GRIFFIN COMMENTS—GEN 19 (Gen 19:1) And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; The Angel of the Lord remained with Abraham while these two went on to Sodom to “See if those things were true,” that had been reported about these cities. Naturally they went to the righteous man’s home as they had gone to the Friend of God yesterday. He greeted them in the usual way. He was sitting in the gate, which implies that he was one of the judges of the city. THE LOSSES OF LOT Text: Gen. 19 INTRODUCTION:If most Christians would take a good look at the record they would find more lossesthan gains. 1.
HE LOSTHIS FAITH A. B. C.
2.
HE LOSTHIS FINANCES A. B. C.
3.
Lost his popularity—they knew him in the gate of Sodom. Lost his position—Hesat among the big shots. Lost his possessions—all went up in the fire.
HE LOSTHIS FRUITFULNESS IF HE HAD WONNINESOULS: A. B. C.
4.
He knew what it was to walk with God. He knew what it was to worship God. He knew what it was to witness God's presence.
Sodom would have had a Testimony—Win. Sodom would have had a Temple—ToWorship. Sodom would have had time to wait.
HE LOSTHIS FAMILY
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A. B. C. 5.
HE LOSTHIS FEELINGS A. B. C.
6.
Virtuous daughters offered to the mob. Vices of men with men—mark of their sin. Vindication—blindnessstruck the mob.
THELOSSESTHAT FOLLOWED A. B. C.
7.
They had no confidence in his warning. They had no confidence in his witnessing. They had no confidence in his words.
Drinking he had learned in Sodom—carried his booze with him. Daughters got pregnant by their father. Darkest story told.
THELOSSESTHAT COULDHAVEFLOURISHED A. B. C. D. E.
Abram—type of the father. Isaac—type of the son. Unnamed servant—type of Spirit—doesnot speak of himself. Lot—type of backslider Rebekah—type of Church 'called out'—the bride loves through the Spirit.
(Gen 19:2) And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, 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 ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. Lot’s invitation and their response was the very normal way of hospitality in the east. When a stranger came through you were expected to invite him in and offer him a meal. He was expected to refuse and say that he will go on his way. If you do have room for him and the time to spend it is customary that you insist that he come in. Then they will consent to come in. Remember even Jesusdid this with the men on the road to Emmaus. He acted as though He would go on and they insisted. Then when He blessed the bread and disappeared they realized who it was. GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 19—PAGE 2
(Gen 19:3) And he pressed upon 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. Lot followed the custom exactly. He pressed them greatly and they came in. Then he entertained them for the night apparently thinking at first that they were men. [and did bake unleavened bread] not becauseit was the time of the Passover, as Jarchi suggests, for as yet that was not instituted; but for quicker dispatch, that his guests might have their supper the sooner, and get to bed the earlier, and rest themselves; bread without leaven in it being sooner baked than that which is made with it. Gill)
(Gen 19:4) But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: The depraved men of Sodom had seen these two men enter the city and immediately began to plan to abusethem. Thus they made their way to Lot’s house when they saw him receive them and they came from everywhere and were of every age group. This is a graphic panorama of places in our world today that practice the same depravities. (Gen 19:5) 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. Homosexuals are always looking for new experiences. Such a perverted lifestyle can never be satisfied with one person, so they become obnoxious in their seeking to destroy all they encounter. They were very open and impudent in their devious schemesand did not try to hide, nor show any shame for their depravity. This is generally the same with any nation that has reached the state where God will destroy them. (Gen 19:6) And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
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Lot felt obligated to entertain these strangers and they needed to see his spirit so they watched while Lot tried to reason with these perverts. He now went out the door of his house and shut it behind him in order to prevent these depraved men from rushing in while the door was open, and taking these men by force. So-called "gays" pay a high price for their immoral lifestyle. Paul says that they receive in themselves"the penalty of their error which was due" (Rom_1:27b). This includes venereal diseases,pneumocystis, Kaposi's sarcoma (a form of cancer) and AIDS. It also includes haunting guilt, mental and emotional disturbances, and abnormal personality changes. (Believer's Bible Commentary)
(Gen 19:7) And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. That Lot would call these men brethren does not go well in our modern thinking. Surely he did not consider himself brother to depravity, but may have been simply trying to reason with them. The problem of moving to Sodom in the first place would naturally lead to becoming familiar with the people there so there was no longer a distinct line of demarcation. (Gen 19:8) 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; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. It is further sad to see him offer his own daughters to men like this, becausethey would not be satisfied regardlesshow many sons or daughters were brought out to them. He felt an obligation to his guests and was willing to appeasethem at whatever cost. The two angels who were sent to detect signs of their lifestyle and behavior were observing all of this. (Gen 19:9) And they said, Stand back. And they said again, 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 came near to break the door. Here we see the desperation of this spirit. It is no wonder that God declares this the end of civilized life. After this is only reprobation. It is thought Lot
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was a judge in Sodom which is implied by the fact that here they mention that, not only had he come to their city, but was also a judge there. Judges usually did sit in the gate and that was where Lot met the angels when they came to the city. (Gen 19:10) But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. The angels now had seen enough to let them know exactly why the city must be destroyed and they intervened and drew Lot back in otherwise there would have been death in the house that night. Since the men of the city were pressing in, it could have only been angels that could have reached out and taken Lot in without being apprehended. (Gen 19:11) 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. The angels had to resort to supernatural means now in order to keep the house safe. If they had left things to work themselves out without intervention it would have ended in disaster. We find another case happening like this when the Syrians sought after Elisha and his servant. They also were blinded and only by the intervention of Elisha could they see again (2Ki_6:18). (Gen 19:12) And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: The angels now began to reveal their purpose for being there. If there were ten righteous in the city, they wanted to find them and were prepared to remove them so that they will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. THE NIGHT BEFORE DOOMS DAY (Gen_19:12-17; Gen_19:24-29) 1.
A NIGHT OFWOE A.
Becauseof the wickedness
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B. C. 2.
A NIGHT OFWARNING A. B. C. D.
3.
About his people About his past About his practices
A NIGHT OFWITHEREDHOPE A. B. C.
5.
He walked He warned He witnessed He put forth efforts that were worthless
A NIGHT OFWONDER A. B. C.
4.
Becauseof the worldliness Becauseof the wickednessin yielding to sin
He watched and worried He worshipped and wept He waited and withdrew
A NIGHT OFWAGES A. B. C.
He lost his wife He lost his wealth He lost his life's work
SEVEN DOOMS 1.
Of ecclesiasticism (Rev_17:1-18).
2.
Of commercialism (Revelation 18:1—19:6).
3.
Of politicalism (Rev_19:7-19).
4.
Of two beasts (Rev_19:20).
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5.
Of nations (Rev_19:21).
6.
Of satan (Rev_20:1-7).
7.
Of the lost (Rev_20:11-15).
(Gen 19:13) For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. They had found out what they came to do, and all must agree now that the cry was exactly as reported. The sins had come up before the face of the Lord and now supernatural destruction was in order. This acknowledgement of their mission revealed to Lot that they were actually angels and not men as he had previously thought. (Gen 19:14) 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 this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Apparently he had other daughters, unless these two girls in the home now were betrothed to these men and are thus called sons in law, and he tried to get them to leave but to them it was mockery. Lot was willing to at least witness as far as possible to those in need, even if it was those attached to his own household. Lot had lived so long and was so contented among ungodly people that he was no longer a believable witness for God. He had allowed his environment to shape him, rather than he shaping his environment. Do those who know you seeyou as a witness for God, or are you just one of the crowd, blending in unnoticed? Lot had compromised to the point that he was almost uselessto God. When he finally made a stand, nobody listened. Have you, too, becomeuselessto God becauseyou are too much like your environment? To make a difference, you must first decide to be different in your faith and your conduct. (Life Application Study Bible)
(Gen 19:15) 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.
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It was time for the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the angels had to force Lot and family to leave. Lot was a righteous man, but he had become closely attached to Sodom and did not want to go. They hastened Lot out of the city as we ought to hasten men out of this world as we approach the soon coming of our Lord for His own. (Gen 19:16) And while he lingered, 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. His lingering does not speak well of the influence the city had on him. The angels had to deliberately take hold of them physically and drag them out. They could get them out of Sodom, but it was hard to get Sodom out of them. LOITER I NG IN THE DANGER ZONE (Gen_19:16) Men daring: races, mountain climbing, skiing, Shackleton in endurance. Men applying for a job "I get as far away as I can" I want to be as close to Jesusas I can get SAMSON:Green withs, new ropes, weave my hair. Moth flies into the fire Holy Ghost is essential Baptism in JesusName God's tired of rebellion in this world He won't stomach much more He will "spew you out" Tomorrow this city will be no more
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Tomorrow this world will be no more "Elements will melt with fervent heat" SOWHY STAYAROUND? "Spirit will not always strive with man" "What shall it profit a man to gain the world?" (Gen 19:17) 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. The command was very clear. This city was about to burn. Flee from it. Do not look back. Go to the mountain. The same messageis needed for our own day. Tell the sinners of our world that they should escapefor their lives becausesaving this earthly life is not compared to being saved eternally (Mar_8:36). Do not look back to this world for it is to be dissolved. Go to the mountain of the Lord's house. (Gen 19:18) And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Lot began to plead to be able to stay in some part of the city that could be spared. To him a city had become life and to live in the mountains, like he used to live, was unthinkable. This shows fear on his part, and a willfulness to be saved his own way. He seemed forgetful of the mercy of God in the past, and lingered in selfishness. (Gen 19:19) Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Later this was exactly where he fled to becausehe saw that the city was a place of violence and destruction. City life does this to people however and becausethey escapemuch of the crime, they would rather live there becauseof the benefits. But things got so bad in the city that finally Lot did exactly what the angel asked him to do in the first place. (Gen 19:20) Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
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He felt like that this one little city would not make a difference. However by his pleading he was saving more perversion that would have to be taken care of later. God warns us to flee from the low level life of sin to the mountain of purity and peace. A word spoken by a friend, something read in a letter or book, joy, sorrow, anything God can use as His angel or messenger to call us away from the land of sin. And we are willing to do so on condition that we may keep that one little sin that doth so easily beset us. There is one habit which conscience tells us is not quite right, but which could only be broken by a painful struggle. Oh, let me keep this sin (is it not a little one?), and all other sins I shall put away! But this sort of compromise is impossible. The contagion of any one conscious sin, however small, will poison the whole soul. (E. J. Hardy, M. A.)
(Gen 19:21) And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. The angel was willing to go along with Lot just to get him out of Sodom, though this was definitely not a good idea as even Lot realized later. This does show how powerful the prayers of man can be with God. He will allow things when we pray that He knows are not in our best interest but which He can work with. He gave Hezekiah his wish of more time but it cost Israel fifty-five years of the reign of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah who would not have been born if he had died when God said. (Gen 19:22) Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The angel’s orders apparently were to bring the fire and brimstone upon the city just as soon as they removed the righteous from it. So far there were only four and one of them had too much of Sodom in her and she looked back. They called the place Zoar becauseit was a small place as the name implies and apparently was not so much a city in itself as a suburb to the city. (Gen 19:23) The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. The angels had apparently started trying to get them out of the city about daybreak and by the time the sun came up they were to the little city GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 19—PAGE 10
where they could be spared. But the rain of brimstone and fire had to be altered somewhat in its path to miss this little town. Lot went to Sodom becausehe thought it a secularly desirable place. (Gen_13:10) He went there, and there his own piety was injured, his own children contaminated, and the partner of his own bosom became a victim of Divine judgment. The beauty of his home was his curse. The spirit of Lot is still common. (Homilist.)
(Gen 19:24) Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; Whether this was by volcanic eruption, or a miraculous casting down of these elements from the heavens the Bible does not say. Ordinarily God usesnatural elements in His work, and probably did here. What would have been realized in Sodom, had ten righteous men dwelt there, was done in Zoar when Lot and his two daughters made it a place of refuge. The little city of Zoar was saved for-their-sake. A leaven of goodnesssaved it. (W. G.
Sperry.) (Gen 19:25) And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. Whatever the source it began to immediately burn each of these cities and was so swift that not one person had time to escape. It was sudden, it was direct, and it was complete. So is the justice of God when He goes to work. Men often think they have gotten by the divine justice becausethey have gotten by for so long, but when God does act it is without remedy. (Gen 19:26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Lot’s wife disobeyed and looked back. Jesusused this as a reminder later, of those who begin to be His disciple and do not go all the way. He said, “Remember Lot’s wife (Luk_17:32).” Anyone who starts out to follow the will of God should keep Lot’s wife in mind. Once we have left the world we do not want to go back (Luk_9:62). Peter said it is like the dogs and hogs (2Pe_2:19).
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(Gen 19:27) And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: The fact that he remembers this spot and went out to it that morning implies that his mind was dwelling heavily on what had happened the day before. The promise was now in view. It would now be the constant theme of his thinking until the child arrived. EARLYRISERS (Gen_19:27) 1.
Abraham: to stand before God (Gen_19:27)
2.
Jacob: To worship (Genesis 28)
3.
Moses:To give God's messageto Pharaoh (Exodus 8)
4.
Moses: To build and altar (Exodus 24)
5.
Moses: To meet God (Exodus 39)
6.
Joshua: To lead Israel across Jordan (Joshua 3)
7.
Joshua: To capture Jericho (Joshua 6)
8.
Joshua: To take Ai (Joshua 8)
9.
Gideon: To examine the fleece
10.
Hannah: To worship
11.
David: To praise God (Psa_108:2)
(Gen 19:28) And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. Then Abraham looked up from his musing and saw that the Lord had not spared the city becausesmoke was on the horizon, so there were not ten
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righteous there. I am sure he hoped that his nephew was spared but did not know for some time. Where souls have once met with God, well may they hasten to hear return of prayer from Him there again (Gen_19:27(G. Hughes, B. D.)
(Gen 19:29) 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. This was the only reason for Lot’s survival. He was related to the man of God. People who are associated with the church in any way and with the people of God should be grateful for the good things God does in their lives. The Eternal is here designated by the name Elohim, the Everlasting, becausein the war of elements in which the cities were overwhelmed, the eternal potencies of his nature were signally displayed.
(Barnes Notes) (Gen 19:30) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. Notice now that Lot does exactly what the angel tried to get him to do earlier. He was afraid to go to the mountain and asked that he might remain in a small city. He realized now that it was the only safe place, for the city he allowed to be saved should have been destroyed like all the rest becauseit was too dangerous to live in. (Gen 19:31) And the firstborn said unto the younger, 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: The episode that follows shows us that these girls did not have a lot of good godly training. Sodom had influenced them probably a whole lot more than they realized.
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He whose righteous soul was grieved with the filthy conversation of the wicked, while in a city, is drawn into the same kind of evils himself, when dwelling in a cave! (A. Fuller)
(Gen 19:32) Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. They knew that Lot would never consent to such a proposal, and that a way could easily be figured out to obtain them the privilege of marriage, but in their humanistic minds this was the only way to be sure they had children. They were acting in the same way Rebekah had done when she wanted Jacob to obtain the blessing. They were doing the right thing the wrong way. (Gen 19:33) And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. The extent to which these girls went to have a child shows how much of a reproach a woman felt in those days to be childless. We see another extreme casewith Tamar and Judah. We see the desperation of Hannah, and Rachel, and in each casethere is a feeling that there has to be a child born regardless of the consequences. (Gen 19:34) And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. The older sister greatly influenced the younger daughter. There is a lot of influence for good and bad among the children in the Bible. Sometimes a brother or sister could be the greatest enemy. Esausold out to his brother, and Abel lost his life to his brother. Those we would consider the ones to be our greatest protection can sometimes be our greatest enemy. (Gen 19:35) And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 19—PAGE 14
This is another lesson on drunkennessand its effects. The mind loses its ability to think. No wonder God condemns drinking becauseof the effect it has on the brain. All the spiritual warfare in our life goes on in the mind. It is the way we think that savesor loses us. All decisions have to be made in the mind. Jesustold the parable of the sower, which is nothing else than a description of how the mind works to accept the Word of God or to reject it. (Gen 19:36) Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. Both girls grew up in Sodom and apparently morality was non-existent there. The men were so depraved that there would be no normal marital life anywhere. Therefore they very likely saw no problem with their action, though they knew not to try to persuade their father of it. They made sure he was drunk so he would not refuse. (Gen 19:37) And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. God would never allow Israel to take the land of the Moabites becauseof their relationship with Abraham, but the lifestyle of the Moabites reached the point that God finally said that a Moabite could not come into the congregation of Israel until the tenth generation. Thus we see a sad end to the human answer to a problem. It always has long lasting effects we do not think of when we begin our wrong. (Gen 19:38) And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. The Ammonites also were off the list for Israel and they too gave Israel a lot of trouble. Both of these groups settled near this area and built up large nations becausethey lived under the umbrella of Abraham’s protection. The Moabites soon fell from the faith of God, and became idolaters, the people of Chemosh, and of Baal-peor, Num_21:29;Num_25:1-3; and were enemies to the children of Abraham. SeeNumbers 22; Jdg_3:14,etc. And the Ammonites, who dwelt near to the Moabites, united with them in idolatry, and were also enemies to Israel. SeeJdg_11:4,Jdg_11:24;Deu_23:3,Deu_23:4. (Adam Clarke)
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