Flee The Wrath That Is To Come (Genesis 19:1-22)
Sodom and Gomorrah are remembered in history for a purpose. That purpose is revealed to us throughout the pages of Scripture. Those places were turned into a smoldering ash heap to testify to something immense: God’s wrath.
I am going to read from the Scriptures concerning Sodom and Gomorrah. These are by no means all that the Scriptures say about Sodom and Gomorrah or about God’s wrath exhibited upon Sodom and Gomorrah. But these help us to see a clear picture. Sodom and Gomorrah stand as a testimony from the past about something that God will do again, He will pour out His wrath upon sinful humanity.
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;” (2 Peter 2:4-6 ESV)
“Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:15-16 ESV)
“As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities were overthrown, says the LORD, no man shall dwell there, no man shall sojourn in her.” (Jeremiah 49:18 ESV)
“For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.” (Lamentations 4:6 ESV)
“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot–they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all–so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30 ESV)
Sodom and Gomorrah speak to us today. And they are telling us of a truth that people don’t want to hear today.
God created the world and all things in it. He tells all creatures, humans included, where to be and how to live. He sets the boundaries of life. He made men, men. He made women, women. He told us how we are to behave. He told us how we are to treat one another. And He told us about human sexuality and gave us boundaries that we are to walk in.
And when we disregard God’s command, we incur God’s judgment. And we find the reasons for God’s Judgment falling on Sodom and Gomorrah in both Ezekiel and Jude.
“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50 ESV)
“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day– just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:6-7 ESV)
Rebelliousness does not stay put. It’s not generally something that stays boxed in to one segment of society. A sexually rebellious nation is probably one that is rebellious in other areas. And that is what was seen in Sodom and Gomorrah. As I’ve tried to state repeatedly over the past few weeks, it’s what we see in America as well.
Criminal activity of most types is on the rise today in America. Everything from shoplifting to wage theft is reported to be on the rise in right now. Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry. Every indication is that people are avoiding marriage altogether, choosing to fornicate rather than make a commitment to each other. And the Sodomy and Other Perversions Pride Parades are an indication that Americans have embraced wickedness that God calls an abomination (Leviticus 20:13).
It’s hard to imagine what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah that is not fully embraced by Americans today. Really, it’s hard not to see Ezekiel 16:49-50 and Jude 1:6-7 as describing life in our society. And I fully believe that God has withdrawn His gracious restraints from this society and is allowing the people of this country to chase after the lusts of their wicked hearts full throttle to its destruction (Romans 1:18-32).
And so, here is the main point of the sermon today. And it’s one that anyone living in our day and time should take to heart. Flee the wrath to come. Flee to Christ.
Flee The Wrath To Come (Genesis 19:1-22)
Genesis 19 opens with the two angels walking into Sodom. And here we find Lot seated at the city gate. There are other people there, but only Lot is mentioned. And the fact that Lot is mentioned tells us a lot.
The city gate was a place of prominence. Prominent men of a city would go to the city gate to have conversations that mattered to the city and to settle law disputes. A person had to have that place of prominence in a city in order for them to have a place at the city gate. And apparently Lot had just that (Genesis 19:1). So, even in our first verse of chapter 19, we find that Lot had made a name for himself in Sodom. Somehow, he had garnered a good deal of prominence in the city.
We also get a picture of Lot’s righteousness at the beginning of this chapter. He showed great hospitality to the two angels (Genesis 19:2-3). This should remind us of the hospitality hat Abraham showed in Genesis 18. At first the two refused, but Lot pressed them strongly. He spent some effort persuading them to come to his home.
Now, it should be assumed that Lot “pressed them strongly”, or tried to convince them with as much force as he could muster because he knew the wickedness of the town. Lot knew Sodom’s condition and knew that a person should not linger long in Sodom, especially after dark.
I was on a mission trip in Mexico as an intern. One of the ladies who interned with me did some photography and she had an incredibly nice camera. We had gone into a town to do some work and come back to the church for dinner and eventually sleep. She realized that she had left her camera almost an hour away and panicked. The church we stayed at was about a 10-hour drive south of the Mexican border in a town called Tanque De Dolores. She had left her camera almost an hour away in a crime ridden area. They had to do a lot of pleading but convinced her to wait until morning. They knew how bad the place was and did everything they could to convince her to stay put until morning. This feels a lot like that.
So, we must understand that the hospitality that Lot showed, at least thus far, is exemplary. It is very much like Abraham’s hospitality in Genesis 18, for Lot didn’t just feed them and give them a place to be for the night. Lot gave them a feast (Genesis 19:3). But then things get very dangerous, very strange, and very sinister.
All the men of the city surrounded the house, “both young and old” (Genesis 19:4). Young and old is pointed out in this text to show us how pervasive the perversity of the city was. Normally you will find the older people of a location to be left out of the trouble making. When young and old alike are the rabble rousers, then you know there is an intense problem. And that is what happened here.
And the crowd called out wanting to see the two visitors, because they wanted to “know” them. Some argue that we can’t know exactly what the word “know” means. But this was oftentimes the way Scripture portrayed sexual activity. Adam knew Even and they had a child (Genesis 4:1). Oftentimes Scripture calls virgin women, those who have not known a man (Numbers 31:17, Numbers 31:35). We know that this was a common way of designating sexual activity in the Old Testament. But does it mean that here? It seems fairly obvious that it does. And the reason I say this is that Lot’s response wasn’t, “Sure, you can have a conversation with them. I don’t see the problem with that.” His response was,
“I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” (Genesis 19:7-8 ESV)
He understood that the people desired to have intercourse with these men, and that probably meant rape. Therefore, Lot was not willing to give them up to the crowd outside his home.
Now, in protecting these men Lot did something incredibly perverse. He offered up his daughters. We must note that there was a sacred obligation in this culture to protect a guest. That was part of being hospitable. So, Lot’s desire to protect his guests was good. But his offer to give them his daughters was perverse. And it likely reveals the extent that this righteous man, living in Sodom has been twisted by the sinfulness that surrounds him.
And this response agitated the wicked mob outside. As is often the case today, the people would not hear of it. They would not hear of their behavior being called wicked (Genesis 19:7). They had lusts that they wanted to fulfill and they were appalled that anyone would judge their behavior wicked (Genesis 19:9).
How often have we seen this today? The only Bible verse that a lot of unbelievers know is “judge not lest ye be judged” which is a bungling misunderstanding of Matthew 7:1. We oftentimes hear people say, “Who are you to judge me?” Or, “what business do you have telling me what I should do in the privacy of my own bedroom?” Or, “my body my choice.” Or, “you don’t know what it’s like being in my shoes, you can’t judge me.” And rather than listen to Christians, they are called bigots.
This attitude of Sodom is the very same attitude that pervades our society today concerning sin. Rather than freedom to live righteously in our society, the people fight for the freedom to fulfill whatever lust their heart desires. And they want to do so without the judgment of the Lord hanging over their head.
And of course, like today, rather than giving any thought to righteousness, the wicked press and press and press (Genesis 19:9).
What right have LGBTQ+ activists not received from the hand of our government? Why are they still so angry at everyone? Why are they still foaming at the mouth? In part, it’s because they want you to approve of their sinful attitudes, actions, and behaviors. They will not rest until every dissenter embraces them. They will not rest until every church flies the LGBTQ+ flag. And the longer it takes for that to happen, the more mob like and crazy things become.
As the wicked pressed and pressed, God brought rescue and judgment. God rescued Lot through those he thought were just men (Genesis 19:10). Those angels rescued Lot by dragging him into the house. And God judged the people of Sodom to be morally blind and struck them with physical blindness (Genesis 19:11). These people, who were obviously unable to see right from wrong, were now struck with physical blindness to match.
Even though I would say that a lot of people in our society can still see, at least to some extent. There is a real sense in which we are fast approaching this sort of blindness. And it is a fearful thing. It is a sign of God’s Wrath of Abandonment upon our land. And it is something that we must take incredibly seriously.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:18-32 ESV)
Like Sodom, our society is wearing itself out in seeking after the fulfillment of the lusts of the flesh. Our society is morally blind and it shows as we see the participation of and approving of all manner of wickedness. And though blind, weakened, and dying our society continues to grope after fulfilling those lusts.
Our society is destroying itself as we speak. The family is being destroyed throughout our society and no one seems to notice or care. And what does our society do? In our public library, the kids are making flags in celebration of the sodomite and other perversions month. Drag Queen Story Hours are taking place all over the country, one at least was in a Gay Bar. And parents are taking their children to these events. By every measure, our society is destroying itself.
The men of Sodom sought the lusts of their flesh, it was about to destroy them. They were struck blind and continued to grope at the door. Well, this is happening in our society as we speak.
God had abandoned them to the lusts of their flesh. They were struck blind but still groping in the darkness. And God’s fury was about to fall upon Sodom and the surrounding cities.
Lot was commanded to flee the wrath of God. He was to get himself and his family out of this place (Genesis 19:12). The sins of Sodom had piled so high that judgment could no longer wait (Genesis 19:13). It was time. This is similar to the idea found in Genesis 15:16. Abraham’s offspring would not take the Promised Land for 400 years because “the sins of the Amorites” were not yet complete. God was waiting for the time when His ax of judgment would fall upon those people. Well, in Sodom, God had already done the waiting and it was time for judgment to fall upon Sodom and the surrounding cities.
Now, scary things begin to happen within the family. Lot’s future son-in-laws were blind to the horrors that surrounded them. They were also blind to the impending judgment of God upon the cities. So, when Lot told them to flee and what would take place, they thought he was joking (Genesis 19:14).
Here again we find similarities to today. Parents look around at our society, take their children to a strip club and then mock Christians who proclaim God’s Word amid this chaos. They mock the idea of God’s judgment upon such activities.
It seems that the hesitancy of the rest of the family caused Lot to hesitate as well. He lingered. And it seemed that he was not going to go anywhere. But God rescued him in an incredible act of mercy (Genesis 19:16). He and his family were drug out of the city and commanded to leave again (Genesis 19:17).
One would think that this dramatic dragging out of the city would cause Lot to have a little more regard for the situation. But he does not seem to. He didn’t just follow the Lord’s command. He asked to go to a different city. He asked to go somewhere as similar to Sodom as he could, somewhere Sodom-lite (Genesis 19:19-20). But his request was granted and the he went to a nearby city called Zoar.
The parallels for us to consider are really too great to cover in expansive detail, but I hope that you feel the similarities. I hope that you feel the wickedness that pervades our society. And I also hope that you see the societal blindness. It is my earnest hope that this goes a long way in explaining the world that you see all around you.
When you understand the parallels, then you understand how the command would apply to us in our day. We are not in a situation where you can just flee and escape. To where would you run that is not influenced in this way?
This means that our fleeing will not look like the fleeing that Lot was commanded to do. But we will flee nonetheless. In our homes, we will flee from wickedness. As much as is possible, we will keep the wickedness of the world at a distance from our home. We must not allow our homes to be infiltrated by the ways of the world.
We must not allow our families to be entertained by the wickedness of this world. One of the things that is often used to raise awareness or acceptance of sinful lifestyles is movies and television. It is well known today that the TV Show “Will and Grace” went a long way in normalizing homosexuality and other shows have done this as well.[1] We ought not normalize sin and rebellion in our homes. If that means that one day we will all have to get rid of our television sets then so be it. We must take sin seriously and flee.
We must flee from this society’s understanding of human sexuality. We are created beings who owe our existence to the Lord. And because of that it is the Lord who tells us how we are to live. And we must flee from this society’s understanding into the Word of God.
Because it is June, I begin here, but there are many other areas that we must flee from. The teachings of the LGBTQ+ community are not all we must flee. We must flee from the ways of this world.
We must flee from a view of children that belittles them. We must understand the tremendous blessing they are and raise them as such.
We must flee from androgenous views of men and women. Men have a role to play in society. Women have a role to play in society. And the two play different roles in society.
We must flee from the idolatry of government and politics that was discussed last Sunday Night.
We must flee from anything that does not accord with God’s Word. And our society is filled with that. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be strong in God’s Word. We must know God’s Word. We must know His command. And we must have a resolve to live according to His Word.
Let us flee for our lives.
God is going to Judge the world. There is a sense in which God’s wrath of abandonment currently rests upon this country and this society. The blindness of the people to right and wrong make that fact quite plain. Is there more coming in the near future? Is there a massive judgment about to fall upon our country? We don’t know. But as Christians, we know that we don’t need to be messing around with that as a possibility.
In Sodom and Gomorrah, we see a picture of something that is to come. We see a picture of that great and final Judgment of the Lord that will one day fall upon the whole world.
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17 ESV)
Where are we to go? We are to flee to Christ.
Flee To Christ
We know that our place of refuge is Christ. One day Peter preached and said,
“So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”” (Acts 10:34-43 ESV)
In every nation, even one that is racked by rebellion, anyone who turns from ruling their own life and trusts the Savior will be forgiven of their sins. They will find peace with God through the finished work of Christ. There is only one refuge and that is in Christ. Fire was about to reign down upon Sodom and Lot was to leave. He was to go.
We understand that we can have peace with God through Christ and Christ alone. We understand that though the world around us seems to be taking the speed train to crazy town, there is peace with God through Christ.
Here is the teaching of the Scripture. Everyone everywhere is part of a fallen race. Adam’s behavior in the Garden made it so. And now we are all stained with the taint of sin. And because we are sinners, we sin. We live rebelliously against God. And all those who die in their sins, who die rebels against God will spend an eternity paying for their rebellion in a place called Hell. There they will bear God’s just and righteous punishment for their rebellion.
To where do we flee from God’s wrath. We flee to Christ. He has made peace with God for us. Christ died on the cross and paid the punishment for sin. And He rose from the dead. And so, everyone who “believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” (Acts 10:43 ESV)
Plead With Others To Flee (Genesis 19:15)
Lot was commanded to tell his household of the coming wrath of God and the salvation that would be found if they would flee with him.
We are commanded to make disciples and to tell others of the coming wrath of God and the salvation that will be found if they flee to Christ.
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Jude 20-23 ESV)
The judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah stands as a testimony to us of God’s wrath. And we know that we are the people of God, who are currently saving others by snatching them out of the fire.
I can’t help but think of the angels who drug Lot and his family out of the city before the wrath of God fell from on high. What a picture!
What are we doing when we share the gospel with our neighbors?
Are we not revealing to them the way out? Are we not attempting to show them the way into God’s Kingdom and rescue them from God’s wrath? And, if God opens blinded eyes, then they will come with us to Christ.
We are those that can look around and see that this society is under God’s Judgment. And so, we plead with others to flee the wrath to come. We deliver to people the message of God’s grace and mercy to a lost and dying world.
Conclusion
The Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah stand as a testimony to us of God’s Judgment. It is an event that really happened in history that stands as a testimony to God’s Judgment. As believers who live in this society, so racked with sin and rebellion, Sodom and Gomorrah stands as a warning of what may lie in our future. And so, we flee from sin and rebellion and flee to Christ who has achieved four us peace with God.
We also know that every person will be judged.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)
We all die. And after death comes the judgment. Those who die in their sins will face God’s Final Judgment and face an eternity where they pay for their own sins. But those who are resting in Christ, who have placed their faith in Him will be saved.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] https://www.npr.org/2012/05/12/152578740/how-tv-brought-gay-people-into-our-homes