Gênesis 19
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 19
MacArthur - Both the size of the lustful mob of men boisterously milling around Lot's house and the widespread nature of Sodom's moral perversion received emphasis both from the additional qualifiers used ("all the people from every quarter" and "both young and old") and the request made (v. 5, "have relations with them"). Even acknowledging legitimate exaggeration in this use of "all" would not detract from this emphasis—this was indeed a wicked city! (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible page 40) Paul Apple Good Intentions Cannot Protect Against Compromise with Moral Depravity. Compromise with the World Puts One in Dangerous Situations. Steven
Gênesis 19
MacArthur - Lot's response betrayed tension in his ethics; his offer to gratify their sexual lust contradicted his plea not to act "wickedly." Such contradiction made clear also the vexation of spirit under which he lived in wicked Sodom (cf. 2Pe 2:6, 7) The constraints of Eastern hospitality and the very purpose for which Lot had invited the visitors in (Ge 19:2, 3), compelled Lot to offer his daughters for a less deviant (see Ro 1:24-27 [notes]) kind of wickedness, so as to protect his guests. This foolish effort shows that while Lot was right with God (2Pe 2:7, 8), he had contented himself with some sins and weak faith rather than leaving Sodom. But God was gracious to him because he was righteous, by faith, before God. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible page 40) Calvin said the trade-off is evil for evil , trying to “remedy one evil by means of another.” Wenstrom has an interesting note - In Mosaic Law, the violator of a betrothed or engaged woman’s sanctity was subject to death by stoning (Deut. 22:23-27). Therefore, by handing over his daughters to this mob of gay men would have implicated Lot in this crime and made him guilty and worthy of death in the eyes of God. On the other hand, if Lot hands over his guests, who he at this time, believes are merely mortal men, he would be guilty of a crime as well. If Lot hands himself over to the mob, there would be no one to protect his guests or his family. Therefore, Lot is caught between a rock and a hard place from the human perspective. But from the divine perspective, he should have cried out to the Lord in prayer to deliver him from this mob. The Lord would have delivered him since this was one of the reasons why the angels were sent to Sodom. So we see that Lot attempts to avoid the sin of the mob by committing sin and handing his daughters over to them. This compromise is another manifestation that Lot is under the influence of Satan’s cosmic system of evil. Bob Deffinbaugh: Lot’s response is typical of his spiritual state; it is a strange blend of courage and compromise, of strength of character and situationalism. The crowd demanded that Lot turn over his guests, an unthinkable violation of the protection guaranteed one who comes under the roof of your house. Lot stepped outside, closing the door behind him, hoping to defuse the situation. He pleaded with them not to act wickedly, and, just as we are about to applaud his courage, he offers to surrender his two daughters to the appetites of these depraved degenerates. How unthinkable! Lot’s virtue (his concern for his guests) has become a vice (a willingness to substitute his own daughters for strangers). (From City Councilman to Caveman) H Van Dyke Parunak: But sacrificing his daughters isn’t right! We see here the dilemma of those who try to enjoy the friendship of the world: they are caught in moral dilemmas in which there is no way to live godly. Consider once again 2 Pet 2:7, which says that he was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.” Vexation will be our lot as well if we allow ourselves to sympathize with the world. inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof - This is Lot's logic to save the two men is to seek to to uphold his honor by protecting his guests! Lot is taking his oriental hospitality obligated a host to protect his guests at all cost a bit too far. He is saying hospitality to strangers trumps protection of his family! This cost is not justified under any circumstance, which shows that Lot is not thinking like a righteous father who was to protect his daughters! He is willing to sacrifice his two daughters so that his "hospitality" to the two men would not be dishonored! NET NOTE - This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them. Bob Utley on Now behold, I have two daughters - These strangers had come under the "shelter of my roof" (literally, "shadow," BDB 853). This same term is used for "under the shadow of God's wing," which is a metaphor for protection and care (cf. Num. 14:9; Ps. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SHADOW AS A METAPHOR FOR PROTECTION AND CARE). Lot was obliged to protect his guests at any cost! This has been explained in various ways, but it remains an enigma concerning the motives of Lot. it was his ultimate desire to protect his guests (Oriental hospitality) he knew this mob did not desire women he was hoping his potential sons-in-law, who could have been in the crowd, would stop the mob at this point. This account is very similar to Jdg. 19:24. Norman Geisler - from When Cultists Ask - GENESIS 19:8—Was the sin of Sodom homosexuality or inhospitality? MISINTERPRETATION: Some have argued that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality, not homosexuality. They base this on the Canaanite custom that guarantees protection of those coming under one’s roof. Lot is alleged to have referred to it when he said, “Don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof” (Gen. 19:8b). So Lot offered his daughter to satisfy the angry crowd in order to protect the lives of the visitors who had come under his roof. And the request of the men of the city to “know” simply means “to get acquainted” (Gen. 19:7), since the Hebrew word know (yada) generally has no sexual connotations whatsoever (cf. Ps. 139:1). It is important to understand what Scripture says on this because certain New Agers such as Matthew Fox believe homosexuality is just as acceptable to the “cosmic Christ” as heterosexuality (see his book, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ). CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: (See comments on Ezekiel 16:49.) While it is true that the Hebrew word know (yada) does not necessarily mean “to have sex with,” nonetheless in the context of the text on Sodom and Gomorrah it clearly has this meaning. This is evident for several reasons. First of all, ten of the twelve times this word yada is used in Genesis it refers to sexual intercourse (for example, Gen. 4:1, 25). Second, it is used to refer to sexual intercourse in this very chapter. For Lot refers to his two virgin daughters as not having “known (yada) a man” (Ge 19:8) which is an obvious sexual use of the word. Third, the meaning of a word yada is discovered by the context in which it is used. And the context here is definitely sexual, as is indicated by the reference to the wickedness of the city (Ge 18:20) and the virgins offered to appease their passions (Ge 19:8). Fourth, “know” (yada) cannot mean simply “get acquainted with,” because it is equated with a “wicked thing” (Ge 19:7). Fifth, why offer the virgin daughters to appease them if their intent was not sexual? If the men had asked to “know” (yada) the virgin daughters no one would have mistaken their sexual intentions. QUESTION - Why did Lot offer up his daughters to be gang raped? Why did God allow Lot’s daughters to later have sex with their father? | WATCH THE VIDEO ANSWER - The first incident involving Lot’s daughters appears in Genesis 19:1–11. Two men who were really angels appeared in Sodom where Lot lived with his family. The wicked men of the city surrounded Lot’s house seeking to have homosexual relations with the angels. Lot begged the men of the city not to do this evil thing, and he offered up his two virgin daughters to them instead. The second incident (Genesis 19:30–38) occurs after Lot and his daughters had fled Sodom just before its destruction. Lot’s wife was destroyed for her disobedience during the journey, and Lot and his two daughters fled to live in a cave in a mountain. Afraid they would never have husbands or children in their hideout, Lot’s daughters plotted to make their father drunk so they could sleep with him and thereby assure that they would have children. To our modern sensibilities, it’s hard to understand why God would allow these two terrible incidents to occur. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that the record of the Old Testament is meant as an “example” to us. In other words, God gives us the whole truth about biblical characters, their sin, their failures, their victories and good deeds, and we are to learn from their example, what to do and what not to do. In fact, this is one of the ways God teaches us what we need to know in order to make good choices as believers. We can learn the easy way by knowing and obeying God’s Word, we can learn the hard way by suffering the consequences of our mistakes, or we can learn by watching others and “taking heed” from their experiences. Scripture does not reveal Lot’s reasoning for offering up his daughters. Whatever his thought process was, it was wrong and indefensible. Based on what is revealed about Lot’s life, one might wonder if he was righteous. However, there is no doubt that God had declared him to be positionally righteous, even during his time in Sodom. “And if God rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds)” (2 Peter 2:7–8). At some point Lot had believed in the coming Messiah, and that faith resulted in a righteous standing before God. It is likely that Lot’s uncle, Abraham, had passed this truth down to him. What we have in the story of Lot is an illustration of a man who once lived close to his godly relatives and had backslidden and was living according to his sin nature. Lot had moved to Sodom, even though he knew what it was, and he “sat in the gate” (Genesis 19:1). That sounds quite simple, but, in fact, sitting in the gate meant that Lot had so entered into the society of Sodom that he was a judge there (Genesis 19:9). In spite of his position, the men of Sodom had no respect for him because they knew he was a hypocrite. We may sit in judgment of the culture of that day, but protecting one’s guests required great sacrifice. Was Lot right to offer his own daughters in place of the men the Sodomites wanted? No. We can see in the story that the Lord’s messengers protected Lot and his daughters in spite of Lot’s lack of character and worldly viewpoint. Lot meant to appease the men of Sodom so that the hospitality of his house would not be damaged, but he makes the wrong choice in offering his own daughters, and God’s messengers overruled him. Genesis 19:31–32 tells us that Lot’s daughters believed there would be no man for them and no children. This may be because they saw the destruction of Sodom and believed they were the only people left on earth. They were trying to preserve the family line. Why did Lot have sex with his own daughters? He got drunk. Yes, his daughters conspired to get him drunk, but Lot willingly drank and, when he was drunk, he lost what little control and common sense he had (Genesis 19:30–38), and this is the final step in Lot’s backsliding. The lesson we can learn from this is, when a person has too much to drink, he does not make good choices and loses control of his morals and operates out of the sinful, carnal nature. As a result of the incest, two children were born, and those two children are the fathers of two nations that have been at odds with and the source of much suffering to Israel down through history. Why did God allow Lot to offer his daughters, and why did He allow them to commit incest? Sometimes God gives us His reasons for doing something but not very often. The more we get to know God, the more we understand Him and His reasons for doing things. But, again, this doesn’t always happen. We must be very careful when we ask why God does something and be sure we are not calling into question God Himself, His judgment, His character, and His very nature. The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). If God’s ways are “perfect,” then we can trust that whatever He does—and the reason for whatever He allows—is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God’s mind. It is true that we can’t expect to understand His mind perfectly, as He reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. we need to make choices that do not conform to the world and to submit to the Word of God Lot did the things he did because he chose to live in his old sin nature and do what was easy, and he made choices to flirt with evil instead of living to honor God. As a result, there was suffering for Lot, his wife and daughters, and, by association, the nation of Israel for years to come. The lesson for us is that we need to make choices that do not conform to the world and to submit to the Word of God, which will guide us into living lives that are pleasing to God. GotQuestions.org Genesis 19:9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. Stand aside: 1Sa 17:44 25:17 Pr 9:7,8 Isa 65:5 Jer 3:3 6:15 8:12 Mt 7:6 This one came in as an alien: Ge 13:12 Ex 2:14 Ac 7:26-28 2Pe 2:7,8 So they pressed hard against Lot: Ge 11:6 1Sa 2:16 Pr 14:16 17:12 27:3 Ec 9:3 10:13 Da 3:19-22 Genesis 19 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passage: Hebrews 11:9+ (ABRAHAM WAS THE TRUE "ALIEN"!) By faith he lived as an alien (paroikeo = living in a place without holding citizenship; living as a stranger, dwelling temporarily) in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; MOB REJECTS LOT'S OFF CALLING HIM AN ALIEN BUT NOT LIVING LIKE ONE! But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien (gur), and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” - Stand aside means basically "Get out of our way!" There is some irony in their saying he is acting like a judge because their Judge was in fact standing at the door about to pass sentence on the people of these two cities. Now they are ready to rape Lot and his family. For twenty years Lot had lived in Sodom, yet he was still seen as an alien to the men of the city. Paul Apple Community Relationships Can Go South in a Hurry When the Wicked are Consumed with Carnal Lusts! Thompson - This culture was so depraved that any talk of doing right led the majority to riot. As Mr. Phillips said, these people of Sodom did not view their behavior as criminal, but constitutional So they pressed hard (patsar) against Lot - Hebrew = “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.” Pressed hard (patsar) is the same verb used in Ge 19:3+ but here in translated with a different word in the Lxx, the verb parabiazomai, which means to use force or urge strongly. Liddell-Scott says it means to use violence against one. The tense of parabiazomai is imperfect indicating that the Sodomites were carrying out this action over and over! They wanted what they wanted and nothing (they thought!) could keep them from satisfying their perverted craving. THOUGHT - Learn from this that lustful cravings are powerful and will do most anything to be satisfied (cf Ro 6:12+). Have you ever experienced this strong power (albeit not necessarily in the way these men did), feeling that overwhelming urge to fulfill your desire whatever it was and even knowing that it was sin? The only power that can counter and defeat this strong natural power is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit (see Ro 8:13+). O Lord, may Your sons and daughters in America (and around the world) be continually filled with Your Spirit (Eph 5:18+) and Your Word (Col 3:16+), so that they might be enabled to walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desire (epithumia) of their flesh (Gal 5:16, 17+). For Your glory and honor and through Your Son Christ Jesus. Amen. This picture of them pressing hard to get into Lot's house and at these two men (they probably were very attractive "men") is depicted in Romans 1:27+ which says "and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." Notice the two vivid verbs - (1) burned (ekkaio) which means literally to be set aflame (what a clear picture of these men in Ge 19:9!) and (2) desire (orexis) used only the entire Bible in this description of homosexual men literally describing them as reaching out for something (how apropos this is to Ge 19:9) and figuratively describing a strong desire, especially sexual desire! This is "desire on steroids" so to speak! And came near to break (shabar) the door - The Lxx translates shabar with suntribo which means to cause destruction of something by making it come apart (by shattering, smashing or crushing) which emphasizes they were dominated by their fallen fleshly desires. It is worth noting that not only were the Sodomites not ashamed (probable seared consciences - 1Ti 4:2), they did not know how to blush (Jer 6:15, 8:12), and instead they actually flaunted their sins in public (does this sound familiar America) as described by Isaiah For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against His glorious presence. The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves (JUST AS SODOM HAD DONE!). (Isaiah 3:8-9+) Steven
Gênesis 19
MacArthur - Homosexual deviation carries an uncontrollable lust that defies restraint. Even when blinded, they tried to fulfill their lust. (Borrow MacArthur Study Bible page 40) John MacArthur added that "There was a man named Helpern (Milton Helpern was the most famous Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York —"a Sherlock Holmes with a microscope.") who was the coroner for the city of New York and he did, I think, 26-28,000 autopsies in his day. He said we can look at a corpse that had been murdered and tell you whether a homosexual killed that person by the multiple wounds. Hes not a Christian, he is Jewish and he said, Theres something about the passions of that kind of involvement that are not explicable.) From MacArthur's sermon in 2007 - A Nation Abandoned by God. Additional note from John MacArthur's commentary - In the United States and many other western countries it is not uncommon for homosexual males to have 300 partners a year. Even when relationships are on a friendly basis, the most bizarre acts imaginable are committed, and mutilation is common. In his biography (Where Death Delights the story of Dr. Milton Helpern and forensic medicine, by Marshall Houts) , the New York City forensic expert Dr. Milton Helpern, who makes no claim of being a Christian and avoids making moral judgments about homosexuality, nevertheless comments that, after having performed thousands of autopsies, he would warn anyone who chooses a homosexual lifestyle to be prepared for the consequences: “When we see … brutal, multiple wound cases in a single victim … we just automatically assume that we’re dealing with a homosexual victim and a homosexual attacker.… I don’t know why it is so, but it seems that the violent explosions of jealousy among homosexuals far exceed those of the jealousy of a man for a woman, or a woman for a man. The pent-up charges and energy of the homosexual relationship simply cannot be contained. When the explosive point is reached, the result is brutally violent.… But this is the ‘normal’ pattern of these homosexual attacks, the multiple stabbings, the multiple senseless beatings that obviously must continue long after the victim dies” (Page 268-269). William MacDonald (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary page 56) makes an important point - There is a difference between being a practicing homosexual and having a homosexual tendency. It is the practice that the Bible condemns, not the orientation. There are many who have an attraction to their own sex but refuse to give in to it. By the power of the Spirit, they have disciplined themselves to resist the temptation and to live in purity. Many Christian persons of homosexual orientation … have regarded their condition with sorrow and contrition, but, unable to change, have drawn on the Spirit for the power of forbearance and chastity, which is sanctification indeed.… In commitment to Christ, [they] have offered an enduring inner blemish for God’s use that divine power may be perfected in human weakness.(B J Sims - Sex and Homosexuality - not free) ....Christians should accept gays and lesbians as persons without approving their lifestyle. Because they are people for whom Christ died, believers should seek in every possible way to win them to a life of “holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14+). Blindness (05575)(sanverim) sudden blindness which refers to an inability to find one's way, inability to see properly. It is found only in Ge 19:11 and 2Ki 6:18, both times associated with angels (2Ki 6:17), both times resulting in rescue and both translated in Lxx with aorasia, the inability to see. Gilbrant - Attested in Jewish Aramaic with the meaning "to blind," this noun is used to describe sudden miraculous blinding. In Gen. 19:11, Lot's visitors strike the offensive men of the city blind after pulling Lot back behind the door of his house. In 2 Ki 6:18, the Arameans are struck with temporary blindness just as Elisha prays. Some scholars think the blindness was achieved by a bright flash, since some cognates mean "to dazzle." This could be one explanation for what seems to have been a blindness that wore off. (Complete Biblical Library) Wearied (03811)(laah) means to be weary, be impatient, be grieved, be offended, to be tired of something. Gilbrant - Occurring about twenty times in the Hebrew Bible, this verb has cognates attested in all branches of Semitic. The verb can mean "to be physically exhausted" (its exclusive semantic range in Middle Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic), but it usually refers to mental or emotional states. Physical exhaustion is nearly always expressed in contexts in which the reason for exhaustion hinges upon sin (an exception is Jer. 12:5). For example, lāʾāh is employed to describe the effort the Sodomite males made as they searched in their blindness, undeterred by this state, until they became physically exhausted in their quest to find Lot's door (Gen. 19:11). Yahweh accused the Judahites of continual slander to the point that they were too tired to repent (Jer. 5:5). This thought is found in the Targum, in a commentary on Isa. 1:14, as not only is Yahweh "tired of" (employing the same verb) the Judaeans' hypocritical worship, but He is tired of their wearing themselves out oppressing others and then falsely worshiping Yahweh. This same usage is attested as a personified Babylon wearied itself by excessive counsel from astrologers and diviners (via pagan rituals) concerning her coming fate (Isa. 47:13). Likewise, the Moabites wearied themselves in prayer to their gods to no avail (Isa. 16:12). Proverbs 26:15 presents the image of a lazy person, who is worn out by reaching into a dish to retrieve his food, to the extent that he cannot bring his hand to his mouth. An extension of the physical nuance is found in the metaphor of the land being weary from drought, though Yahweh brings rain when the people follow Him (Ps. 68:9). The semantic extension of emotional weariness dominates the usages of this verb in the Hebrew Bible. As in the English idiom, one can "become tired of" a number of circumstances. As noted above, Yahweh becomes tired of bearing the hypocritical worship of the Israelites, coming on the heels of their oppressive acts (Isa. 1:14). Indeed, Yahweh became tired of putting off bringing the covenant curses upon Jerusalem for the continual violation of the covenant by the people (Jer. 15:6). One can be emotionally unable to sustain particular burdens. Yahweh's condemnation of the people was something that Jeremiah, as the legal mouthpiece of Yahweh, was unable to contain (Jer. 6:11). Further, this same prophet, in the course of a complaint to Yahweh concerning the slow realization of his prophecies and the abusive treatment the prophet received at the hands of the people, stated that he had tried to keep the prophecies, the message of Yahweh, to himself. He wrote "There is a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in; indeed, I cannot" (Jer. 20:9). A related nuance centers upon this sense of helplessness. Job was helpless before Yahweh—hardly his equal (Job 16:7). Laah - 19x/18v - become impatient(1), exhausted(1), find difficulty(1), impatient(1), parched(1), tired(2), try the patience(2), wearied(4), wearies(1), weary(5). Gen. 19:11; Exod. 7:18; Job 4:2; Job 4:5; Job 16:7; Ps. 68:9; Prov. 26:15; Isa. 1:14; Isa. 7:13; Isa. 16:12; Isa. 47:13; Jer. 6:11; Jer. 9:5; Jer. 12:5; Jer. 15:6; Jer. 20:9; Ezek. 24:12; Mic. 6:3 Genesis 19:12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; Whom else have you here: Ge 7:1 Nu 16:26 Jos 6:22,23 Jer 32:39 2Pe 2:7,9 son: Ge 19:14,17,22 Rev 18:4 Genesis 19 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries ANGELS TELL LOT TO MAKE QUICK EXIT FROM SODOM Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? (Do you have) A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place - Angels instruct Lot to get his family together and get out of Sodom! The angels know who is going to be rescued, so this is not for them as much as it is for Lot. For example, note the phrase whomever you have in the city which is a reminder to Lot that his witness has resulted in no one in the city who could be rescued! Their question leaves open the possibility that Lot did have sons and also possibly even more daughters, but we cannot know for sure. What we can know for certain is if there were other children in Sodom, they were doomed! THOUGHT - Who is there in your family, your social or work circles, your city, etc, who is going to be rescued from the wrath to come (Mt 3:7+, Lk 3:7+, 1Th 1:10+) because of your testimony? Lord, let us not be such ineffective witnesses like Lot that there is no one in heaven because of our testimony down here. Father, enable us by Your Spirit to be above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom we appear as lights in the world, and rescue many who see Your light shining through us. (Php 2:15+) In Jesus' Name. Amen Genesis 19:13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” their outcry: Ge 13:13 18:20 Jas 5:4 LORD has sent us to destroy it: 1Ch 21:15,16 Ps 11:5,6 Isa 3:11 36:10 37:36 Eze 9:5,6 Mt 13:41,42,49,50 Ac 12:23 Ro 3:8,9 Jude 1:7 Rev 16:1-12 Genesis 19 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries REASON FOR QUICK EXIT For - One of those crucial terms of explanation. Explains to Lot why he needs to leave quickly. We are about to destroy (shachath; Lxx = apollumi) this place - Destruction that would lay Sodom to waste was on the horizon! It is notable that God did not warn the wicked, for they had reached the limit of His patience and mercy. Because - This term of explanation explains why Sodom was about to be destroyed which was part of the mission of the angels. The first part was a retribution operation, the second part a rescue operation of righteous, backslidden Lot. Their outcry (tseaqah; Lxx - krauge) has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy (shachath) it - "Time's up!" Sodom's iniquity is "compete" or filled to the brim (and even overflowing)! (cf Ge 15:16+). The outcry was not by the Sodomites who loved their sin, nor was it likely by Lot who had "acclimated" to the sin, even though it tormented him. The idea seems to be that the sin is personified as crying out it is so evil and so prevalent (like Abel's blood personified as crying to God from the ground - Ge 4:10+). Note the LORD's judgment was destruction but it would be these two angels who would carry it out. Destroy (07843) shachath means to decay, to go to ruin, to corrupt, to destroy (Sodom and Gomorrah = Ge 13:10, Ge 18:28, 31-32), to lay waste (Egypt from swarms of flies -Ex 8:24). Shachath is used of Israelites who worshiped the golden calf (Ex 32:7; Dt 9:12; 32:5, Hos 9:9). God warned He would destroy Israel if they were turned away from following Him (Nu 32:15). Shachath describes Israel's behavior as more corrupt after a judge died (Jdg 2:19). Shāchath is used to describe the action of annihilation, for example, the action associated with the flood (Gen. 6:17), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (19:13), the extermination of the Ammonites (2 Sam. 11:1), the devastation of Zion (Lam. 2:8) and the end of Babylon (Jer. 51:11). Buildings (48:18), land (Judg. 6:5), walls (2 Sam. 20:15), a spring (Prov. 25:26) and plants (Nah. 2:2) are among objects which are destroyed by actions expressed by this verb. Shachath in Pentateuch - The flood in Genesis 6 & 9 = Gen. 6:11; Gen. 6:12; Gen. 6:13; Gen. 6:17; Gen. 9:11; Gen. 9:15; Gen. 13:10; Gen. 18:28; Gen. 18:31; Gen. 18:32; Gen. 19:13; Gen. 19:14; Gen. 19:29; Gen. 38:9; Exod. 8:24; Exod. 12:13; Exod. 12:23; Exod. 21:26; Exod. 32:7; Lev. 19:27; Num. 32:15; Deut. 4:16; Deut. 4:25; Deut. 4:31; Deut. 9:12; Deut. 9:26; Deut. 10:10; Deut. 20:19; Deut. 20:20; Deut. 31:29; Deut. 32:5 Outcry (06818) tseaqah refers to a cry, an outcry, a call for help, a cry of wailing and despair. E.g., tseaqah described the cries of outrage regarding sin that went up against Sodom and Gomorrah (Ge 18:21; Ge 19:13). As a leader, Moses faced numerous difficult situations which caused him to cry out in desperation to Yahweh for direction (cf. Ex 17:4). John Butler - Destruction of Sodom. God destroyed Sodom where Lot and his family were living. Ten righteous souls could have spared Sodom from destruction; but ten righteous souls were not found in Sodom. Debauchery causing the destruction: the chief sin was homosexuality which demonstrated its awful vileness in trying to sodomize Lot’s heavenly visitors. Declaration about the destruction: an urgent warning to Lot to leave Sodom because of its impending doom. Deliverance from destruction: Lot, his wife, and two daughters were practically dragged out of Sodom by the heavenly guests. Details of the destruction: a horrible but quick destruction of everything by fire and brimstone. Disobedience during the destruction: Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Defilement after the destruction: the two daughters of Lot became pregnant through incest with Lot. Genesis 19:14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. who were to marry his daughters: Mt 1:18 Up, get out : Ge 19:17,22 Nu 16:21,26,45 Jer 51:6 Lu 9:42 Rev 18:4-8 he appeared: Ex 9:21 12:31 2Ch 30:10 36:16 Pr 29:1 Isa 28:22 Jer 5:12-14 Jer 20:7 Eze 20:49 Mt 9:24 Lu 17:28-30 24:11 Ac 17:32 1Th 5:3 Genesis 19 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: 2 Corinthians 5:20+ (WHAT LOT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN SODOM) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 1 Peter 2:12+ Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation (THIS WAS NOT LOT'S EFFECT ON THE PAGANS WHO HAD THE VISITATION OF 2 OF GOD'S MESSENGERS AND HAD SEEN THEIR POWER!). SON IN LAWS THINK LOT IS JOKING Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry (literally the takers of) his daughters - His sons-in-law were pledged to marry his daughters this would signify a formal marriage contract which was binding (this assumes there is still some ethical standard in Sodom) and thus the husbands-to-be could already be called his sons-in-law. Bob