The Destruction of Sodom and the Tragic Consequences of a Father’s Sinful Choices (Genesis 19)

The Destruction of Sodom and the Tragic Consequences of a Father’s Sinful Choices (Genesis 19)

Scripture reading – Genesis 19







On the same day, the LORD assured Abraham He would be merciful should he find ten righteous souls residing in Sodom, the angels who appeared before Abraham arrived at the gate of Sodom (Genesis 18:2, 16). Sadly, they were greeted by Lot, who had progressed from pitching his tent toward Sodom to becoming one of the leaders and judges of the city. We read, “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom” (Genesis 19:1), where government and commercial business was transacted.

Seeing the “two angels” and perceiving they were strangers, Lot “rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground” (Genesis 19:1). Calling them “lords,” for he knew the “men” were not of the character as those of that wicked city, Lot urged them to accept refuge in his home (Genesis 19:2-3). At first, the “two angels” refused his accommodations, but Lot “pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house” (Genesis 19:2). That evening, Lot made his guest “a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat” (Genesis 19:3).





“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” (Genesis 19:4-5).







Displaying God’s grace, the angels pressed Lot to go to his sons, daughters, and spouses and urge them to flee Sodom before the LORD destroyed the city for its wickedness (Genesis 19:12-13). Yet, Lot’s children and their spouses refused his pleas and despised him, for he appeared “as one that mocked unto his sons in law” (Genesis 19:14). 



A Display of Mercy (Genesis 19:15-22)

As the morning light crested the plain, “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” (Genesis 19:15). Though knowing the judgment of God was imminent, Lot “lingered,” and the angels mercifully took hold of him, his wife, and daughters and “brought him forth, and set him without the city” (Genesis 19:16).

Though admonished to “escape for [his] life; [and] look not behind…escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed” (Genesis 19:17), Lot foolishly protested God’s place of safety and pleaded that a nearby city, “a little one” (Genesis 19:20), might be spared as his refuge (Genesis 19:19-20). The LORD heeded Lot’s request (Genesis 19:21) and spared the city called Zoar (Genesis 19:22).



With the sun risen and Lot safely removed from Sodom, “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” (Genesis 19:24-25). The scene was utter destruction, a burning inferno, as though hell rained from heaven upon the wicked. Tragically, Lot’s “wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).



Abraham arose early that morning, perhaps anxious that Sodom might have been spared. So he went “to the place where he stood before the LORD” (Genesis 19:27). There he “looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah…and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace” (Genesis 19:28). Abraham saw the severity of God’s judgment upon that wicked city and its inhabitants. Yet, in answer to Abraham’s intercession and a reminder that the LORD will spare the righteous in His judgment, “God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt” (Genesis 19:29).

Lot: An Object of Grace (Genesis 19:29-38)  

Why were Lot and his daughters spared judgment? First, scripture says, “God remembered Abraham” (Genesis 19:29). What a blessed thought to realize that God never forgets His promise. Surely, we would hope Lot’s straying from the LORD would end with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but that was not the case. Lot, a man whom the Scriptures declare was righteous (though he chose to dwell among the wicked, 2 Peter 2:8), became drunk with wine. Then, succumbing to his daughters’ enticement, tragically, Lot committed the morally depraved sin of incest (Genesis 19:30-36). 



Closing thoughts - Genesis 19 portrays man’s sinful depravity and God’s inevitable judgment of the wicked. We have been reminded of the shadow and influence of parental character and how today’s choices will have consequences for our children and grandchildren. Yes, Lot’s spirit was vexed by the sinful, “unlawful deeds” of the wicked, but he failed to separate from them. The consequences of his failure were innumerable, for he lost his wife, children, possessions, and neighbors.



Are you ready for God’s judgment?

Romans 14:11–12 – "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12) So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

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