UNDERSTANDING GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PART OF THE BIBLE PART 7. The Goodness of God in the Time/Experience of Sodom and Gomorrah
The goodness of God is eternal. God is good all the time . This has being the nature of God even before the beginning. God can’t change. Humans will always change but God cannot.
Kindly read the previous parts of this series for proper understanding of this part . Click the links below to read them.
The gospel is centered on the goodness of God . Wrath and destruction is always seen in men’s choice of rejecting the goodness of God .
Romans 1
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Notice the gospel is about Jesus. This gospel is seen in promissory form in the speakings of the prophet in the scriptures ( Genesis to Malachi). This same message of the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Notice the power of God is unto salvation not unto destruction. In this gospel, we have the righteousness of God from faith in promissory form to faith as a reality after the resurrection of Jesus. Notice verse 18, The wrath of God” is seen in men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. These men simply reject the love of God there by drawing wrath unto themselves. The wrath of God is not because God has wrath. It is simply the rejection of the love of God. This was also buttressed in the last post when we saw the case of Noah. We saw that destruction is always seen in the wickedness of men who reject the love of salvation from of God and salvation from God. God does not and will never have hand in any form of destruction or killing. This same thing is applied to people perishing today because they refuse to believe in Jesus and receive the life of God that is made available for them in Christ. Moses carefully selected his stories to teach salvation through faith in Christ and the consequences of rejecting that salvation.
Now let’s look at what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. note
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. note
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.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
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.
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.
Notice the conversation between the angel of God(The Lord) and Abraham in verse 20 and 21 of Chapter 18. He told Abraham He has come to see if the things which were cried against Sodom and Gomorrah were true. Here Abraham had the opportunity to intercede and stand in for the land . Abraham failed in his intercession. When Abraham got to 5 persons in his intercession, he would have as well said one person. Notice it was Abraham that first use the word ‘destroy’ in verse 23.
Genesis 19
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.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham already knew that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were worthy of destruction. Kindly read chapter 19 posted above carefully. Remember destruction is always seen in the rejection of the love of God. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their rejection of God and their wickedness. An incident with Lot’s in-laws shows us how these people have rejected God . Lot spoke to them about this destruction but they never listened. They rejected deliverance from God.
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.
Lot’s son in-laws saw the message as mockery. They never accepted. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that they wanted to sleep with the angels that came to see Lot. It was not God that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is the consequence of sin and death. Where we see God is his angels coming to see and the deliverance provided by them. The city was so worthy of destruction that they even wanted to sleep with the angels in Lot’s house . Lot’s in-laws are used to show us how the people rejected deliverance from God. This caused their destruction. Remember Moses was writing to teach salvation through faith which is in Christ. The children of Israel already know most of these stories. Moses selected particular stories to teach salvation in Christ and showed us that in the rejection of that salvation lies destruction. Let’s see what Jesus said about Sodom and Gomorrah and what the apostles taught about it in the epistles.
Matthew 11
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Matthew 10
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Note
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
4 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
3 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
4 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
6 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
5 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
7 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
6 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
8 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
7 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
9 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
8 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city
The first context where Jesus referenced Sodom and Gomorrah was in upgrading cities that did not believe despite His mighty works in those cities. This further portrays to us that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a result of their unbelief and rejection of God.
Jesus also referenced these two cities in sending the twelve disciples out in Matthew 10. Notice what He said ; Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Jesus compared the cities that will not accept the message of the apostles to Sodom and Gomorrah. This further portrays that destruction is in the rejection of the salvation God provides. Destruction is not and can never be of God. Where we see God is in saving men. These same men are destroyed when they refused to be saved .
2 Peter 2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. note
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
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:
10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
Peter in talking about false prophets who are not born again referenced Sodom and Gomorrah with Noah. Before this , peter referenced the angels who rebelled against the will of God for them. God didn’t spare them. In other words , God allowed the consequences of their action on them . Same thing happened in the time of Noah and Lot. God delivered Noah and Lot. Then the other men who rejected God’s deliverance were destroyed because of their wickedness.
In summary, we have seen that God doesn’t have any hand in destruction. This same God is portrayed to us in Christ. When Jesus walked the earth, He did not send fire on any city. He was busy doing good. The climax of the good was that Jesus was killed by the very men He came to save. This is our God. He saves to the uttermost. His anger is His power in saving men. When God comes for you, it is to save . God came for Paul and he got saved and started preaching the very faith he once persecuted. If men out of their wickedness rejects His salvation, they will see wrath created by a rejection of God’s goodness in salvation. This wrath is a just punishment of men in unbelief. This same thing applies when we preach the gospel today . We are like Noah who was a preacher of righteousness. Men who reject the goodness of Jesus will surely perish because of their wickedness in rejecting a free gift of life in Christ.
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BY EMEKE MODESTY OBIAZIKWOR
www.emekemodesty.com
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