Genesis 19: Destruction of Sodom
The two angels of the previous chapter appear in Sodom where Lot, Abraham's nephew, is living with his family. They attracted the attention of the men of Sodom (Sodomites) who wanted to have sex with them. Lot offered his daughters in their place but the Sodomites were not interested. The angels protected Lot by blinding the men. This incident provoked the angels to declare that the city was lost. The angels forcibly removed Lot, his wife and two unmarried daughters from the city. Then came the destruction.
The destruction of the cities of the plain is plainly evident, even today. Almost pure sulfur balls still dot the area, the land is scorched to ash, a once bountiful agricultural area can grow nothing and the sea is a dead pool of salt and other chemicals. Lots wife probably tried to return to the city and was killed and encrusted in salt (Coffman). Lot and his daughters escaped to Zoar and then to the mountains. In a mountain cave, Lot’s daughters got him drunk and had sex with him to propagate their lineage which eventually resulted in the Moabite and Ammonite tribes, two bitter enemies of the Jews.
What a sensational story. Sodom and the other cities of the plain that were destroyed look forward to the coming destruction of our world once it becomes even more evil than it is today. Sin is progressive – it accumulates and grows exponentially until it destroys everything that is good and then destroys itself. The angels had to force Lot to leave the city – such is sin's attraction that it blinds us to the right path. All the cities of the plain, except Zoar, were destroyed. Evidently they were as evil as Sodom. Sin is contagious. It is interesting how the negative connotation of the word “sodomite” as survived for these several thousand years. Lot’s wife is an example of the lure and danger of turning back to sin. Sin is attractive and deadly.
Finally, such is the effect of a righteous man’s prayer for a sinner – even Lot was saved against his will by the petitions of Abraham. “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.” (James 5:16)
