In a solo episode, keith walks through one of the descriptions of evil. Where did it happen? Who participated in it? Was itt really as evil as its reputation? Is there any hope to escape justice?
Guided by a new reference in his library, Keith uses an entry from Nelson Topical Bible, Sodom burnt.
A. History of:
Located in Jordan plain
Abram and Lot had a split, and Lot chose the lowlands where Sodom was located. Gen. 13:10
10 Lot looked out and saw that the entire Jordan Valley as far as Zoar was well-watered everywhere like the LORD’s garden and the land of Egypt. This was before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
It Became Lot’s residence Gen. 13:11–13
11 So Lot chose the entire Jordan Valley for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities of the valley and set up his tent near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the LORD.
Wickedness of, notorious Gen. 13:13
The town already had a bad reputation. Lot settled in towns near it and pitched his tent near Sodom. The men in Sodom were not only evil but were in great rebellion against God.
13 Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the LORD.
Plundered by Chedorlaomer Gen. 14:9–24
Sodom and a few other cities began preparing too defend themselves. The conflict meant that Lot would be caught up in the mess.
9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar – four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim contained many asphalt pits, and [as] the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, [some] fell into them, but the rest fled to the mountains. 11 The [four kings] took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom, and they went on.
13 One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was at the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled his 318 trained men, born in his household, and they went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he and his servants deployed against them by night, attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus. 16 He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the [other] people.
It took intervention by Abram to rescue Lot. He also restored the plunder to the kings who were attacked. Only the king of Sodom seemed interested, and was demanding. Another king who didn’t have a stake in the conflict is the only one who showed appreciation.
Melchizedek’s Blessing
17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley ). 18 Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
20 and give praise to God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”
Abraham interceded for Gen. 18:16–33
22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are in it? 25 You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
26 The LORD said, “If at Sodom I find 50 righteous people in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord – even though I am dust and ashes – 28 suppose the 50 righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
He replied, “I will not destroy [it] if I find 45 there.”
29 Then he spoke to Him again, “Suppose 40 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do [it] on account of 40.”
30 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose 30 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do [it] if I find 30 there.”
31 Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose 20 are found there?”
He replied, “I will not destroy [it] on account of 20.”
32 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose 10 are found there?”
Destroyed by God Gen. 19:1–28
The men of Sodom were worse than their reputation. Their rebellion has gone from great to immense. Lot thinks the destroying angels are men who need protection. In the end, they will be instrumental in protecting him.
The Destruction of Sodom and GomorrahK
1 The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at Sodom’s gate. When Lot saw [them], he got up to meet them. He bowed [with his] face to the ground 2 and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”
“No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.” 3 But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.
4 Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!”
6 Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. 7 He said, “Don’t do [this] evil, my brothers. 8 Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t had sexual relations with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9 “Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as a foreigner, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. 10 But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the door of the house, both young and old, with a blinding light so that they were unable to find the door.
12 Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, 13 for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 At the crack of dawn the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated, so because of the LORD’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. And they brought him out and left him outside the city.
17 As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 But Lot said to them, “No, Lord – please. 19 Your servant has indeed found favor in Your sight, and You have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, this town is close enough for me to run to. It is a small place. Please let me go there – it’s only a small place, isn’t it? – so that I can survive.”
21 And he said to him, “All right, I’ll grant your request about this matter too, and will not overthrow the town you mentioned. 22 Hurry up! Run there, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the sky. 25 He overthrew these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.
Lot sent out of Gen. 19:29, 30
29 So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when He overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
The Origin of Moab and Ammon
30 Lot departed from Zoar and lived in the mountains along with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. Instead, he and his two daughters lived in a cave.
Holman Christian Standard Bible, HCSB
Holman Christian Standard Bible (r) Copyright (c) 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.
Thomas Nelson
Nelson’s Topical Bible Index
© 1979, 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
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