Genesis 19:12-16 We have a compassionate God!

Lot Flees to Zoar

12Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”

14So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to 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.

15At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.

“But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.” Not for long....I wonder what they thought when the fire and brimstone started?

“But when Lot hesitated”.... would you hesitate?

Lot, his wife and two daughters had to be grabbed by their hands and led out of the city! 

There are times in our lives that we hesitate like Lot from doing what is right, from what the Lord expects from us, but remember that the Lord has compassion for us also. So much compassion that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

We have a compassionate God!

Blessings, David 

Genesis 19:4-11 In the presence of angels.

P4Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. 5They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”

6Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him. 7“Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing! 8Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them whatever you want. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

9“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.

10But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11And they struck with blindness the men at the entrance, both young and old, so that they were unable to find the door.

In Ezekiel 16 God condemns the great sin of Judah, He compared Jerusalem to the ancient city of Sodom.

Ezekiel 16:49–50 (NKJV)

49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; 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.

The mob wanted pleasure and didn’t care if Lot thought their actions were wicked. It’s just as shocking that Lot offered the mob his daughters. 

It was the custom during Lot’s time that a guest was under the protection of his roof and their safety was given higher regard than ones own family.

“10But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11And they struck with blindness the men at the entrance, both young and old, so that they were unable to find the door.”

Here we see a small part of their strength, pulling Lot out of the clutches of the mob, closing the door and striking the mob with blindness. I suspect this incident confirmed to Lot the two men weren’t ordinary mortals.

How many times have we been in the presence of angels during our lifetime?

Blessings, David 

Genesis 19:1-3 Sin City!

Lot Welcomes the Angels

1The two angels entered Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground, 2and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.”

“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

3But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Lot went from looking towards the city, to pitching his tent near the city, to living in the city. Compromising does that to us, compromise destroyed Lots testimony.

Lot was sitting at the gate and was most likely a civic leader when the two men appeared, he had no reason to believe they were angels, yet!

“But Lot insisted so strongly”, he knew what would bestow the strangers in the city of sexual sin. Homosexuality and sexual perversion. 

The Bible is clear....

Romans 1:26–28 (NKJV)

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, …

Lot thought the two men would be safe in his home and the two men will witness the sin of Sodom. 

We have a city in our country that advertises, Las Vegas, Sin City, what happens here stays here.

Would you be like Lot and go there?

Blessings, David 

Wouldn't It Be Nice. Psalm 6:30-35 NLT

Though Solomon  contrasted theft and adultery, there is an interesting link between them. Sexual immorality and adultery are like stealing. When we have sex with anyone other than our appointed partner in the covenant of marriage, we are stealing something from our spouse (present or future), from our illicit sexual partner, and from the present or future spouse of our illicit sexual partner. Paul confirmed this likeness in  1 Thessalonians 4:3-6, "God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before." (David Guzik)

Just a heads up, I'm deleting my Facebook page soon. Too much "stuff" on there, and that's putting it mildly.

The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a picture of a mom proudly standing with her son who had just graduated from a training. Some of the other pictures in this group showed the son with his girlfriend. I thought "Wait, that's not the same girlfriend he had last time mom visited him". Sad, how easily young people give away a special gift God created for a husband and wife to share.

And that's just a snippet of the "stuff" that I find depressing on Facebook.

A young woman I work with is pregnant with her live in boyfriend’s child. He also has a son with someone else and she has two kids already. I'm not sure if her kids have the same dad. And this is the new normal.

Wouldn't it be nice if this younger generation knew Solomon's advice? Wouldn't it be nice if this younger generation knew Jesus?

Psalm 6:30-35 NLT

30 Excuses might be found for a thief

who steals because he is starving.

31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,

even if he has to sell everything in his house.

32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,

for he destroys himself.

33 He will be wounded and disgraced.

His shame will never be erased.

34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,

and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35 He will accept no compensation,

nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

Blessings, Cecilia 

Genesis 18:23-33 Be specific in prayer and intercession!

23Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? 25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

26So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”

27Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes— 28suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five?”

He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”

29Once again Abraham spoke to the LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?”

He answered, “On account of the forty, I will not do it.”

30Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”

He answered, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”

31And Abraham said, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?”

He replied, “On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?”

And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.”

33When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.

Effective intercession with the Lord and effective prayer accomplishes much. Abraham established a principle with the Lord and fifty righteous people. It then came down to numbers. I’m sure Abraham had Lot and his family in mind, but he stopped at ten righteous ones. We will study in the next chapter that the angels go to Sodom and warn Lot, by this we know that the Lord would not destroy the city with four righteous ones in it!

The Lord will not get angry for your prayers and intercession but remember, He wants us to be specific! You need to ask rightly!

If you are seeking intercession and prayer for someone’s specific circumstances and you only pray for His will to be done are you really praying for intercession?

Be specific in prayer and intercession! Follow Abraham’s example!

Blessings, David  

Genesis 18:16-22 Do what is right and just!

Abraham Begs for Sodom

16When the men got up to leave they looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them off.

17And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 19For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

20Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous, 21I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.”

22And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.

Lets recap who the three men were, “17And the LORD said” from this verse we know one was Jesus Christ because no man has seen God the Father and lived.

So who were the other two? We will learn in chapter 19 that two angels visited Lot in Sodom. So these two were angels. 

Why would the Lord who is all knowing ask this question? “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” Verse 19 gives us the reason, “19For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just...”

Abraham was going to become a great nation and “command his children and his household”... He needed to learn the way of the Lord to do what is right and just.

“I will go down to see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out.” 

Psalm 19:9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

The Lord heard the outcry and wanted to witness it Himself because He is true and righteous (just).

Let’s take a lesson from the Lord and Abraham and do what is right and just. 

Blessings, David 

Genesis 18:9-15 He Remains Faithful!

Sarah Laughs at the Promise

9“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked.

“There, in the tent,” he replied.

10Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”

Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ 14Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

15But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh.” For she was afraid.

“No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”

Sarah laughed to herself saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Sarah had stopped menstruating and had gone through menopause.

So the Lord directs his question to Abraham because he is the head of his household. “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’

“But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh.” For she was afraid.

“No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”

Sarah had sinned twice with unbelief concerning the Lords promise of giving birth to a son.

We also continue to sin even though we have the promise of everlasting life through the Son but we must remember,

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

Are you faithless?

Blessings, David