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; 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. 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.
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: 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. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 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. 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. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 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.
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: 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 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: 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. 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. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: 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. 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.
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. 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: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 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. 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. 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. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 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.
Genesis 19
In chapter 18 we saw the blessings of a believer whose walk is consistent with the revelation of God as the Almighty. In chapter 19 there comes before us the sorrows of a believer who has given up the separate path and walks in association with a judgment-doomed world. We shall see, indeed, that he is saved, but so as by fire (1 Cor. 3: 15), and passes out of the story under a cloud, leaving behind him the memory of a life of shame.
A Striking Contrast
The opening verses of these two chapters evidently set Abraham and Lot in striking contrast. In chapter 18:1, Abraham comes before us as sitting in his tent door. In chapter 19:1, Lot is seen sitting “in the gate of Sodom.” One believer was outside the world in his true pilgrim character, with his tent; the other was not only in the world, he was actually taking part in its administration. He sat in the gate—the place of judgment.
The End of a Downward Path
Once Lot was in the outside place, but there only as a follower of others. A little trouble arose and at once he gave up the path of faith and separation, chose the well-watered plain, and “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (13:1 2). Next we learn that he “dwelt in Sodom” (14:1 2). At last, we read, “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.”
But the city in which Lot had an honored place as a magistrate, was a judgment-doomed city, and the time had come when the city was ripe for judgment. From the Lord’s own words, in Luke 17, we know that this solemn scene is a foreshadowing of the judgment about to fall on this present evil world. There we read, “As it was in the days of Lot... thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Lk. 17:28-3228Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32Remember Lot's wife. (Luke 17:28‑32)).
We are living in the days just before the Son of Man is about to be revealed, and we are warned by the Lord Himself that in these days we shall find a terrible condition similar to that which existed in the days of Lot. This makes this chapter of immense practical importance, as presenting the true character of the world around us, and, above all, as setting forth conditions so hateful to God that at length He has to intervene in judgment.
The Breakdown of Testimony
What then were the conditions in Sodom that brought down the judgment of God? Two things characterized the city. First, the men of Sodom were “wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (13: 1 3). Secondly, a true believer was holding a place of honor in the city, associated with sinners in seeking to judge and maintain order in the world. It was a city characterized by the association of sinners before the Lord with believers in the Lord. It is this condition, so hateful to God, that marks the world of today, and that will very soon bring the present period of grace to a close. It was not simply the wickedness of the world that ends the day of grace. The wickedness of the world may show itself in different forms at different times, but it cannot be greater today than when it perpetrated the crowning sin of crucifying the Lord of glory. It is rather the breakdown of the Christian profession whereby even true believers are found in the world, not as witnesses to the grace of God, but in closest association with the world, that God will not tolerate and that makes the judgment so imminent. When those who were left to be a witness to the grace of God settle down in the world and cease to be any witness for God, the end is not far off.
The Message of Warning
We have the warning challenge of the apostle in clear and unmistakable words, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (2 Cor. 6:14-1514Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14‑15)).
In spite of these plain words, what do we see on every hand today? Not only a world filled with violence and corruption—this has ever been, although men wax worse and worse—but, on every hand we see true believers in flagrant disregard of the Word of God, associated with unbelievers and those who mock at divine things. It has been truly said, “Evangelical leaders even, can now take their places openly on public platforms with Unitarians and skeptics of almost every grade; and societies, secret or public, can link together all possible beliefs in the most hearty fellowship. It is this that marks the time as so near the limit of divine longsuffering, that the very people who are orthodox as to Christ can nevertheless be so easily content to leave Him aside on any utilitarian plea by which they may have fellowship with His rejectors.”
When those who profess to be ministers of Christianity cease to be witnesses for Christ and, sinking down to the level of the world, become themselves the leaders in all worldliness, then indeed the salt has lost its savor and the Christian profession, having become nauseous to Christ, will be spewed out of His mouth and the judgment will fall upon the world.
Surely, then, the destruction of Sodom should speak to every conscience and lead us to take heed to that word which says, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:44And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)).
The Ministry of Angels
There are, moreover, other lessons for us to learn from this solemn scene. In the preceding chapter, the Lord appeared to Abraham accompanied by two angels. Here it was only the angels that came to Lot (although the Lord was there unseen, 18:21). Abraham, in the outside place with his tent, enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord. Lot, sitting in the gate of Sodom, would have no visits from the Lord. His soul may have been vexed with the filthy conversation and unlawful deeds of the wicked, but he would enjoy no communion with the Lord.
Furthermore, while the Lord came to Abraham in the full light of day, the two angels came to Sodom “at even.” They came, not to give a public witness to Sodom, but, as it were, in the secrecy of the evening gloom to pull a falling saint out of the fire of judgment (18:1; 19:1).
We may gather from Scripture that the service of angels has a twofold character. On the one hand they are the executors of judgment; on the other hand they are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Psa. 104:44Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: (Psalm 104:4); Heb. 1:1414Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)). We see them in this twofold service at Sodom. In judgment they came to destroy the city; providentially, they were there to rescue a true believer from a false position! Good to know that, in our day, though judgment is about to fall on Christendom, every true believer will be saved from judgment, even though with many it may be like Lot, their works destroyed but they themselves saved yet so “as through the fire” (1 Cor. 3: 15, New Trans.).
Lot’s Inconsistency
Further we see that Lot, being a true believer, recognized the heavenly visitors, treated them with due reverence, sought to honor them, and shelter them from the insults of the men of the world. Alas! he found that he had no power to restrain their wickedness. In his extremity he was even prepared to sink to the vile expedient of abandoning his two daughters to their lust in order to quell the disturbance. His efforts only aroused the anger of the men of Sodom. They told him to “stand back.” They argued that this man, who came into their midst as an alien, now took upon himself to act as their judge. With these threatening words they pressed hard on Lot who was only saved from the violence of the mob by the providential action of the angels.
Lot’s Failure
The angels’ directions to Lot to warn his relatives that the Lord was about to destroy the city brought to light the solemn fact that the believer in a false position has no power in testimony. Lot “went out and spake unto his sons in law,” warning them of the coming judgment. “But he seemed as one that mocked.” It was indeed a witness to the truth, but it condemned him. Had he not professed to be a righteous man? And yet he had been so attracted to Sodom that he had chosen to dwell there, even taking a leading part in its affairs. Did he then really believe that the Lord was about to destroy the city? His whole life was a flat contradiction to his testimony. Little wonder that he seemed as one that mocked to the men of Sodom.
Nor is it otherwise today. Can we wonder that the world pays little heed to any warnings uttered by the professed ministers of religion who themselves are leaders in worldliness?
Lot’s Hesitation
Even while warning others, Lot was loath to leave Sodom; for when urged to hurry from the doomed city, we read “he lingered.” Nevertheless, the mercy of the Lord “brought him forth and set him without the city.” His wife and two daughters were brought out with him but all his possessions were left behind. He was saved so as through the fire.
Delivered by the mercy of God, he was told to “escape to the mountain.” He admitted the mercy that had saved him, but he had little faith in the preserving care of the One that directed him to the mountain. Moved by fear and unbelief, he pled that the little city of Zoar would be spared for a place of refuge. His prayer was granted, and as the sun rose Lot enters Zoar.
How solemn are these words, “The sun was risen.” It speaks of a cloudless day with no sign of the coming judgment. As the Lord tells us of the men of Sodom, “they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded.” All went on as usual, “But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” The Lord adds the solemn words, “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-3028Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:28‑30)). So, at a later day, the Apostle could write “that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5:2-32For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2‑3)).
Lot’s Wife
Lot’s wife looked back. Lot personally was a righteous man, though caught in the toils of the world. His wife was a mere professor who, though she left the city, had her heart still there. She looked back to the place of her affections and became an everlasting warning to professors who, in a moment of fear, may separate from the world but have never known the call of the Lord. How solemn are the Lord’s own words, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:3232Remember Lot's wife. (Luke 17:32)).
In contrast to Lot, saved through fire, and his wife who looked back, we have a glimpse of the separate man who looked beyond to the city which has foundations. Abraham was in “the place where he stood before the Lord.” He saw from afar the destruction of the cities of the plain. Then we learn what is so highly instructive, that if Lot was saved from the overthrow of the cities it was because “God remembered Abraham.” Lot, as he sat in the gate of Sodom, might have said, “What good is Abraham to the world, dwelling apart in his tent?” Yet it was of Abraham, in the separate path, that God said, “Thou shalt be a blessing,” So it came to pass; for if Lot was saved, it was because God remembered Abraham.
Lot’s Fear
Though saved from the doom of Sodom, poor Lot was still the victim of fear. The very city of his choice he feared to dwell in, so he fell back on the mountain to which he had been told to flee. But even so, he went to the mountain driven by fear of men rather than led by faith in God. There he became involved in the infamy of his daughters to pass from the history with no record of his end, leaving behind a posterity that became the constant enemy of God’s people.
How solemn and searching to all our hearts is this history of a believer who, though once in the path of separation from the world, gave it up to sink into association with the world. There he found that he could have no communion with God; no power to restrain the evil of the world; no power to witness to the truth; and no confidence in the preserving care of God. Finally, he passed from the scene under the dark shadow of great shame. Well indeed, if the story leads us to feel our own weakness, and casts us on the One who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:2424Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (Jude 24)). Better still if we look about us to find some poor brother Lot and heed the verse before: “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:2323And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Jude 23)).
Farewell to this world’s fleeting joys,
Our home is not below,
There was no home for Jesus here,
And ‘tis to Him we go.
Up to our Father’s house we go,
To that sweet home of love:
Many the mansions that are found
Where Jesus dwells above.
And He who left that borne above,
To be a sufferer here,
Has left this world again for us
A mansion to prepare.
His errand to the earth was love,
To wretches such as we!
To pluck us from the jaws of death,
Nailed to th’ accursed tree.
The accursed tree was the reward
Which this sad world did give
To Him who gave His precious life
That this lost world might live.
And has this world a charm for us,
Where Jesus suffered thus?
No! we have died to all its charms
Through Jesus’ wondrous cross.
Farewell, farewell, poor faithless world,
With all your boasted store;
We’d not have joy where He had woe
Be rich where He was poor.
F. C. JENNINGS