Genesis Ch19v1-38 - Righteous Lot?

turn to Genesis chapter 19, where we'll be doing our study from. Thank you.

Genesis 19 · chapter mention

It's lovely to be with you again as we turn to God's Word.

And I have to thank Johnny for leaving this chapter to me. That's very nice of you, Jonathan.

I'll use that name. I know your mother uses that when she's not pleased with you.

So thank you, Jonathan, for the opportunity to look at this this morning.

I just put the title on it, Righteous Lot, with a question mark.

The New Testament calls Lot righteous Lot.

And really, when we read the chapter in front of us, you really ask, really, righteous Lot.

And it's easy to sit in judgment on someone else, another believer in another time and another culture,

and how that culture infects them and their thinking and their behavior,

without at the same time realizing how much our culture pervades our lives and our thinking.

And even as we read this chapter, you might find yourself responding to it in ways

that reveal just how much our culture has infected us and our thinking and our responses to God's Word.

So let's be aware of that as we hear God's Word this morning and as we read it together.

It's the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

A very somber story.

But we trust at the same time that it is written for our instruction and for our good,

that we might learn more about who God is and we might put greater trust in his Son.

So let's read Genesis 19 together.

It follows on just after Abraham has prayed for the city of Sodom,

where God has revealed to him that the destruction is coming.

And then we read,

The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening,

and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.

When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

My lords, he said, please turn aside to your servant's house.

You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.

No, they answered, we will spend the night in the square.

But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.

He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom,

both young and old, surrounded the house.

They called to Lot,

Where are the men who came to you tonight?

Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said,

No, my friends, don't do this wicked thing.

Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man.

Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them.

But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.

Get out of our way, they replied.

This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge.

We'll treat you worse than them.

They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door.

Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness,

so that they could not find the door.

The two men said to Lot,

Do you have anyone else here, sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?

Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place.

The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters.

He said, Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city.

But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying,

Hurry, take your wife and your two daughters who are here,

or you will be swept away when the city is punished.

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters,

and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.

As soon as they brought them out, one of them said,

Flee for your lives, don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain.

Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away.

But Lot said to them,

No, my lords, please, your servant has found favour in your eyes,

and you have shown great kindness to me in spurring my life.

But I can't flee to the mountains.

This disaster will overtake me, and I'll die.

Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small.

Let me flee to it.

It's very small, isn't it?

Then my life will be spared.

He said to him,

Very well, I will grant this request too.

I will not overthrow the town you speak of, but flee there quickly,

because I cannot do anything until you reach it.

This is why the town was called Zoar.

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah

from the Lord out of the heavens.

Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain,

destroying all those living in the cities,

and also the vegetation in the land.

But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Early the next morning, Abram got up and returned to the place

where he had stood before the Lord.

He looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah,

toward all the land of the plain,

and he saw dense smoke rising from the land,

like smoke from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain,

he remembered Abraham,

and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe

that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar

and settled in the mountains,

for he was afraid to stay in Zoar.

He and his two daughters lived in a cave.

One day the older daughter said to the younger,

Our father is old,

and there is no man around here to give us children,

as is the custom all over the earth.

Let's get our father to drink wine,

and then sleep with him,

and preserve our family line through our father.

That night they got their father to drink wine,

and the older daughter went in and slept with him.

He was not aware of it when she lay down,

or when she got up.

The next day the older daughter said to the younger,

Last night I slept with my father.

Let's get him to drink wine again tonight,

and you go in and sleep with him,

so that we can preserve our family line through our father.

So they got their father to drink wine that night also,

and the younger daughter went in and slept with him.

Again, he was not aware of it when she lay down,

or when she got up.

So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

The older daughter had a son,

and she named him Moab.

He is the father of the Moabites of today.

The younger daughter also had a son,

and she named him Ben-Ami.

He is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Now we're going to end the reading there,

and somehow we're going to work our way through that together.

In recent years there's been much talk,

haven't there, about our carbon footprints,

the effects which the energy that we use

has upon the world in which we live.

And when you purchase certain products or services,

you can pay a little extra

to offset your carbon footprint,

and perhaps your ecological conscience.

There's little interest, however,

in what we might call our moral footprint,

the effects of the moral choices that we make in life.

But we need to make no mistake

that our moral choices have an effect upon those

who come after us.

The wickedness that we see in the city of Sodom

didn't just happen overnight.

It's the result of the moral footprint of previous generations

who've had a disregard of God's commands,

a disregard for human dignity,

and a selfish pursuit of personal pleasure.

What we see in Sodom is, first of all,

a complete disregard for God's commands,

and in particular in the area of sexuality.

Now, Sodom was obviously a place

that celebrated unrestrained sexual freedom.

Look at the crowd who gather outside Lot's house.

There described all the men

from every part of the city of Sodom,

both young and old.

There was no part of society

which was untouched by this unrestrained sexual freedom.

And many of these men that we read of here

had their own wives and children.

It's a picture of a society

that has completely thrown off the commands of God.

Now, we live in a part of the world

that other cultures in the world despise

for that very reason,

because of its immorality.

There are many people in the world

who reject Christianity

not because of our beliefs,

but because they associate Christianity

with the sexual immorality

of the Western world.

They look on at these so-called Christian countries

and are horrified

at the immorality that they see.

Now, if we're truly Christians,

we need to reject all expressions

of sexual immorality.

All expressions of sexual immorality.

Christians are often presented as people,

aren't we,

who are fixated with homosexuality

as though that were the only thing

that concerned us.

But the truth is

that we're also concerned

about a whole host of other

unrestrained sexual freedoms.

whether it's extramarital affairs

that people are celebrated for pursuing

and being brave enough to pursue,

whether it's rebounding polygamy

as a throuple,

or whether it's just simply accepting

that premarital sex

is the norm to be pursued.

As true Christians and followers of Jesus,

we need to see all of these

as a disregard of the commands of God

and call one another to live

by a different standard

from the world around us.

You see, sin is always,

above everything else,

a rebellion against the God

who made us for himself.

God's word teaches us

that the place for sexual relationships

is within the confines

of a lifelong marriage

between a man and a woman,

and when we choose to pursue

anything other than that,

we are rebelling against

the God who made us.

We're simply telling him

that we know better

and that we will pursue our desires

irrespective of his commands.

But the wickedness of Sodom

goes way beyond disregard

for God's laws

in the area of sexuality.

And rebellion against God

always results

in a lack of love and concern

for others.

And what we see in Sodom

is a complete disregard

for human dignity.

You see, the sin of Sodom

isn't only sexual sin,

it is violent sexual sin.

These men that gather

outside Lot's house

don't care about these men

that Lot has invited

into his house.

These men are simply

the objects of their lusts.

They will take these men

by force.

You see, a disregard

for God's laws

always results

in a disregard

for human dignity.

And we can see

the effects of this

even in Lot himself.

He treats his daughters,

his young daughters,

as objects

with which

he can barter,

offering them

to the men outside

if they will only

leave his guests alone.

You see, most sexual sins

are not only

a disregard

of God's law,

but a complete disregard

of human dignity.

Treating other people

as objects

to satisfy

our own desires.

Whether it's

prostitution,

pornography,

sexual abuse,

domestic abuse,

even what we conveniently

call casual sex,

all shows

a complete disregard

for human dignity.

Treating other people

as objects

to satisfy

our desires.

And the sad reality

that we have to face

is that that is where

all sin

leads.

a disregard

for God's commands

and a disregard

for human dignity

in the selfish

pursuit

of personal

pleasure.

The city of Sodom

reveals where

that pursuit

ends up

with such wickedness

that God

must bring

judgment

on this

city.

And what is true

of the city of Sodom

is true of

each one of us

as individual

people.

We can't

disregard

the commands

of God

and we can't

disregard

human dignity

in the pursuit

of our own

pleasure

and expect

that we will

escape

the judgment

of God.

Because God

is a holy

and just

God

who must

bring

judgment

on human

sin.

now when

Jesus was

on earth

he warned

of a

greater

sin

than that

of Sodom.

As he

sent his

disciples out

into towns

and villages

declaring

the arrival

of the

kingdom

of God

he warned

them

that while

some places

would welcome

them

in other

places

they would

be rejected.

And Jesus

said of those

towns

I tell you

the truth

it will be

more bearable

on that

day

that is

the day

of God's

judgment

for Sodom

than for

that town.

What could

be an even

greater sin

than that

of Sodom?

A greater

sin than

the selfish

pursuit

of personal

pleasure

without any

regard

for the

commands

of God

or for

human

dignity?

Well it

is the

rejection

of God's

Son

Jesus

it's the

rejection

of the

one who

came to

rescue us

from the

selfish

pursuit

of our

pleasure

it's the

rejection

of the

one who

came to

restore us

in the

image of

God

so that

we might

once again

love God

and love

other people

as we were

intended to

from the

very beginning

that is

the greater

sin than

the sin

of Sodom

and you

can be a

very moral

person

who is

disturbed by

the sin

that you

see in

the world

all around

you

but if you

are not

disturbed by

the sin

of your

own heart

so that

you see

your own

need of

Jesus

Jesus

warns you

that it

will be

more bearable

for Sodom

than for

you

on that

day of

God's

judgment

as God's

judgment

is announced

and the

destruction

of Sodom

foretold

we see a

number of

different

responses in

the chapter

don't we

there are

those who

simply laugh

at the

coming

judgment

those who

cling to

what will

be destroyed

and those

who are

rescued

by God's

mercy

first this

response of

Lot's

son-in-laws

who simply

think it's

all a

joke

they don't

take Lot's

warning

seriously

they're very

much a part

of the city

of Sodom

and they

are going

to share

Sodom's

fate

doesn't the

apostle Peter

warn of

those who

will simply

laugh at

any talk

of coming

judgment

in 2

Peter 3

he says

you must

understand

that in

the last

days

scoffers

will come

scoffing

following their

own desires

they will

say

where is

this

coming

he promised

ever since

our fathers

died

everything

goes on

as it

has

since the

beginning

of creation

any talk

of coming

judgment

is simply

something to

be laughed

at

and ridiculed

but Peter

warns then

that people

have to

forget

God's

judgments

in the

past

you have

to ignore

the flood

in the

time of

Noah

you have

to ignore

the destruction

of the

city of

Sodom

and there

will always

be those

who laugh

at coming

judgment

and keep

following

their own

evil desires

and sadly

that was the

response of

Lot's

sons-in-law

and they

would face

the fate

of Sodom

but there

are also

those in

this story

who cling

to what

will be

destroyed

did you notice

Lot and

his wife

and his

children

they're

literally

dragged

out of

the city

by these

angels sent

to rescue

them

they

hesitate

and once

they're out

of the city

the angels

warn them

to flee

to the

mountains

and not

look back

but Lot

is still

reluctant

to go

he sees

another

nearby

town

and asks

if he

can go

there

instead

he finds

it so

hard

to pull

himself

away

from the

city

of Sodom

it's for

this reason

that Derek

Kidner

calls Lot

the righteous

man

without

the pilgrim

spirit

yes Lot

had a real

and living

faith in

the one

true God

yes Lot

was disturbed

by all the

sin that went

on around

him

and yet

he was

still

attracted

by what

had first

drawn him

to Sodom

in the

first place

in a lot

of ways

Sodom

had been

good for

Lot

he seems

to have

prospered

financially

he seems

to have

got to

a place

of recognition

and honour

in the

city

and now

that he's

got that

well it's

so hard

to pull

yourself

away

from it

to let

go

of what

will be

destroyed

can't we

too live

our lives

for what

will one

day be

destroyed

whether it's

financial

prosperity

the honour

of other

people

we can be

righteous

that is

right with

God

but without

a pilgrim

spirit

the knowledge

that this

is not

where we

belong

and that

we belong

somewhere

else

Lot's

wife

looks

back

and she

will become

a warning

to all

future

generations

Jesus

would simply

say remember

Lot's

wife

whoever

tries to

keep his

life

will lose

it

and whoever

loses

his life

will preserve

it

you see

she loved

this world

too much

and simply

was clinging

on to what

would be

destroyed

and if we

are living

our lives

only

for this

world

then we

too will

perish

with this

world

but there

were also

those in

this story

who are

rescued

by God's

mercy

and nothing

but God's

mercy

Lot and

his daughters

let's face it

they're not

model

believers

but they

did listen

to the

words of

the angels

regarding the

coming

judgment

and they

obeyed the

command

not to

look back

now they

couldn't take

any credit

for any

of that

it has

all been

of God's

mercy

he has

literally

dragged

them out

of the

city

but the

Lord had

remembered

the request

of Abram

and had

not destroyed

the righteous

with the

wicked

now there's

little from

Lot's

life that

many of

us would

call

righteous

but strangely

that's how

the New

Testament

refers to

him

in 2

Peter 2

and verses

7 and 8

Lot's

described as

a righteous

man

who is

distressed

by the

filthy

lives of

lawless

men

indeed

we're

told

that

this

righteous

man

living

among

them

day

after

day

was

tormented

in his

righteous

soul

by the

lawless

deeds

he saw

and heard

now just

in case

you didn't

believe it

it's repeated

three times

isn't it

Lot was

a righteous

man

he was a

believer

in the

one true

God

but he

had made

many foolish

choices

in life

he's not

being held

up to

us

as a

good

example

we're

not

being

encouraged

to rush

out and

buy his

new

best

selling

book

how to

get the

most out

of this

world

and still

be saved

from

destruction

that's

what some

of us

want

isn't

it

how can

I run

around

with the

friends

who party

and get

drunk

and sleep

around

and still

be saved

from God's

judgment

how can

I be

rich

and honoured

and people

look on me

well

and still

get through

this world

without facing

God's

judgment

as though

we can

have the

best of

both worlds

well that's

not what

Lot would

be encouraging

his book

would more

likely be

called

rescued

from a

life

that was

wasted

I'm sure

it wouldn't

sell as

many copies

but are

probably worth

more reading

destruction

did come

upon

Sodom

and the

remains of

Sodom

would be a

continual

reminder

of what

happens to

those who

live in

rebellion

against God

but when

I talk

about the

remains

of Sodom

I'm not

just talking

about the

ashes that

are left

on the

ground

after its

destruction

they were

also in

the hearts

of those

who had

been rescued

from Sodom

we have a

saying

I'm sure

you've heard

it that you

can take

the boy

out of the

street

but you

can't

take the

street

out of

the boy

well we

see a

very similar

thing here

in the

lives of

Lot's

daughters

you can

take the

girls out

of Sodom

but it's

much harder

to take

Sodom

out of

the girls

you see

Lot's

daughters

had grown

up surrounded

by the

immorality

of the

city of

Sodom

and in

the rest

of the

story we

see the

profound

impact

that Sodom

had had

upon them

Lot and

his daughters

abandoned

Zoar and

they choose

to live

alone in

the mountains

time is

ticking by

and the

daughters are

presented with

a problem

their father's

getting old

they have no

husbands

there's no

prospect of

children

they need to

preserve the

family line

and they hatch

a plan that

reveals the

effect that

Sodom has

had upon

them

they plan to

get their

father drunk

so that the

eldest daughter

can sleep

with him

in the hope

of becoming

pregnant

the next night

they repeat

the same thing

again with

the younger

daughter

you see the

remains of

Sodom can

be seen in

the hearts

of Lot's

daughters

they have no

thought of

God's commands

they have no

thought of

their father's

dignity

their only

thought is

the selfish

pursuit of

their own

desires

Sodom is

alive and

well in

the hearts

of Lot's

daughters

others

Jesus warned

that it is

from the

heart that

all kinds

of evil

come

when we

fail to

love God

and love

others as

we were

made to

do

we set

our hearts

upon the

selfish

pursuit of

our own

desires

others

and the

beginning of

the

Christian

life is

realizing

that I

don't love

God

and I

don't love

others

and that I

need my

heart to be

changed

if I'm ever

going to

it's the

very reason

that Jesus

came

to rescue

us from

the desires

of our

own hearts

and where

they ultimately

lead

so that we

might once

again love

the God

who made

us

and love

others

as we

should

the remains

of Sodom

however

stretch much

further

than the

hearts of

Lot's

daughters

at the end

of the

chapter

were pointed

to the

history of

Lot's

descendants

the Moabites

and the

Ammonites

if you're

to follow

on the

story a

little bit

further

what you'll

discover

is that

the Moabites

would later

lead the

Israelites

into sexual

sin and

the worship

of Baal

the Ammonites

would refuse

to allow

Israel to

pass through

their land

when they

were trying

to escape

from Egypt

the descendants

of Lot

would continually

trouble the

descendants

of Abraham

the remains

of Sodom

lived on

long after

the city

had been

destroyed

yes Lot

may have

been a

righteous

man

one who

believed

in the

one true

God

and was

rescued

from the

destruction

of Sodom

but we're

not meant

to ignore

the consequences

of Lot's

choices

what I

called at

the beginning

his moral

footprints

and they're

here as a

warning

for us

the sinful

choices

that we

make

have a

lasting

impact

in the

lives

first of

all of

our

children

and then

in the

generations

that are

to come

and there

is no

amount of

money that

you can

pay

to offset

your moral

footprints

so what

kind of

footprints

are you

leaving

behind

in contrast

to Sodom

and to

Lot

Abraham

was leaving

a legacy

of faith

of one

who simply

believed

God's

promise

who left

everything

trusting God

with his

future

and though

Abraham was

not without

his feelings

he is held

up to us

as a man

of faith

as an

example

worth

following

let us

pray

that God

might grant

us grace

to be the

same

let's pray

together

father we

know how

easy it

is to

sit in

judgment

as we

look on

at the

lives of

others

and even

as we

read the

life of

another

from a

completely

different

time

and a

completely

different

culture

and I

pray that

rather than

doing that

you would

help us

to turn

our eyes

towards

ourselves

and our

own

hearts

to

recognize

the

deceitfulness

of sin

in our

own

lives

to

recognize

the ways

in which

we have

shown

a

disregard

to your

commands

and a

disregard

to the

dignity

of other

individuals

and may

that cause

us to

turn

from the

selfish

pursuit

of our

own

desires

may it

cause us

to see

that we

are people

in need

of

rescue

and that

that

rescue

cannot be

found in

something that

we do

or something

that we

pay

but is

found only

in your

son

who would

give

himself

to pay

the price

that would

deal with

our sin

forever

father

father we

thank you

for the

joy of

knowing

sins

forgiven

but we

pray that

you would

help us

to grasp

something

of the

reality

of the

consequences

of our

sinful

choices

and may

that caution

us as to

how we

live our

lives

protect us

from being

people who

scoff at the

thought of a

coming judgment

protect us

from clinging

on to things

that will one

day be

destroyed

but rather

may we

be people

who

rejoice in

the mercy

that is shown

to us in

Jesus

who has in

the same way

that the angels

grabbed Lot

and his

daughters and

took them out

of the city

grabbed us

and dragged

us out of

the kingdom

of darkness

and brought us

into the kingdom

of the son

you love

and we ask

this in

Jesus name

amen

now as we

close we're

going to stand

together and

sing our

closing song

and my hope

is built

on nothing

less

new

to

to