“Genesis 19:23-29”

Saturday, December 14, 2019

“The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.” (verse 24) After “the sun had risen over the earth” and “Lot” and his family had come safely “to Zoar” (verse 23), the Lord executed His judgment and dispensed His righteous wrath upon the wicked peoples of Sodom and Gomorrah and “all the valley.” “Sulfur is Latin for ‘burning stone,’ or ‘brimstone’ in Old English. The fire here, like the water in Noah’s day, may have a symbolically purgative function as it does in the narrative of Numbers 16:35 and in the law of Numbers 31:23. It may also be a metaphor of divine anger, as in Deuteronomy 32:22 and Isaiah 65:5.” (Nahum Sarna)

“Brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.” (verse 24) Many have sought to explain the destruction by “sulfur and fire” in natural terms and by extraordinary but not supernatural means. For example, the James-Fausset-Brown Commentary states: “He effected the overthrow of the cities of the plain…by a volcanic eruption. The raining down of fire and brimstone from heaven is perfectly accordant with this idea since those very substances, being raised into the air by the force of the volcano, would fall in a fiery shower on the surrounding region.” While this is within the realm of possibility, the wording of the text indicates that this was the Lord’s doing. He rained the fire and brimstone down from heaven, personally, effusively, supernaturally. And, while He could have used a volcano if He had chosen to, He certainly did not need any earthly means to assist Him in affecting this destruction.

“He overthrew those cities…and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (verse 25) This language indicates absolute and comprehensive destruction. He “overthrew” or literally “turned over” those cities in utter destruction, along with all the people and animals, all the way down to all the plants which “grew” out of “the ground”. Utter and absolute wickedness is deserving of complete and absolute destruction. The New Testament sets the ruination of Sodom and Gomorrah as a type of the eternal punishment that awaits the grossly immoral. “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7)

James Burton Coffman quoted Henry Morris: “‘Archaeological explorations within the last decade have shown that at the time of Abraham there were five large cities on the eastern side of the southern portion of the Dead Sea.’ The names of these were Sodom, the southernmost, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah, and Zeboiim in order toward the north. This sheds light on Jude 1:1:7, where these other cities are the subject of the clause stating that they too had given themselves over to fornication, etc., ‘in like manner’ to Sodom and Gomorrah. See also Deuteronomy 29:23, and Hosea 11:8.”

“But his wife, from behind him, looked back…” (verse 26) This action of Lot’s wife seems to be much more than a mere glance over her shoulder to see what was going on behind her. Jesus used this event as a warning for the prophesied attack of the Roman armed forces against Jerusalem that took place in 70 A.D. “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:28-32) The Lord warned His audience to not return to the city or come down from the rooftop to retrieve valuables, but just to run for their lives when they saw the armies surrounding the city (consider Luke 21:20-24). He then compared that to what happened to Lot’s wife. She either stopped short and looked back to Sodom with a yearning heart, or she actually turned around and started walking back.

“She became a pillar of salt.” (verse 26) “The tradition, preserved in Deuteronomy 29:22, describes ruination of the soil by sulfur and salt (cf. Zeph. 2:9). Radak notes that Lot’s wife would thus have suffered the same fate as the other inhabitants. ‘She wholly disappeared in a blanket of salt; yet popular notion has her body turning into salt and still recognizable,’ writes Bekhor Shor. This idea must have been suggested by some grotesque salt-rock formation in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. The pre-Christian book, The Wisdom of Solomon (10:4), says, ‘A pillar of salt stands as a memorial to an unbelieving soul’; and Josephus (Ant. 1.203) claims to have seen it in his day.” (Nahum Sarna)

“It is a mistranslation to make this read, ‘She was changed into a pillar of salt.’ Such a rendition turns the event into a vengeful retribution executed upon this poor woman, but it was no such thing. God was doing everything He could to save her, even sending angels to take her by the hand and lead her out of the place… Lot's wife entered the disaster zone contrary to the will of God and against His specific commandments…as a result of her own rash decision to enter the disaster zone… We believe Keil's analysis of this is correct: ‘Lot's wife, having been killed by the fiery and sulfurous vapour with which the air was filled, was afterward encrusted with salt, resembling an actual statue of salt; just as, even now, from the saline exhalation of the Dead Sea, objects near it are quickly covered with a crust of salt.’” (James Burton Coffman)

“Remember Lot’s Wife (Luke 17:32)

I. She is a warning to all who are tempted to sacrifice their safety in order to win or keep more of this world's goods.

II. If we strive to possess the best of both worlds, we are likely to lose both.

III. She is a reminder that being ‘near safety’ is not enough.

IV. She is a warning that having begun to follow the Lord's Word, one may still turn back from the way and be lost.” (James Burton Coffman)

Verses 27-29 – “The previous narrative about Abraham, interrupted by the events at Sodom, now resumes. His dialogue with God having ended on an uncertain note, Abraham now hastens to his vantage point (18:16) to learn the outcome of his intercession. Alas, Sodom could not boast of ten righteous souls.” (Nahum Sarna) “God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” It seems that the Lord spared Lot and his family more for Abraham’s sake than because of Lot’s righteousness. Yet again, we see Lot reaping benefits and blessings because of his position in the life of his righteous uncle. Sometimes family members can pull us out of tight spots of our own making here on earth, but we will stand or fall on our own merits when appear before the great Sovereign and Judge at the end of all things.

Please read Genesis 19:30-38 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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