Destruction of Sodom – Genesis 19:23-38

Jesus said, “[28] Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, [29] but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—[30] so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. [31] On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. [32] Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:28–32, ESV)  Walton makes a convincing case that Lot’s wife did not just turn around and look back at Sodom, but turned back to return to Sodom.  Jesus seems to imply this (don’t “turn back”).  Walton imagines this conversation with Lot’s wife: “You’re a fool, Lot, and I refuse to go one step further! I’m going home. I’ll see you in a day or two or whenever you come to your senses!”

[23] The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. [24] Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. [25] And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. [26] But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

[27] And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. [28] And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

[29] So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

[30] Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. [31] And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. [32] Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” [33] So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

[34] The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” [35] So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. [36] Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. [37] The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. [38] The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day. (Genesis 19:23–38, ESV)

The most stunning statement in this passage is “Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of heaven.”  Yahweh, who has been talking to Abraham and has sent two angels to Sodom to rescue Lot, stands looking over the cities of the plain and rains sulfur and fire from the Yahweh who is in heaven.  This is more confirmation that there is a Yahweh who appears to humans on earth (like in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3) and a Yahweh who resides in heaven (see Appendix 3).  Both are equally God, yet distinct persons, as our doctrine of the Trinity predicts.  This indicates that Yahweh is not as much a personal name for the true God but rather a description of the true God uniquely revealed to God’s people.

Lot’s wife is even more habituated to Sodom than Lot.  It costs her her life.  We see the justice of God in action, destroying the wicked, and the mercy of God in action, rescuing those who are not wicked.

Abraham sees evidence of the destruction of the cities of the plain when he sees the rising smoke.  Did God tell Abraham that He rescued Lot?  Or does he find out later?

There is a strange thing that happens next.  Lot’s daughters fear there is no one to marry now, and they strongly desire that his seed be preserved, in fact, think it is their duty to preserve it.  But they choose to do so by sleeping with their father while he is drunk.  Lot bears no responsibility for this plan, but he undoubtedly learned what had happened after his daughters both turn up pregnant.  Their offspring become the progenitors of the Moabites (whom Israel will not initially war with when they come near Canaan, but will when the Moabite women lead the men astray; and from whom Ruth the ancestor of David comes) and the Ammonites (whom Israel was also not to war with as they approached Canaan, because they were relatives, and, presumably, because their iniquity was not yet full).

We must be careful not to become friends with the world (1 John 2:15-17)  and to keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).