways. The Bible tells us that Lot pitched his tent near Sodom. But now we see that he’s gone from living in his tent outside of Sodom to living in the city itself. And not only that; he’s earned himself a place of prominence there. To be sitting in the gate, meant that Lot had gained prominence and influence among the people of Sodom.
And these angels show up, and Lot shows them respect. Now probably he didn’t realize that they were angles. The Book of Hebrews tells us that we can entertain angels unaware. They appeared as men. But Lot knew that they were special in some way. He bows down to them and shows them respect, and he invites them to his house where they can wash their feet and eat supper with him. Now it’s interesting; because Lot doesn’t go all out