GENESIS CHAPTER 19 ------------------ Verse 1, The two angels that had continued on toward Sodom after leaving where Abraham was, while the Lord stayed on and talked with Abraham. "Lot sat in the gate of Sodom" - Either held a position or just sat there to greet any visitors and invite them into his house. Compare: Dt 21:19-21 for positional: "the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place." Gill thinks that he sat there to observe strangers and invite them into his house that they might not fall into the hands of the wicked Sodomites. "and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground." -- not in a religious manner but in a civil manner as was the custom. As yet he did not know who they were. Verses 2-3, he pressed them to come into his house, knowing the wickedness of the men of Sodom. The street would be the last place that they should dwell, as far as Lot was concerned, not knowing their power; so Lot pressed them greatly. Verse 4, According to Gill the city was really five cities, Sodom being one of them; so we read, "the men of the city, [even] the men of Sodom." Homosexual men, young and old, from every quarter, surrounded the house, knowing that strangers, men, were there with Lot. Verse 5, We see their homosexual intentions. They wanted to know these men in a sexual way, for Lot calls it wickedness in verse 7 and offers them his daughters who are virgins, in verse 8. Verses 6-9, Lot goes out to them and tries to reason with them and offers his daughters to them that they may know them in place of these men. The fact that Lot offered to them his daughters, shows that Lot viewed the act of homosexuality as wickedness more so than just fornication outside the bonds of marriage. In verse 7, Lot calls the men of Sodom, "brethren," which shows that he is entangled with the world. In verse 8, Lot tells them that they came under his roof that this would not happen, Lot not knowing that these were angels who could smite these men at will. "only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof." In verse 9, the men of Sodom respond, who is this stranger to judge our actions; if you don't get out of the way then we will do more to you than we will to them. Verses 10-11, The angels pull Lot back into the house and smote the homosexuals with blindness, and yet they still tried to find the door until they wearied (became impatient). Verses 12-13, The angels inform Lot that they will destroy the city for the wickedness of the city at the command of the LORD. Lot lived there, but he knew that it was a wicked place, so he believed them. 1Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: The angels tell Lot to get all of his daughters and son-in-laws for they will destroy the city. Verse 14, Lot has two daughters that are married, besides the two daughters that had not known a man and who lived with him in his house. He went to them and their husbands, but they would not hear him. Verse 15, In the morning Lot must have been slow, not realizing the urgency of the matter. The destruction would come at the appointed time. 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." Verse 16, Lot LINGERED, but the LORD was merciful, and the angels LAID HOLD on them and BROUGHT them out and SET them outside the city. This is the GRACE of God! Ex 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this [place]: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. Verse 17, Gill says that the one speaking here is Jehovah, the Son of God. The two angels had brought Lot out into the plains of Sodom to where the LORD was and they had returned to destroy Sodom. But in the next verse we see that Lot speaks to "THEM" which at least means that he thought more than one was there. It seems to me that the two angels were still present and that it was probably the LORD that was speaking to Lot. The LORD tells Lot to make haste and flee to the mountain, for the plain where he was at would be destroyed (see vs 28-29). If Lot stayed where he was at he would be consumed, however the LORD would not destroy the city while Lot was still there, (see vs 22). He also commanded them not to look back. Verses 18-20, Lot asks the LORD if he can flee to a small city. Lot is afraid of the mountain. He likes dwelling in cities, and this Zoar is a small city (not as much corruption, perhaps, is what Lot is thinking.) Verse 19 shows Lot's lack of faith in that the Lord could protect him in the mountain. Lot had walked in the city too long. In verse 30 we see that Lot did go up into the mountain and dwelt in a cave. Verse 21, See = behold, lo, see, if The LORD confirms that he will not destroy the city of which Lot is speaking. Verse 22, The LORD will not destroy Sodom until Lot is in a place of safety. Zoar = "insignificance" 1) a city at the southeast end of the Dead Sea grouped with Sodom and Gomorrah as being one of the 5 cities slated for destruction by God; spared at Lot's plea as his place of refuge. Verses 24-25, The Lord destroys the cities of the plain, of which Sodom and Gomorrah were a part of. Even the plant life was destroyed and burned up. This was a righteous judgement against unnatural acts of sexual perversion. Sodom = "burning" Gomorrah = "submersion" brimstone = gophriyth {gof-reeth'} "Fire and brimstone" - the lake of fire is spoken of as such. Re 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Verse 26, Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. READ Luke 17:26-37 Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Verses 27-28, Abraham observes the destruction of the cities of the plain from the place where he had spoken to the LORD. "The smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." Verse 29, This verse shows that Lot was on Abraham's mind when he was interceding in the previous chapter, and the LORD delivered Lot out of the city before He destroyed it. Verse 30, Lot ends up where the LORD had told him to go in the first place. Perhaps after observing the severity of the destruction and also the life style of those in Zoar, which was kin to Sodom and Gomorrah, he thought it best to "head for the hills." He dwelt in a cave with his two daughters, who were all that he had left, since his wife was turned into a pillar of salt. Verse 31, "Our father [is] old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:" Perhaps they thought Zoar was now destroyed and all the inhabitants of the earth with them, and that they were the only ones left on the face of the earth. They knew that the LORD had promised not to destroy the world again by water, but by fire, and perhaps they thought that this was what had happened. This destruction must have been so violent and complete that they thought all life had been destroyed. Verse 32-35, The two daughters, led by the oldest, plot to get their father drunk and lay with him so that they might conceive and preserve his seed. They may not have done this out of impure minds, because they were virgins as Lot had told the men of Sodom in verse 8 ("I have two daughters which have not known man."); but, rather out of what they perceived as necessity, thinking that all mankind had been destroyed. Their ignorance however was due to the fact that they had not been walking with God but had been in Sodom, therefore they knew nothing of God's will nor His plans, nor his power. This is similar to what Abraham did with Hagar, but much lower since it was incestuous and deceitful. Gill points out that "Ruth, the Moabitess, who was of the race of the eldest daughter of Lot, stands in the genealogy of our Lord: however, let the intention be ever so good, it will not justify an action so monstrously vile." "And he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose." - Gill says that he did not know when she came in nor when she left, being asleep because of his drunkenness, but upon finding a woman in his bed perhaps believed it to be his wife, forgetting in his drunken state that she was turned to a pillar of salt. Verse 36, Both daughters conceived and were with child by their father. This is just about the last mention of Lot in the scriptures. The New Testament mentions him again, but that's about it. Verse 37, The eldest daughter bore Moab who is the father of the Moabites. Moab = "of his father" De 2:9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land [for] a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot [for] a possession. {Distress...: or, Use no hostility against Moab} Verse 38, The youngest daughter bore Benammi, the father of the Ammonites. Ben-ami = "son of my people" Ammon = "tribal" 1) a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi. De 2:19 And [when] thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon [any] possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot [for] a possession. COMPARE: Ps 83:1-18, Notice verse 6, 7 and 8. The descendents of Lot become the enemies of God's people. 1Ki 11:1-7 - we see the children of Lot worshiping false gods. 1) He had no influence on his sons-in-laws in warning them about the destruction, so that they and his daughters that were married to them perished with the homosexuals in the flames and destruction of Sodom. 2) The angels had to drag he and his family out of Sodom. 3) His daughters were able to intoxicate him to the point that he did not realize what he was doing. 4) He was striped of everything that he had gained in Sodom and had lost his wife, whose heart remained toward Sodom. He had so little influence on his wife that she heeded not the warnings of the angels, about looking back. 5) Lot had so little influence on his offspring that their end is as the heathen that were destroyed in Sodom. The lesson: Is there such a thing as a "carnal Christian?" Well, Lot would be the closest example to one. He was a "just" man, because the Bible tells us that (2Pe 2:7), but his life was a testimony of failure (spiritually). There is no more mention of him in the Old Testament other than his descendants. He probably died in a sad state. The only other place in the New Testament that he is mentioned is by Jesus in Luke 17:28-32 when Christ speaks about the days of Lot being like the end times. Another lesson for those who are lost: It might be thought that you are not as bad as those in Sodom, though our nation has condoned Sodomy to some extent, but listen to the words of Jesus. Mat 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Jesus had not preached to the Sodomites, nor sent a preacher to warn them. The had no Word of God in their homes to leave on the coffee table.