Genesis 21:9-13 comments: Sarah demands Hagar be cast out

Genesis 21:9 ¶  And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13  And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

I mentioned the rabbinic opinion that the four hundred years of bondage began with this mocking back in Genesis 15:12-16. Sarah does not want Ishmael, who is not her offspring, to share the inheritance with Isaac. Sarah, to Abraham’s dismay, wants him to send Hagar and his son, Ishmael, away. God confirms that Isaac will be the vehicle through which He performs the covenant. He tells Abraham to listen to Sarah and God will make a nation out of Ishmael because he, too, is Abraham’s son. It is just that he is the son of Abraham and Sarah’s presumption, not the son of God’s promise. Abraham’s presumption will cause a great deal of trouble right down to this very day if you examine history.

Paul uses this in his argument in regard to comparing the Law to Grace. He likens those under Grace to be like Isaac, son of a free woman, while those under the Law to be like Ishmael, son of a slave. The Law is bondage, Grace is freedom.

Galatians 4:21 ¶  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [Hagar] . 25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

So, why do so many fundamentalist preachers keep trying to put their congregations back under the Law?

Genesis 21:1-8 comments: the miracle of Isaac and the miracle of life compared

Genesis, chapter 21

Genesis 21:1 ¶  And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5  And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6  And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7  And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. 8  And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

It is stated clearly that Sarah’s conception of Isaac here in this Philistine king’s generous gift of land was an act of God’s direct will. It went against what we think of as natural processes. We would call it a miracle. However, is not any woman conceiving a child a miracle of God? Lifeless, empty space is the most logical thing in the universe. For there to be something rather than nothing staggers the mind in its improbability without a rational, directing will. Even more so for there to be life, that complicated set of functions from the cell, a little mini-universe all its own, to consciousness, that collection of countless numbers of cells to be self-aware, is beyond amazing. Since we know that the tendency is for organized things, on their own, to simply fall apart, and not for random pieces of lifeless matter to decide on their own to unite to form a complicated thing or process, we must understand that for this life to function, to operate, to exist, it must be a continuous miracle.

Jeremiah understood this.

Jeremiah 1:4 ¶  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

David knew this.

Psalm 71:5  For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. 6  By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

Now, certainly they understood this, as did Isaiah in chapter 49, in the context of being called by God, born to a specific purpose. But, in the way the Bible is written with characters offered as examples for us to see reality we can understand that nothing is without a purpose. As Paul wrote;

Romans 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Randomness does not exist except as a justification in our minds for atheism, to justify our sin and make it have no consequence or meaning.

Isaac, Strong’s dictionary tells us, means, “He laughs,” but that is also clear from the context. Remember that both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the promise as being beyond something they could even wrap their minds around. Sarah was a beautiful, desirous woman but beyond her child-bearing years.

Abraham obeyed God in circumcising Isaac. Read chapter 17:9-14 again for confirmation.

Genesis 20:14-18 comments: Abimelech reproves Sarah

Genesis 20:14 ¶  And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15  And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16  And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17  So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18  For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

The graciousness of a heathen king should cause many so-called Christian leaders shame. He not only did what God told him to do, restoring Sarah, but he made Abraham even wealthier than he was. Not only did he offer Abraham material wealth but he gave him the right to live in his kingdom wherever he wished.

Abimelech then scolds Sarah, calling Abraham her brother, as she and Abraham had dissembled regarding. He has rewarded Abraham and tells Sarah, in so many words, to stay faithful to Abraham, her husband, to not risk other men’s intentions toward her. She is never to call Abraham her brother again. Both have been reproved in this. Reproof, from which reprove comes, is correction. See the synonyms to reproof in this verse and do a word search to see the phrases and words it is linked with elsewhere to confirm.

2Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Remember, as you read Abraham’s journey, that the Bible is the story of God’s work in reconciling man to Himself. Reproof is an essential part of that correction, that instruction in righteousness, and fundamental to that doctrine.

It is important to note here that Abraham prayed for Abimelech, whom he had wronged. Prayers of supplication for others are important, as God reveals throughout the Bible. Christians are commanded to pray for each other.

 James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

We are to pray for kings and all those in authority. As there were no Christian kings when this was written we are called to pray for the heathen leaders, that they come to Christ but for mercy and grace to be applied to them, as well.

1Timothy 2:1 ¶  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

We are to pray even for those who abuse us for our faith. Notice the context of God’s perfection here.

Matthew 5:43 ¶  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

God honored Abraham’s prayer and healed Abimelech’s household.

Genesis 20:8-13 comments: Abimelech confronts Abraham

Genesis 20:8 ¶  Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9  Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10  And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11  And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12  And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13  And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

This Philistine king does not delay early in the morning to calling his servants together and telling them how God spoke to him in this dream. Apparently, the righteousness of this individual king is reflected in the culture of his household.

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Understand God’s involvement in and control of every moment of your life and realize how badly you need to pray for His mercy and how happy you should be that He loves you.

Abimelech blames Abraham for deceiving him and bringing the possibility of great sin upon his household. He insists he has done nothing to deserve this treatment and wants to know why Abraham did it, what he saw in Abimelech that suggested this sinful deception was necessary. Abraham admits that he assumed that Abimelech was a godless reprobate who did not fear God. So, we can assume that this was the normal state of kings and kingdoms as Abraham knew. He had every reason to believe that Abimelech, as we have understood the customs of the time, would kill him and take his wife. It must have been a common concern of men.

Abraham then sort of halfway justified himself. “Well, what I said really wasn’t a lie. She is also my half-sister.” This scene makes a mockery of the times when we justify a lie, dissembling, insisting that since it was partly true it wasn’t really a lie. Oh, how many times I have heard that argument from a child, a teenager, or a grown person. The intent was deception but when found out we think we are so clever in that part of it was really true.

Finally, he says that this was what he told her to do everywhere they went where there was some danger. But, we see that Abraham’s lack of trust in God’s protection was unwarranted because even though he tried to deceive Abimelech for his own safety’s sake God revealed Himself to the king and warned him. In the two situations we see that Pharaoh, though wicked, was wise enough to know that, with the sicknesses brought on his house, he wanted to be rid of Abram and Sarai and even blessed them with abundance. But here, God, knowing Abimelech’s heart, revealed Himself, but protected Abraham.

Abimelech is a model of a righteous Gentile king.

2Samuel 23:3  The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Genesis 20:3-7 comments: Abimelech's dream

Genesis 20:3 ¶  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. 4  But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5  Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6  And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

There are other times that God speaks to men in dreams as to Jacob, Laban the Syrian, to Joseph, etc.

Abimelech is not the sort of man that the previous Pharaoh that Abram and Sarai encountered was. God dealt with that Pharaoh by visiting sickness on his house to cause him to bring no shame on Sarai/Sarah while God kept Abimelech’s household from conceiving as revealed later in verse 18. But, Abraham has misjudged Abimelech. God reveals to us that this king has integrity and wants to do right. He had not touched Sarah and truly thought she was Abraham’s sister. So, God moved in him to prevent him from having any relations with her. It was God who prevented this sin of ignorance that was possible but not completed.

God made provision for dealing with sins of ignorance, just not realizing what you were doing, in the Law given to Moses. You can read examples of this in the context of Leviticus, chapter 4, for example. But God does restrain us from following our “natural” impulses at times, our desires, as He did when he kept David and his men from killing, as Abigail believed, even though David considered it and felt justified by Nabal’s treatment of him and his men.

1Samuel 25:26  Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

God has restrained you from doing things that you thought were the right thing to do because you didn’t have all of the facts. How often have you thanked Him for that mercy? You have held your tongue when you really wanted to blast someone with your words only to find out that you were operating off incomplete understanding. We should always be careful and not to repeat the errors of Job’s friends in assuming we have knowledge we do not. A friend may get a serious illness, lose their job, have marital difficulties, or have a rebellious child and you assume there must be some secret sin in their life that they are being judged for but, if God is merciful to you, you managed to refrain from the evil of misrepresenting God and telling your friend what you think before you have all the facts. Of course, you may never have all of the facts so it is a good idea just to shut up and minister to your friend in their grief.

But, remember, as here, you may have some difficulty related to your intention to shoot your mouth off and hurt your friend. Think about what God is telling you. Abimelech’s household were having some problems with Sarah around. Something wasn’t right. Before God’s dream came to the king came the problem with conceiving. As you were intending to speak out of turn someone was saying things about you they had no knowledge of and this should have been a warning as God eventually prevented you from damaging your relationship with your friend. To see how God works in our lives we have to be sensitive to His guidance. This is very hard for you if you have adopted the modern sense of God not participating in your life on a moment by moment basis.

My problem has always been about assuming I knew someone’s intentions and motives when I did not. If that is your problem have you found yourself on the receiving end of someone accusing you of motives that you did not have as you contemplated the same error on someone else, even the same person? Did God prevent you from speaking your mind or, perhaps, did you not speak your mind in this instance and not realize that God had prevented you?

Think about when you don’t say something, did you really prevent yourself?

In God’s warning to Abimelech He refers to Abraham as a prophet. As Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 heads of the tribes of Israel, and Israel itself went about doing God’s will, even if they had to be steered by God because of their stubbornness in not completely trusting and doing things their own way they received God’s protection.

Psalm 105:8 ¶  He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9  Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10  And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: 11  Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: 12  When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. 13  When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; 14  He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; 15  Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Genesis 20:1-2 comments: Abraham and Sarah in Gerar

Genesis 20:1 ¶  And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

As proof that Sarah was still desirable to look at in an age where people lived longer and were more youthful looking longer and as further evidence of the customs of the time, the king of Gerar places Sarah in his harem. Abraham repeats his same, what we would call today cowardice, practice as in chapter 12 in Egypt in protecting himself from possible murder but not his wife from this humiliation.

This shows us the dangers of travel in those days particularly if you had a wife other men might desire. Abimelech king of Gerar is used here as Pharaoh king of Egypt is used in 41:46 and in other verses. The question then arises as to whether or not Abimelech is a Philistine title for a king or whether it is a name. Isaac will repeat this behavior in a few chapters and dwell in this same city for a time. In 26:8 this king of Gerar is called the king of the Philistines.

We see two characteristics of life in the ancient world. One, the molestation of visitors to a city as revealed in the story of Sodom and later in Judges 19 and, two, how ancient kings might forcibly take a man’s wife and kill him if they felt like it.

This also shows us the political powerlessness of women, used without their consent as commodities, sexual resources, or just instruments to produce progeny. The woman had no right to say no to any of this. Her value was in her usefulness to men, much like a farm animal, modified only by affection and a sense of moral custom. But, when God’s directive will was involved, by these cultural practices, women in the Bible were blessed by being part of God’s plan of producing the line that He came to earth through in His work of reconciliation of man to Himself. A woman’s lot in life, based on the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin and man’s prevailing cultural custom, was ameliorated only by the affection her husband might have toward her and the love of and for her children, sons of which might care for her in her old age if  She was widowed.

Keep in mind again that man invents culture and civilization and God permits him to do so by God’s permissive will. God alters and modifies to lead man’s effort to an end He has ordained. Imagine that while slave ships and ships for conquest went out a couple of hundred years ago missionaries went out as well. And while many missionaries were simply instruments of the conquering country or institutional church a minority simply went out as God’s instruments to save souls. We need to reorder history in our minds to see how God intervenes and directs. When you include God’s actions in the course of history and cease thinking of Him as simply a first cause or standing on the sidelines waiting for a prayer you get a different picture of history. Of course, you get a different picture of everything from biology to literature if you haven’t accepted the mental condition of modernity that removes God from every equation.

Genesis 19:27-38 comments: Lot's daughters

Genesis 19:27 ¶  And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: 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. 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.

Genesis 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. 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: 32  Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 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. 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. 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. 36  Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37  And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 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.

For Abraham’s sake, God saved Lot. I’ve already discussed what remembered means in this context in comments on 8:1. Whether or not it is doctrinally true in the age of the church there have been many sermons about adult children being drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit because of the fervent prayers and heart-felt love of a parent.

Lot was afraid to say in Zoar. Perhaps, as he came out of Sodom, the terrified people blamed him for the destruction, maybe believing in their gods’ anger causing the destruction. But, he ended up in the mountain that he feared.

One explanation for what happens next is that Lot’s daughters, in this vast scene of utter destruction, felt completely alone and desolate and simply used their father to provide them with children. They knew he would not do such wickedness willingly so they got him roaring drunk.

Another explanation is that Lot’s daughters were raised in the immoral and depraved climate of Sodom where sex and religion were united. They thought that the ways they had seen and known, the earth religion, was lost to them lest they take action themselves. Notice the passage;

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 results of this godless and evil rape by the girls of their father are the nations of Moab and Ammon, who will play roles later as the Hebrews try to claim their Promised Land and then even later in the history of Israel.

Here is an important point in understanding the Bible. God acknowledges the results of sin without accepting the sin.

Deuteronomy 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.

For instance, God ordained that a marriage was to be between one man and one woman.

Genesis 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

His will was for Himself to be king over Israel but they wanted a human king like other countries.

1Samuel 8:7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

And yet God did not abandon the offspring of a king who had multiple wives, even a son that was the offspring of adultery and murder.

1Kings 1:11  Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

God doesn’t create culture, the practices of a family, a community, or ethnic group, and He didn’t create civilization. God modified culture and civilization already created by man, bringing commandments to bear on it to alter it and move it toward His standard, sometimes even in small ways. Your country, your culture, your civilization is not holy, is not special, and is not blessed of God just because you have a few churches in it and some of your people claim to believe in Christ or a God of First Causes. But, in the Bible, God worked with men and women where they were and in the conditions they inherited from their forebears. Some of these conditions and cultural practices we find wicked today and clearly against God’s will. God doesn’t justify a cultural practice by acknowledging it and modifying it to be more merciful.

It must be remembered that the Bible is about God’s reconciliation of man to Himself and not about justifying your social order or nation-state’s policies, a nation that will one day cease to exist.

But, the point is that what happened with Lot and his daughters happened and there is no way around it. It was wicked but God wove the consequences of it into His plans, something He knew and did from before He created the world without justifying it or preventing it. The Holy Spirit paints a picture of mankind in the Bible, warts and all. This picture shows a vile and wicked creature, degenerate in his practices and lacking in faithfulness toward God. But, God is merciful in spite of man’s wickedness. Our Creator is merciful to the created thing that turned on Him. I am thankful for that.

Genesis 19:12-26 comments: looking back at Sodom

Genesis 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: 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. 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.

Genesis 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. 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. 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. 18  And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 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: 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. 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. 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. 23  The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Genesis 19:24 ¶  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25  And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Genesis 19:26 ¶  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot’s daughters were clearly betrothed and not married as we understand it as they were said to have not known man. To be betrothed in the ancient world was considerably more of a commitment than being engaged today. They were, for all practical purposes, married but without the pleasure of sexual union as that had to wait. It must be understood that the betrothal was a contract between two families that carried the same weight as marriage. It wasn’t necessarily a personal, romantic choice as much as it was a business deal, as binding as marriage and referred to as such.

Leviticus 19:20  And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

Deuteronomy 20:7  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

So, Lot’s daughters were virgins but had husbands who did not possess them physically yet. Notice also that sons-in-law were considered also to be sons.

            The angels told him to give his daughters’ husbands the warning to get out. Because of Lot, these wicked people are being given a chance. But, it seems that not ten good people can be found in this city. The angels declare their intention to destroy Sodom because of its wickedness. Lot’s sons-in-law, however, think he’s joking. You can imagine what would happen if you were to tell your children that two angels visited you and announced that they were about to destroy your town for its wickedness. They would think you had lost your mind, would they not? But, this is prepared for them because of how evil they had chosen to be.

The day dawns, the time of judgment has come. But Lot lingers. Who wouldn’t with two betrothed daughters whose husbands were refusing to leave? The angels give him no choice and removed him, his wife, and his two daughters out of the city.

They tell him not to look back. That would be very hard for anyone. Lot is afraid to follow their command to escape to a nearby mountain. Remember the mountain that the fleeing armies of Sodom and Gomorrah fled to in 14:10? Although afraid of something about it, some evil perhaps, he will wind up there anyway and great evil will overcome him. By requesting permission to flee to a small village the angels agree to spare it for his sake although all of the other towns of the plain are destroyed as if in a nuclear holocaust we might imagine. Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, a part of this judgment. What sorrow she must have felt. What horror? Everyone you know and everything you owned is being destroyed.

This brings to mind that we are not to look back although we do it all the time. We lament and regret what we did and did not do that has brought us to a place of loss. We grieve for what could have been. But, we are not to look back. Our sins are forgiven and we are to look forward and to trust God’s justice and judgment.

In the context of deciding whether to follow Him immediately or to take care of unfinished business first Jesus said;

Luke 9:57 ¶  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Paul declared his desire to look ahead this way.

Philippians 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended [that is to know Christ as Christ knows him] : but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In leaving this world behind and escaping the judgment God has planned for this world Jesus makes this note.

Luke 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32  Remember Lot’s wife.

We are not to look back. Our greatest times, our most perfect joy, is ahead of us, with Christ. We may not understand now why a child refuses Christ, a parent, a friend, and we may grieve at their loss, but, in the end, we must keep looking forward. Too many Christians in America are crying about where their country is headed, wanting to elect a national messiah or some sort of national pastor, continuing to look back at some fictitious time when all Americans were God-fearing and upright. They rip verses out of context in the Old Testament regarding Israel and keep ranting about “turning America back to God”. They keep looking back at Sodom.

Genesis 19:4-11 comments: the confrontation with the men of Sodom

Genesis 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: 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. 6  And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7  And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 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. 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. 10  But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 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.

Compassed means to encircle, to surround, which is obvious from the phrase compassed the house round.

Joshua 6:11  So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

All people from every quarter doesn’t necessarily mean every single person in the city. Common sense tells us this but also the Bible itself uses two definitions of all. There is all without exception as in the following where it is God’s desire that all humanity be saved but we know that many reject Him.

1Timothy 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Then, there is all without distinction. Instead of saying men came from every quarter, as we would, Moses writes it the way he did. Notice a similar passage in that regard here as we doubt that every single person in Judaea came to the Jordan so that the land itself was empty of people. It is simply not to be understood that way;

Mark 1:5  And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

Or here next we don’t expect that every single person in the village or town was at the door but that people came from everywhere.

Mark 1:33  And all the city was gathered together at the door.

We use this type of hyperbole when we say, “everyone,” often meaning not that there is no one who doesn’t but simply referencing many.

These people want to know Lot’s guests, clearly demanding that they be delivered to be gang-raped as in the later case where a gang of thugs representing the town of Gibeah of Benjamin behaved badly.

Judges 19:25  But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

To our amazement and disgust, Lot offers his two virgin daughters instead. This reflects the baseness of this ancient culture, certainly not reflecting well upon Lot. We get an idea of the degeneracy of Sodom’s culture in this scene and the careless value placed on the sex act and the worth of women. But, we also get a glimpse of the importance and the honor placed on hospitality and how one felt responsible for the welfare of the stranger one took into his house. The example of depravity only gets worse.

The mob rejects Lot’s offer and casts disparaging comments on his time as a judge, sitting in the gate, obviously resenting his, a foreigner’s, presence. They promise to do worse to him for not complying with their collective will than with the men they want delivered to them. This is about power and domination, not sexual desire. Rape, heterosexual or homosexual, is unfinished murder, an exercise of power and domination over another, not simply out-of-control lust.

Before things get bad for Lot the angels, the men, rescue Lot and strike the crowd blind but they are in a full fury and rage now and still try to get at the door through which Lot has been saved. This suggests that the blindness affected their ability to see the door, not that all their vision just went black, as they are still trying to force the door, apparently, and just can’t find it now.

In verses 4 and 9 we have examples of how the word even is used for two things that are the same thing in the phrases the men of the city, even the men of Sodom and the man, even Lot. Remember a past example of this type of the use of even.

Genesis 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Genesis 19:1-3 comments: dangerous to sleep in the street in Sodom

Genesis 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; 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. 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.

The two angels that were with the Lord went on to the city. Angels are not a strange manlike creature with wings. They look like men when not representing the church or something else.

Revelation 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

Daniel 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Luke 1:26  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

 Lot sat in the gate indicating that he had become a judge in Sodom to judge disputes and help manage the city’s affairs. Sitting in the gate as a position of judgment is defined in the Bible. It was a place to meet with the elders of a city.

Deuteronomy 21:19  Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

It was a place of the king’s authority.

2Samuel 15:2  And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

2Samuel 19:8  Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.

1Kings 22:10  And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

The mention of the gate is equivalent to the deciding of judgment.

Amos 5:15  Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

So, in the following, often misunderstood verses because Christians are not taught to cross-reference verses anymore due to the proliferation of humanistic Bible versions that eliminate cross-references, the gates of hell is a reference to the judgment that casts one into perdition. This judgment will not affect the true church of Christ. The church is established upon Peter’s confession of faith, upon Jesus Christ, the Rock (1Corinthians 10:4).

Matthew 16:15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Lot’s concern for these foreigners is quite apparent. They must not lodge in the street, for we know that it was a dangerous place, probably no less dangerous than a street in Baltimore, The Bronx, or Chicago today. This type of thing is shown again in Gibeah in Judges 19 as I’ve already mentioned.

Genesis 18:16-33 comments: Abraham's plea for mercy

Genesis 18:16 ¶  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

18:23 ¶  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24  Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26  And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28  Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29  And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30  And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31  And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32  And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33  And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

First, God acknowledges that Abraham will become a mighty nation, a people, he will command his family to faithfulness to the Lord, and he and his family will be faithful to God. Through the people that come from Abraham the entire world will be blessed. As we know, through Abraham the entire world was given the opportunity to know the God who created them even most chose instead a mythical god or gods to worship who reflected their own morality, their own political views, their own culture, fear, paranoia, and bigotry. Many who worship in churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues today are simply worshipping a reflection of themselves rather than the God who actually created them and all things.

God here gives Abraham an opportunity to plead for mercy for the small number of people who may not deserve the judgment Abraham knows Sodom so richly has earned.

Sodom is guilty of great wickedness.

Ezekiel 16:49  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

We will be shocked at the homosexual gang rape threatened by the men of Sodom coming soon but the Bible shows this wickedness was not unique to Sodom. The men of Gibeah, Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin, will threaten the same and then commit heterosexual rape and murder on a Levite’s concubine in Judges 19. We must understand that this world’s religious and social system was fraught with sexuality and power/domination rituals such as gang rape to enforce the power of a group of people over even a stranger passing through.

From Sodom we get the word sodomite for a male temple prostitute in contrast to a whore which denotes a female temple prostitute.

Deuteronomy 23:17  There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.18  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Even today, in some quarters, a male prostitute is called a dog in slang.

Men would enter a pagan temple in the Ancient Near East and toss a coin into a temple prostitute’s lap to have sex with them as part of their worship of Baal and Ishtar. Greek writers, Herodotus and Lucian, tell us of this practice as a symbol of Ishtar’s union with Tammuz. It is evident from the Bible that this was the form of worship that God abhorred and wanted erased.

So, Sodom was proud, rich, lazy, and without compassion for the poor, passing on the perverted religious practices of the age that probably started at Babel or even more likely from the fallen sons of God in the Pre-Flood world who found the daughters of men desirable. It is even noted in some sources that every woman who came of age was expected to visit a temple to act as a religious prostitute at least once.

Temple prostitution even plays a part in the Greco-Roman world of Paul and the early Christians. Certainly, the thousand short-haired temple prostitutes at the Temple of Aphrodite in nearby Acro-Corinth had an impact on the Corinthians church’s requirement that their women have long-hair so as not to be confused with a temple prostitute. Read 1Corinthians 11:1-16 but pay attention to verse 16 that shows this was not necessarily an issue with other Christian churches.

Abraham pleads with God most likely for the sake of his nephew, Lot, and God promises that if there are just ten righteous men in this city he will spare it. Apparently, even that is too much to ask of Sodom. Lot, who it is later revealed is disgusted by the behavior of the people of the city he has chosen to abide in, will be saved from its judgment.

2Peter 2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 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:

Genesis 18:1-15 comments: Sarah laughs at God's promise, too

Genesis 18:1 ¶  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3  And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4  Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5  And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 6  And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. 7  And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Genesis 18:9 ¶  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15  Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

These three men are appearances or angels of spiritual beings and one of them is God Himself, in the form of pre-incarnate Christ; the Word by which all things were and are created (see Psalm 104:30; Isaiah 48:7; and John 1:1-18).

Abraham tells Sarah to make three cakes from three measures of meal. It is interesting to note that three of the world’s great religions will come from Abraham and Sarah’s offspring; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Note the corrupting influence of leaven as it is kneaded into three measures of meal in the following verse. Perhaps God is not impressed with the practices of either of these “great” faith traditions in their hypocrisy.

Matthew 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Luke 12:1  In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

As Abraham has a meal prepared for these men they ask where Sarah is, another question for which they obviously know the answer and one of them makes an important statement. He, clearly the Lord, promises to return unto thee according to the time of life which is a reference to the presence of God’s will in Sarah’s childbirth.

Now it is Sarah’s turn to laugh, as both her and Abraham are now very old and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women meaning she was no longer fertile and no longer menstruating.

The Lord’s response was to make the claim by way of a rhetorical question that nothing was impossible with God and to repeat the certainty of Sarah’s childbirth. Jesus made a similar statement when comparing the difficulty of becoming a believer if one is possessed of wealth.

Mark 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26  And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Sarah, afraid at being challenged for laughing, denied she laughed but the Lord contradicted her attempt to hide her doubt. Many conservative Christians will deny that they have any doubts about God’s promises, about the truth of the gospel, or even about God’s very existence but God knows what is in your heart. Don’t be angry at the atheist when you yourself have said in your heart at certain times, “how is this possible?”

Mark 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

We live in bodies of flesh, assailed by misfortune, disappointments, disease, fleeting joys and pleasures, and then death. Often, we are overcome by the apparent randomness and uncertainty of life. And yet, if we belong to God and are sensitive to His involvement in our moment to moment lives as clearly laid out in the Bible we are assured that His power is real and His promises are true.

Modern Christians have been led to believe by their preachers that if a thing happens like childbirth it is just by a natural process that God started but is not really involved in unless He is asked to intervene and wills to do so. Modern Christians believe that God cannot be involved in the evil that can befall them. They ignore the lessons of the Book of Job and wrench the promises made to Israel out of context and apply them to themselves to their eventual dismay. Or they embrace worldly values, lusts, and pride and insist they have not, harming their faith when things go wrong.

But, if you are honest, speaking to God in prayer and opening your Bible inviting the Lord to speak to you through His words, then you know that nothing is impossible with Him and He will do and has done what He has promised. Don’t pretend you’ve never doubted God as Sarah has here.