Abraham & Sodom: The Mercy of God

1. Abraham & Sodom: The Mercy of God Genesis 18-19

2. Abraham sends them off (18:16) • He doesn’t know they are headed to destroy Sodom • Angels discuss, then decide to tell Abraham about Sodom Abraham is “the friend of God” (James 2:23; 2 Chr 20:7) and friends let each other know what they are doing (Jn 15:15)

3. Angels investigate firsthand • Went to Sodom to find out for themselves • “Outcry against Sodom” – who would have been crying out against Sodom? (Maybe Lot or his angel or Abraham) How did the men go toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord? (22)

4. The Sin of Sodom Ezekiel 16:49-50 49 "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 "And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.

5. Abraham finds out how merciful our God is • Abraham & Lot both had big families – their herdsman fought do to lack of space (Gen 13) • Abraham questions from 50 to 10 and probably stops because he is sure Lot must have at least 10 believers with him

6. Gen 19: Angels check out Sodom and rescue Lot • 2 angels came to Sodom • Lot was sitting in the gate • Lot imposes on them to spend the night in his house • Lot makes a meal for them (no mention of his wife – cp 18:6 for Sarah’s involvement) • The men of Sodom, young and old, surround Lot’s house and want the 2 strangers

7. Lot protects the strangers • Walks out and shuts the door behind him • Offers his 2 daughters to the men – maybe Lot thought his daughters belonged to Sodom • Lot feels responsible to protect the 2 strangers • Men of Sodom are tired of Lot’s involvement in their actions – acting like a judge

8. Angels to the Rescue • Pulled lot back into the house with their hands • Strike men of Sodom blind – trying to reach Lot’s family • Told Lot about their mission to destroy Sodom • Give Lot a chance to gather his family • Sons-in-law thought it was a joke • Lot’s wife didn’t really want to leave • Daughters came along because of Lot • Lot himself “lingered” until the morning • Angels urged Lot to hurry lest he be destroyed too

9. Decision Time! • Lot’s family had to decide: pleasures of sin for a season OR God’s family forever • God puts that choice before us too • Alcohol, sexual immorality, language, career, treatment of parents & children & spouse, unforgiving, proud, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God What’s your choice when you go home???

10. Our God is merciful • Agreed to spare the city for 10 righteous • Came to rescue Lot & his family • Angels went to Lot’s house at his insistence • Pulled Lot into the house • Gave Lot an opportunity to reach his family • Waited all night for Lot to get ready • Took Lot, his wife, his daughters by the hand to lead them out of Sodom (16) by God’s grace • Let Lot go to Zoar at his request Don’t presume on his mercy or take advantage of it

11. Escape for your life! • Angels didn’t do it all – they just brought Lot’s family out of the city • Told them not to look back • Don’t just stay in the plain – escape to the mountains (whole plain might be destroyed) • Lot is afraid of the mountains and requests safety in the little city Zoar – angels comply • Sun rises as Lot gets to Zoar – then Sodom is destroyed • Lot now knows they are angels and calls them “Yahweh” (v.18), but Sopherim changed it to Adoni as in 18:3,27,30,32 Zoar

12. Lot’s Wife looks back • No mention of her before Lot’s move to Sodom – she may have lived there • Started to leave, but had too many connections she cared about in Sodom • Salt is a preservative – maybe God tried to preserve his wife’s error in Lot’s family And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb 11:15-16)

13. Leave this world’s evil & don’t look back! • We lose our focus moving forward when we look back • Looking back indicates where our heart really is • Members of God’s family really do hate the evil of this world and will rejoice when it is destroyed • We can’t help save others when we are looking back ourselves

14. God Remembered Abraham • Abraham looked early in the morning • God sent Lot out of Sodom for Abraham’s sake! • Maybe Abraham had been praying that God would somehow save Lot

15. Lot retreats to a cave • Afraid to live in Zoar after the destruction of Sodom and loosing his wife • Decided isolation was the best thing now • Lot is probably depressed • His daughters learned how to get pregnant in Sodom • Moabites & Ammonites constantly bothered Abraham’s descendents through history

16. Consequences of Lot’s choices • Lot was a righteous man, bothered by the sins of Sodom (2 Peter 2:7-8) • Lot became cut off from Abraham (spiritual leader) • Lot probably married a woman of Sodom • Lot lost all his herdsman and his family, but God can still save him • Lot’s descendents bothered God’s people What kind of choices will you make during the next year? Are the pleasures of this world really worth the cost?