SODOM & GOMORRAH (G.19)
And YAHUAH’S two Messengers arrived in Sodom that night while Lot (Abraham’s Nephew) was sitting in the gateway. And when Lot saw them he jumped up to greet them (thinking they were just travellers) and after bowing before them he tried to hurry them inside saying “Please don’t stay out here, it’s not safe around here at night. Come into my house and I’ll wash your feet and you can eat and go on your way early in the morning”.
But they said, “No it’s fine we’ll spend the night out here in the courtyard”.
But Lot became very worried for them (having been raised in a culture where hospitality came first above all else) and he urged them strongly to come inside, so they agreed and went into the house,
where Lot and his family made them a feast, baking unleavened bread (Passover?) and they all ate together. Before it was time for bed though, there was banging on the door, for all of the men of Sodom (young and old) had seen the visitors arrive at Lot’s house and they were filled with depraved, perverse desires.
They stormed Lot’s house, surrounding the premises so that they could all have sex with these new visitors, yelling out to Lot, “Bring out those men who came into your house Lot, we know they’re in there, we saw them go in. Bring them out now so we can all have our way with them”. But Lot quickly came out into the courtyard, closing the door behind him, saying “Come on guys, don’t be so vile, please go home. These men are special guests in my house so please don’t do this wickedness tonight!”
But they would not back down, so in a desperate attempt to keep his guests away from this savage insanity, Lot offered his daughters to them, saying, “Please, I have two daughters who have never been with a man before, please take them and fulfill all your carnal desires with them but don’t come near these men, please I beg you”. But the crowd of men got more hostile with Lot, saying “Who the hell are you to call us wicked and vile, and judge us? This is our city Lot, you’re just a visitor here - You don’t tell us what to do. Now we’re gunna take you too and treat you even harsher than these visitors!” And they grabbed Lot, pushing him against the house, nearly breaking the door down, so YAHUAH’S Messengers quickly opened the door and, reaching out, they grabbed Lot and brought him back inside the house.
Then, with a mighty surge of power from YAHUAH, they struck all the attackers with blindness, so that they could no longer make their way around or see the doorway, and they began to disperse from Lot’s house, taking their abominable behaviour with them.
LOT OFFERING HIS DAUGHTERS TO A GANG OF RAPISTS SOUNDS HARSH TO US, BUT IN THIS ANCIENT MIDDLE-EASTERN CULTURE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WAS TO PROTECT THE GUEST STAYING UNDER YOUR ROOF - NO MATTER WHAT !! ANOTHER REASON THIS CITY WAS DESTROYED FOR BEING SO CRUEL TO STRANGERS! BUT, WE ALSO SEE SOMETHING ELSE: WE GET AN EXAMPLE OF THE HORRENDOUS WICKEDNESS OF SODOM…..SUFFICIENT WICKEDNESS THAT YAHUAH HAS DETERMINED TO ERADICATE THE PLACE AND THE PEOPLE. AND, IT IS THE SEXUALLY IMMORAL WICKEDNESS, THAT WE FIND IN LEVITICUS, WHICH RANKS AS ONE OF THE WORST ACCORDING TO YAHUAH: SODOMY/HOMOSEXUALITY. THESE MEN LUSTED AFTER OTHER MEN TO THE POINT THAT WHEN LOT OFFERED HIS VIRGIN DAUGHTERS, THEY DECLINED.
And the Messengers said to Lot, “Do you have any other family here? Even distant relatives? Go and get them and get out of this place, for we have been sent here to destroy this city, for the wickedness has gone on long enough - the blood of all the victims cry out and the Creator Yahuah will not tolerate it anymore. Get your family and leave now”.
So Lot ran to his future Son-in-Law (who had agreed to marry both his daughters soon) saying “Quick, come on Son, we have to get out of here for Yahuah is going to destroy the city”.
But his Son-in-Law thought he was a crazy old coot, joking around and would not take his words seriously at all, for he loved his city-life the way it was. So when the next morning came, YAHUAH’S Messengers said to Lot,
“Come on hurry up, take your wife and daughters and leave this city fast, otherwise you’ll get burnt up along with it”. But they still dilly-dallied around, so the Messengers took them all by the hand and supernaturally lifted them outside the city gates, for they had compassion on them and didn’t want them to be destroyed. And they said to Lot, “Run for your life and escape. GO AND DO NOT LOOK BACK!!! And don’t stay anywhere even remotely near this place, but escape to the mountains, otherwise this great judgement of YAHUAH will consume all of you guys too”.
But Lot didn’t like that plan, saying, “Oh no Master, please no, I can’t go and live in the mountains, I’m way too old and Iife will be too hard. I will surely die there. I’m very grateful that you’ve saved my family and I today, but can’t I please just flee to that little village over there? It’s not a big deal is it?”
And the Messengers said “Ok, we won’t destroy that little village (CALLED ZOAR) because we’ll do what you’ve asked, but please hurry cause we can’t start until you get there”.
LOT LIKED HIS COMFORTS. RECALL THAT WHEN HE AND ABRAHAM PARTED WAYS, AND ABRAHAM GAVE LOT THE CHOICE OF WHAT PART OF THE LAND HE PREFERRED FOR HIMSELF AND HIS FLOCKS, HE CHOSE SODOM. AND, THE NEXT THING WE SEE IS LOT LIVING IN A CITY. LOT OBVIOUSLY DIDN’T HAVE A TASTE FOR THE LIFE OF A NOMAD, OR A SHEPHERD. HE WANTED TO RESIDE IN A MORE REFINED CITY ATMOSPHERE AND THE COMFORT AND SECURITY AND EASIER LIFE THAT IT AFFORDED HIM. THAT HE WAS LIVING IN SODOM MAKES IT CLEAR HE HAD TURNED HIS BACK ON HIS HERITAGE AND WAY OF LIFE IN FAVOR OF THE WAY OF THE PAGANS. IN MANY WAYS, LOT WAS A SHADOW OF THE TRIBES OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF EPHRAIM WHO TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THEIR OWN HERITAGE, IN FAVOR OF TAKING ON THE LIFESTYLE OF THEIR PAGAN NEIGHBORS.
And as the sun began to rise and Lot and his family entered the little village of Zoar, YAHUAH rained down burning fire and sulphur from the sky onto the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, like nothing anyone had ever seen before, explosions and lava, completely destroying all the inhabitants because of the wicked, abominable behaviour that they committed day and night in YAHUAH’S face (men with men, women with women, beastiality, orgies, whoring, partying, gluttony, violent cruelty to visitors and the poor etc).
And as Lot and his family were escaping, his wife heard the blast of her beloved city and friends being destroyed, and she complained in her heart, longing for the lifestyle she knew and loved. She stopped walking with Lot, turned around to look, and for her disobedience, she was turned into a statue (a pillar) made of salt!
DESTRUCTION CAME FROM THE SKY; IT CAME DOWN LIKE A RAIN OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE (BURNING SULFUR). IT IS AN INTERESTING CHOICE OF WORDS: FOR BURNING SULFUR WAS USED TO DESTROY THE GARBAGE DUMPS LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS OF ANCIENT CITIES. ONCE LIT, SULFUR BURNS WITH A HIGH HEAT, AND EMITS SUCH A STRONG AND DEFINITE ODOR THAT IT COULD MASK THE FOULEST OF OTHER COMMON ODORS. AND, OF COURSE, THE FIRE PURGED PESTS AND DISEASES. WE’RE ALSO AWARE THAT FIRE, IN THE SCRIPTURE, IS SYMBOLIC OF PURGING EVIL AND REFINING PRECIOUS METALS. YAHUAH DESTROYED WHAT HE SAW AS A GARBAGE HEAP OF PERVERTED HUMANITY, USING A METHOD SURE TO BE UNDERSTOOD BY ALL WHO KNEW OF THIS JUDGMENT.
And Abraham rose up early that morning and stood in the spot where he had talked with YAHUAH and, looking towards the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah he saw all the billowing smoke rising from where the cities had previously stood, like the burning smoke from the hottest furnace, and Abraham knew that YAHUAH had favoured him and listened to his request, delivering Lot from the destruction of these wicked cities (actually 5 in total, Sodom being the Capital).
The translation has altered somewhat since this (1st EDITION) recording, but still easy-to-grasp :-)
