Sodom And Gomorah (Bible story)

Hi there. This entry is about Sodom and Gomorrah story which is mention in my bible. This story is one of the interesting story that I have read which can be relate to daily life and true enough that the evidence of the story is found true showed in the world.

 

 

Here’s how it goes. (from the book of Genesis 19)

 

Sodom and Gomorrah Story Summary

Three angels visited Abraham, God's hand-picked founder of his chosen nation, Israel. They came disguised as men, travelers along the road. Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah, to observe first hand the wickedness in those cities.

The other visitor, who was the LORD, stayed behind. He revealed to Abraham that he was going to destroy the cities because of the evil ways of their people. Abraham, a special friend of the Lord, began to bargain with God to spare the cities if there were righteous people in them.

 

First, Abraham asked if the Lord would spare the cities if 50 righteous people lived there. The Lord said yes. Boldly, Abraham kept bargaining down, until God agreed not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if even ten righteous people lived there. Then the Lord departed.

Angels from the Dominions rank -- who specialize in carrying out God's judgments -- warned the only faithful family in the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that God was about to destroy the area due to the grievous sin of the people who lived there. In Genesis chapter 19, the Bible and Torah describe two angels visiting a man named Lot and his family to reveal that God had ordered them to help carry out the destruction, but also to mercifully evacuate faithful people first.

 

When the two angels arrived at Sodom that evening, Abraham's nephew Lot met them at the city gate. Lot and his family lived in Sodom. He took the two men to his home and fed them.

Then all the men of the city surrounded Lot's house and said, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." (Genesis 19:5)

 

Verses 4 through 9 show how deeply the people of Sodom have fallen into sin, as they struggle with lust and violence.

 

By ancient custom, the visitors were under Lot's protection. Lot was so infected by the wickedness of Sodom that he offered the homosexuals his two virgin daughters instead. Furious, the mob rushed up to break down the door.

Not only did Sodom's residents sin by trying to rape the angels, but Lot (who was usually faithful to God) also committed a serious sin by offering his two daughters to the crowd to try to appease them. Even though Lot was trying to protect the angels, his alarming reaction to stress -- putting his daughters in danger -- shows that two wrongs can't make a right, and that everyone is capable of making grievous mistakes.

 

In verses 10 and 11, the angels carry out an immediate judgment against the men of Sodom for their attempt at sexual assault. The angels struck the rioters blind! Leading Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand, the angels hurried them out of the city. The girls' fiancés would not listen and stayed behind.

Verses 12 through 23 describe how the angels help Lot and his family escape from Sodom, telling Lot in verse 13 that "we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."

The angels grasp the hands of everyone in Lot's family and personally escort them away from Sodom, because "the Lord was merciful to them" (verse 16).

 

Lot and his family fled to a tiny village called Zoar. The Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying the buildings, the people, and all the vegetation in the plain. In verses 24 through 26, God completely destroys Sodom and its neighboring city Gomorrah, which had become infected by raging sin. Verse 24 says that "the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah" and verse 25 reveals that God "overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities -- and also the vegetation in the land."

 

Lot's wife disobeyed the angels, looked back, and turned into a pillar of salt.

As Lot and his family flee, however, Lot's wife disobeys instructions from one of the angels not to look back at the city -- and in the process, she becomes a "pillar of salt" (Bible scholars think that refers to her becoming covered by the molten minerals that were raining down on the area during the destruction). This shows the importance of taking God's instructions seriously and moving forward with full focus in the direction where God leads, toward a truly holy life.

 

 

My Points of Interest from the Story .

• God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous people, but none lived there. The Bible tells us all the inhabitants were depraved.
• One of the reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was because he did not want the Jews to be influenced by this evil. As the Creator of all things, God has the divine right to destroy evil as he sees fit.
• Lot and his family were spared, but his future sons-in-laws were destroyed because they thought Lot was joking about God's wrath. Millions of people today take God and sin to joke about. God does exist, and he does punish unrepentant sinners.
• Lot's wife, whose name is not given, became a pillar of salt. Why would God turn her into a pillar of salt? While salt has other associations in the Bible, it is often used as a symbol for death, destruction, judgment and disobedience. Although some scholars believe Lot's wife was covered with molten material.       

 

 

 

Question for Reflection

Similar to the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, evil is all around us in today's society, from lying and stealing to pornography, drugs, illicit sex, and violence. God calls us to be holy people set apart, not influenced by our wicked culture. Sin always has consequences. Do you take sin and God's wrath seriously?

 

Isn't the message of picture above is familiar with the world right now...