DESTRUCTION OF SODOM

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 1, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 35.

DESTRUCTION OF SODOM

Lesson XII.—Sabbath, Sept. 17, 1898.

DESTRUCTION OF SODOM.

Lesson Scripture, Gen. 19:1-29, R.V.

1 “And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 2 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 3 And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing; forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof. 4 And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge; now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door. 5 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 6 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 7 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city; bring them out of the place; 8 for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 9 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked. 10 And when the morning arose, then 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. 11 But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 12 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 13 And Lot said unto them, O, not so, my lord; behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I can not escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die; 14 behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one; O, let me escape thither (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 15 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. 16 Haste thee, escape thither; for I can not do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 17 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. 18 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; 19 and He overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 20 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 21 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. 22 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.”

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) Who came to Sodom in the evening? Where was Lot? How did Lot greet them? V. 1. Note 1. (2) By what six expressed thoughts did he show to those strangers his kindness, respect, and hospitality? What did they say which caused it to appear to Lot that they did not know the wickedness of the city? V. 2. (3) How did Lot then reveal his anxiety for them? What did the angels finally do? How did Lot further show his hospitality? V. 3. (4) How did the people of the city regard Lot’s reception of the strangers? Vs. 4, 5. Note 2. (5) How did Lot again show his courtesy to the angels and also to the wicked Sodomites? Vs. 6, 7. (6) What verses show the abounding wickedness in Sodom? (7) What did the angels now do for Lot? Vs. 10, 11. (8) What revelation did the angels now make to Lot? Vs. 12, 13. (9) When the Lord was with Abraham, did He know the exact condition of Sodom? V. 13. Show that the Lord knows all things. Why did He talk to Abraham as tho He might not know? What lesson

is there in this for us? (10) How did Lot that night appear to his sons-in-law? Were his married daughters saved? How earnest did the angels become in the morning? Why? Vs. 14, 15. (11) What bad example did Lot now set for his wife and children? How many did these angels then lead out? Why? V. 16. (12) What solemn admonition and warning were now given them? V. 17. (13) What person seems to have appeared at this point? What almost faithless prayer of trembling did Lot offer? Vs. 18-20. (14) Did the Lord answer this feeble petition? V. 21. (15) Why did the Lord demand haste? V. 22. (16) What time of day was it when Lot entered Zoar? V. 23. (17) What did the Lord rain upon Sodom? V. 24. (18) How complete was the destruction? V. 25. (19) What happened to Lot’s wife? Why? V. 26. Note 3. (20) What are we to remember? Why? Luke 17:32. (21) Do you think the Lord told Abraham when He would destroy the city? Gen. 19, 27, 28. (22) When he reached the place where he stood before the Lord, what did he see? V. 28. (23) For whose sake was Lot saved? V. 29. (24) How many just persons does there seem to have been in this city?

Suggestive Readings.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” pp. 156-170.

NOTES.

1. In the gate.—A place where the magistrates sat and gave judgment, a place of markets, and where instruction was given and received. See Ps. 69:12; Prov. 8:3; 31:23. Lot probably gave instruction here, and protested against the unrighteousness. Compare Gen. 19:9; 2 Peter 2:7, 8.

2. Men of the city.—Verse 4 and following show the terrible degradation to which unbridled lust will yield. The whole city was corrupt, “young and old.” Even Lot would yield his virgin daughters to satisfy such base passions, rather than violate the law of hospitality. He should have done neither. “Evil communications corrupt good manners.” How good God was to His blinded servant! And He is no respecter of persons.

3. Looked back.—“Looked earnestly back,” Boothroyd renders, implying “that she stood still, if she did not actually return,” not wishing to leave Sodom. Her heart was set there. So whosoever putteth his hand to the Gospel work and looking back, having his affections in earth, is not fit for the kingdom. Luke 9:62.

ADDITIONAL STUDY.

1. Write a comparison between the lives of Abraham and Lot.

2. Did these cities know of Abraham and the power of God? Genesis 14.

3. What lesson ought both they and Lot to have learned from that experience?

4. Compare Lot’s going into Sodom with his going out. See Gen. 13:5-13.

5. What effect did Lot’s going into Sodom have upon Sodom? upon him and his family? 2 Peter 2:7, 8.

6. What principles should govern parents in choosing a home? What governed Lot? what Abraham? Compare their families. To what kind of city did Abraham look? Did Lot’s city have solid foundations? What is the difference between going to Sodom for gain and for saving souls? See Matt. 16:26; Isa. 54:17.

7. What evidence did the people of Sodom have that the “two men” were angels? Having resisted the warnings previously given, did they recognize these heavenly visitants? See Luke 16:31.

8. What in this lesson shows that delay when the Lord speaks is most dangerous?

9. What was the great iniquity of Sodom? Eze. 16:49, 50.

10. What did the destruction of Sodom prefigure? Luke 17:28-30; 2 Peter 2:6-10; Jude 7; Mark 6:11.

11. Note that the angels, while sent on a mission of destruction, had also a message of mercy. Lot was indeed a brand plucked out of the burning, saved with fear, being pulled out of the fire. What two things saved him? See Gen. 19:16, 29. What saved us and others?

12. Note that the Lord never does anything without just cause. Eze. 14:19-23.

13. What description is given of the vale of Siddim before this fatal day? Gen. 13:10. What was its condition after that time?

14. Could the promise to Abraham that he should be heir of the whole world, have been given to Lot? Why, or why not?

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