Sodom and Gomorrah

And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 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. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? -- Genesis 18:20-23

Since we last left Abraham, he has had several major changes in his life. The first was his son Ishmael, who was born to Abraham and Sarah's handmaid, Hagar. The second was God's changing Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah. The third was the advent of circumcision. And the fourth was God's promise to Abraham at 100 years old and Sarah at 90 years old that they would have a son and call him Isaac.

Against this background of change and revelation, the Lord made the above comment to Abraham. Abraham's response revealed his understanding of both Whom he was addressing and the character of those residing in those cities. How many of us would have tried to defend Sodom and Gomorrah? (Come on, Lord, they're not all that bad.) Or perhaps would we have challenged how the Lord would respond? (But, Lord, you can't kill them!)

Perhaps it is inherent in our nature, but we have a tendency to not appreciate how horrible our sin is in God's sight. It is perhaps for this very reason that the Lord reminds us of this fact from time to time. He did it with the flood in Noah's day, and He was about to do it again at Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham's time. Of course, there would be many similar instances in the years following Abraham as well. We would do well not to confuse God's mercy, paid for with His own blood, with a supposed lapse of judgment. Sin has and will always offend the Holy One.

Abraham, by God's grace, appears to have understood this fact. His only request to the Lord was that He spare the righteous. This, of course, is the point of the record. The account of the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah is not so much about God's judgment as it is a revelation of His mercy. Just as in the days of Noah, God sent word to Lot of the impending doom. Lot tries to persuade others, but they simply do not believe. In the end only he and his immediate family believe and escape annihilation.

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....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. -- Genesis 19:14,15,24,25

Although there have been many sermons preached out of the above passage condemning homosexuality, that does not seem to be the emphasis in the scriptures. Certainly, the scriptures do define homosexuality as sin, but the bible no where indicates that God views it differently than any other sin. Genesis 18 & 19 does not even specify that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality. In Genesis 18:20 the Lord said, "...their sin is very grievous." Most likely homosexuality was one of many sins. Even a quick review of Genesis 19 reveals several other sins such as pride, oppression, lust, anger, and stubbornness. Of course, it has always been easier to condemn another's sin than face one's own.

But I digress. In the end we can be certain that although God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin, those there condemned themselves by not believing the word of God preached by Lot. Also, we can be sure that God is quite capable of delivering those who do believe Him. Certainly there are many questions regarding Lot's character, but this much can be said for him: when the angels came to him with God's word, he believed them; and the Lord counted him as righteous. Therefore I do not part with asking for your position on homosexuality or an assessment of your character but rather with the simple question, "Do you believe God's word?"