Sodom and Gomorrah

Three angels visited Abraham. They came disguised as men, travellers along the road. Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah, to observe first-hand the wickedness in those cities.

The other visitor, who was the Lord, stayed behind. He revealed to Abraham that he was going to destroy the cities because of the evil ways of their people. Abraham, a special friend of the Lord, began to bargain with God to spare the cities if there were righteous people in them.

First Abraham asked if the Lord would spare the cities if fifty righteous people lived there. The Lord said yes. Boldly, Abraham kept bargaining down, until God agreed not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if even ten righteous people lived there. Then the Lord departed.

Then all the men of the city surrounded Lot's house where the angels had camped and said, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." (Genesis 19:5, NIV).

A few points to note here:

o   God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous people, but none lived there. The Bible tells us all the inhabitants were depraved.

o   One of the reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was because he did not want the Jews to be influenced by this evil. As the Creator of all things, God has the divine right to destroy evil as he sees fit.

o   Lot and his family were spared, but his future sons-in-laws were destroyed because they thought Lot was joking about God's wrath. Millions of people today think God and sin are things to joke about. God does exist, and he does punish unrepentant sinners.

o   The Bible clearly states that the fire and sulphur, or brimstone, rained down "from the Lord out of the heavens" (Genesis 19:24, NIV), not upward from a volcano. Lot's wife, whose name is not given, became a pillar of salt. Some scholars believe she was covered with molten material.

Many people hold to misconceptions about God’s grace. Some hold to concepts that cheapen grace, for they deny the sinfulness of sin. The truth is that grace exposes the reality of mankind’s sinfulness and lustfulness. God, because He is gracious and merciful, has provided the way for people to be saved from the judgment sin brings. He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross to take the punishment for sin.

Sodom personified sin in every form: from pride and selfishness to perversion and idolatry. So the story of Sodom stands as an important warning to us: we must not tolerate any sin. Let us examine our lives to see if we have become permissive of any sinful behaviours or attitudes that can become spiritual stumbling blocks. If so, let us turn to God in repentance.