When Lot and his family arrived in Zoar, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by burning sulphur which “rained” down from the sky. He was afraid that they could not make it to the mountains in time. One of them told them, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plane! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” ( 19:17) Lot begged to be allowed to stop in the nearby city of Zoar. The angels grasped their hands and led them away. Perhaps they were tied to Sodom and found it difficult to leave their home. Perhaps they had trouble believing this was actually going to happen. Lot, his wife and two daughters hesitated. The people there were so tangled in sin that they would not even listen to Lot. The fact that even the men engaged to Lot’s daughters did not take Lot seriously, shows that Lot had no influence in the city. The angels told Lot to gather his family and leave the city. Obviously, there are not ten righteous people in Sodom. When the men of Sodom attacked Lot and tried to break down his door, the angels pulled Lot inside and struck the men blind. Such was the commitment of protection that Lot was offering the strangers. It seems incredible to us that Lot would have offered his two daughters to the men who begged him to send the two “men” (angels) out so that they could have sex with them. In Jewish custom, taking someone into your home meant that you were vowing your complete protection. The men of the city were so perverted that Lot knew that the angels would not be safe. When the two angels arrived in Sodom they planned to sleep in the city square. The truth was that only Lot and his immediate family were righteous. This seemed like so few people that Abraham must have felt secure that he had saved Lot’s city from being destroyed. Abraham kept lowering the number until the Lord finally agreed to spare Sodom if there were ten righteous people residing there. The Lord agreed to spare Sodom if He found fifty righteous people there. When the King of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham, Abraham refused to take money from the wicked king.ĭespite all of this, Abraham knew that the Lord was about to destroy his nephew’s city. “The people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” ( Genesis 13:13) Years after Lot moved Abraham and his men had to rescue him from one of Sodom’s enemies. Years before, when Abraham’s nephew, Lot, moved to the area near Sodom, we first heard about the reputation of the men of Sodom. Sin has become so rampant that the Lord knows that there is no hope that the people will repent.Ībraham must have heard about the sin in the two cities. The sinful reputation is well known to the people of the area. Because of his special relationship with Abraham, the Lord decides to allow him a special glimpse of His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Although some scholars believe Lot's wife was covered with molten material.Abraham, the courteous host, accompanies his guests for part of the way on the road toward Sodom. Why would God turn her into a pillar of salt? While salt has other associations in the Bible, it is often used as a symbol of death, destruction, judgment, and disobedience. Lot's wife, whose name is not given, became a pillar of salt.The Bible clearly states that the fire and sulfur, or brimstone, rained down "from the Lord out of the heavens" (Genesis 19:24, NIV), not upward from a volcano.God does exist, and he does punish unrepentant sinners.
Millions of people today think God and sin are things to joke about. Lot and his family were spared, but his future sons-in-laws were destroyed because they thought Lot was joking about God's wrath.As the Creator of all things, God has the divine right to destroy evil as he sees fit. One of the reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was because he did not want the Jews to be influenced by this evil.The Bible tells us all the inhabitants were depraved. God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous people, but none lived there.Points of Interest from the Story of Sodom and Gomorrah
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