Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.
Genesis 18
1. And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he
sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood
by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent
door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
Here we see the generosity of Abraham. It was very customary to be nice and kind to all who came by. Here we see that Abraham, not knowing that it was the Lord still accepted the strangers.
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight,
pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
To be able to set in a persons house and wash your feet was a welcome in the Bible customs. After a long dusty walk it was good to clean the feet. This shows the kindness of Abraham.
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your
hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to
your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make
ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make
cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and
good, and gave [it] unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had
dressed, and set [it] before them; and he stood by them under the
tree, and they did eat.
It was customary for the wife to stay away from the other people of the house. She usually cooked but hardly ever let her presence be known to the others. Usually Abraham waited on the guests as was customary. This is why the next question was surprising.
9. And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent.
I believe he stuttered here not expecting this question but it led up to the next response of these three men.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to
the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And
Sarah heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him.
Here we see that the true identity of these men begin to come out. They were not ordinary people. Here they give an answer to a question that Abraham has been wondering about. This whole visit was a visit of encouragement for Abraham.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah [were] old [and] well stricken in age;
[and] it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am
waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
So we see that Sarah was listening at the door while the men were speaking to Abraham. I believe that she was not suppose to be doing this but we see it got her into a little trouble. She heard the response of these men and she laughed. Was it a laugh of doubt? or Was it a laugh of misunderstanding? I believe a litter of both. She knew she was barren and Abraham probably never informed her of God's early promise so she just kind of chuckled.
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh,
saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I
will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah
shall have a son.
Then we see the Lords response. Look at verse 14.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this
is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
If any thing that has been stressed throughout scripture it is this pharase. Nothing is impossible with God. Oh how important it is for us to realize this. I just finished reading a book by Noel Brooks on the doctrine of Divine Healing. He explicitly states as one of his arguments for divine healing is that with God nothing is impossible.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Now Sarah realizing she got caught denied what she said. She probably tried to make excuses but the bottom line was she did laugh.
16. And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom:
and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do;
Here we see the true grace and mercy of God. Here we see God trusting a man. His love and desire to be a part of man. What commitment and love God has.
What kind of picture would Abraham have of God if he would have destroyed the city without Abraham understanding. I believe that God helps Abraham to understand.
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty
nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
This is influence. What is influence? How you affect those around you. Think about those around you that you influence. Not just your family but also your work. Think about those you have been influenced by. Abraham has influenced many people down through the years we see this throughout the Bible even to us. He is known to us as a man of faith. Just as we strive to be. But there is more.
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to
do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham
that which he hath spoken of him.
We also see the influence in the home. Oh how important this is the influence of the father and mother in the home. In a book that I am reading now by John Maxwell he tells a story of a young Jewish boy. Their family held the traditions and practices of the Jewish family. His father was the leader. Guiding them on their way. Then because of many the family picked up and moved to a town in Germany. When they got to this town the only church was a Lutheran Church. All town was centered in this church all the big wheels went there. So one day the father said that the family was going to join the church. This young boy now a teen ager was devastated. He saw his father drop all the traditions and now become a member of this church of business gain. Soon the boy left home and begin to study in Britain. Here he began to compose his own book of religion and government. Telling people that they did not need a god because there was none. Now we know this man today as Karl Marx the founder of communism. It all started from an unstable family. How about you?
20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is
great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and
if not, I will know.
When ever people commit sin and wickedness then it cries out for death. "For the wages of sin is death". Sodom and Gomorrah is known for gross and immoral sin. It is where we get our word Sodomites from. Their sin cries out for death. It is the same way today. Evil calls for death. But we have an answer.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward
Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
God's wrath will come
1 Thess. 5:2, 2 Thess. 2:2
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night.
2 Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither
by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day
of Christ is at hand.
God has promised to rescue us from this wrath
Luke 21:36,1 Thess. 1:10,Rev 3:10
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be
accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to
pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
1 Thessalonians 1:0 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the
dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
keep thee from the hour of
23. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the
righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt
thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous
that [are] therein?
If there are 50 righteous people in Sodom would you not destroy it.
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the
righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as
the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the
earth do right?
26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within
the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, which [am but] dust and ashes:
Understanding as I stand before the Lord that my life is but dust and ashes.
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous:
wilt thou destroy all the city for [lack of] five? And he said,
If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy [it].
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure
there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do [it]
for forty's sake.
30 And he said [unto him], Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I
will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And
he said, I will not do [it], if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he
said, I will not destroy [it] for twenty's sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak
yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he
said, I will not destroy [it] for ten's sake.
Here we see Abraham intervening for the people of Sodom. Why did he end with 10 people. He probably figured that there was at least 10 people in the family of Lot.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing
with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Theoaphany
Many a time
before his incarnation, he descended to this lower earth in the
similitude of a man; on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18), by the
brook of Jabbok (Gen. 32:24-30), beneath the walls of Jericho
(Jos. 5:13), and in the fiery furnace of Babylon (Dan. 3:19,
25), the Son of Man visited his people. Because his soul
delighted in them, he could not rest away from them, for his
heart longed after them.
Genesis 19
1. And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in
the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them;
and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
Here we see this man Lot again. It hasn't been since chapter 14 that we have heard from this man. Now again we still see him here. Where? in Sodom. The people of Sodom are referred to in verse 13 of chapter 13 as being " wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." I have no problem believing that Lot knew this. But he saw no gain in staying with Abraham. So he decided to move to Sodom. Oh, he did not plan to be as the people he would just live among them. Maybe work with them and earn their money.
He did hate the evil and sin we see this in
2 Peter 2:7. And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of
the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and
hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their]
unlawful deeds;)
Hebrews 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore
God, [even] thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
above thy fellows.
But here he is at the gate. Usually a gathering place at the end of the day for all the towns people. Most of the times used for legal transactions. We see this in the book of Ruth.
2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into
your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet,
and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said,
Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto
him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and
did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Here we see the Hospitality of Lot that we saw in Abraham. How he invited these strangers into his house. I believe he knew the wickedness of Sodom at night that is why he urged them to come home with him. It was easy to notice their feet because it was a two days journey between the plain of Mamre and Sodom.
4. But before they lay down, the men of the city, [even] the men
of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the
people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the
men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us,
that we may know them.
Here we see a despicable sight. The men of Sodom "both old and young" all surrounding Lot's house wanting to commit homosexuality with these men. It is clearly stated here. This is sin. The Bible condemns this action. No matter. We see this by being the only action mentioned in the Bible of Sodom.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of
them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood
[shall be] upon them.
Deuteronomy 23:17 There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a
sodomite of the sons of Israel.
1 Corinthians 6:9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully;
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless
and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for
murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for
menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is
contrary to sound doctrine;
Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
recompence of their error which was meet.
So clearly the Bible condemns samesex relationships. We must not condone sin. But these men still had a chance to accept God. I believe that this is why the men went to Sodom. But we see their reaction.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door
after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man;
let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as
[is] good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for
therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
Lot knew what they wanted to do was a sin. He called to wickedness. He wanted to protect his guests from harm. His responsibility as a host. But here we see something else strange. He offered his daughters in exchange. Why? Was he just stalling? I don't know. Women were kind of devalued in that time. Let us see their reaction.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said [again], This one
[fellow] came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now
will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed
sore upon the man, [even] Lot, and came near to break the door.
He offended them because he called out their sin. A man who lived among them a man who was supposably their friend. This is what happens. Have you ever told someone that you did not believe in doing a particular thing. Maybe it was gambling or drinking or even smoking. What happens automatically they get offended. Why because they feel guilty. Then they holler like these men. They say you should judge us. They quote the famous verse, Matthew 7:1-AV Judge not, that ye be not judged. We can't condemn sin because we are judging. But we must condemn sin because it is wrong. But let me warn you you may get the same reaction that Lot did.
10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the
house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that [were] at the door of the house
with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied
themselves to find the door.
So here these men save Lot by blinding the men with a flash.
12. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son
in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast
in the city, bring [them] out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is
waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent
us to destroy it.
What was the warning and instructions?
Here they give him a strict warning. Get prepared for God will destroy this place tell all your families.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which
married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place;
for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that
mocked unto his sons in law.
What does this tell us about the testimony of Lot?
15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot,
saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are
here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
How many righteous people did Abraham ask God to save the city for? First 50 and then 10. Still there were not that many.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and
upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two
daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him
forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee,
neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest
thou be consumed.
Strangely enough after all that Lot had seen the angles literally had to force Lot to leave. They had to take him by the hand. This is what happens when you get caught up with the sinners in this world. It creates a little bit of doubt in your minds about sin and sometimes even God.
Directions. Escape into the mountains Don't look back. What a sermon.
Luke 9:62-AV And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Christians should never look back but look forward to what God has in store, " all things are passed away
2Corinthians 5:17-AV Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is]
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and
thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in
saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some
evil take me, and I die:
20 Behold now, this city [is] near to flee unto, and it [is] a
little one: Oh, let me escape thither, ([is] it not a little
one?) and my soul shall live.
21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning
this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the
which thou hast spoken.
It is still strange how Lot acts. I believe he is shown as a waffling believer. Now God is going to deliver him from the destruction of the city of Sodom and Gammorah. But Lot doesn't see God protecting him in the Mountains. Oh how sin can taint believers. Just a little doubt.
22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till
thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called
Zoar.
But we see it was granted. He was told to go quickly to Zoar.
23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
The Destruction of Sodom
24. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone
and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all
the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the
ground.
There is probably so much more to this story than we read. We could read of the terror and destruction that struck the city. The death toll. How the city was buried probably by a volcanic eruption. This is the justice of God. Sin calls for justice to be served and without righteousness then the sentence is DEATH!!
26. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a
pillar of salt.
Sadness Lots wife looked back.
Luke 17
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33-AV Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his
life shall preserve it.
If you get attached to the old life and the things of this world then you will be left behind in the rapture and you will go to Hell. Is it worth it?
27. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where
he stood before the LORD:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the
land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country
went up as 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 the which Lot
dwelt.
The Sin of the Daughters of Lot
30. And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and
his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and
he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
We see here that even though the Angels had told Lot to go to the mountains he pleaded to go to Zoar but then he feared Zoar and went to the mountains. What fear he must have had. His wife dead, his sons-n-law dead, and his home destroyed. All that is left is him and his two daughters so they dwell in a cave.
31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father [is]
old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us
after the manner of all the earth:
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie
with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
Where do you think the daughters got this idea from? What influences had they had in their life?
Some people say have pity on these girls they were freightened, they did not even know if there were any other people. But I believe this story is here for a purpose. I believe we are seeing the long term effects of sin.
There is another story of a man who escaped death only to soon get drunk. Who was this man? Noah. What was the result of his wickedness? Ham saw his father and made light of his condition. Ham father of the Caanaites.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the
firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not
when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said
unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let
us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, [and] lie
with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and
the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when
she lay down, nor when she arose.
36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their
father.
Lot never knew what hit him. This is why the Bible talks against wine and alchol so much. This is why we should avoid all uses of alchol. Its results are sin. There is no good that comes our of drinking alchol only evil.
37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the
same [is] the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name
Benammi: the same [is] the father of the children of Ammon unto
this day.
Here we see just as in the story of Noah that a two whole nations born as result of this sin and these were evil nations the nation of Moab and Ammon. We see many wars against the Israelites from them.
The main purpose of this story was to show where the Moabites and Ammonites came from. What they did was sin. It was wrong and we see two nations who never turned to God. This is a familiar scene in the Bible. Sin does not just affect one generation but it continues on to the next.
Compromise with sin caused Lot to lose his whole family. His wife turned to a pillar of salt. His daughters committed evil sins outside of Sodom and his son in laws stayed in Sodom. Look what he could have had if he would have stayed with Abraham.
