The Contrast of Righteousness and Wickedness
Genesis 19:1–5 (NASB95)
1Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” 3Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.”
Genesis 19 begins with a stark contrast between Abraham, Lot, and the people of Sodom. Abraham’s hospitality is characterized by honor and generosity as he welcomes the strangers visiting Sodom with dignity. Further, Abraham intercedes for all the citizens of Sodom.
In contrast, Lot greets the two angels at the city gate. Whereas his hospitality is sincere he is also anxious; he bows low and insists that the visitors come into his home. Why? Because Lot knows that harm will befall them if they stay in the city square. This also explains why Lot offers them unleavened bread. It is quick to make, which will prompt the visitors to leave the city quickly before the Sodomites can harm them.
Lot’s actions show he wants to do what is right, but he lacks the strength of character that Abraham has, as we will see. While Lot tries to protect the visitors, he also accepts the Sodomites and their wicked ways. Remember the sermon from a couple of weeks ago: acceptance of worldly ways that conflict with God’s plan is not a path forward for the church. We will see precisely how acceptance plays out and how it has a negative effect on Lot and his family as we continue reading the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative.
The residents of Sodom are wholly opposed to God; hostile, predatory, and utterly corrupt. They are only concerned with the gratification of their own desires, even at the expense of their neighbors. To make matters worse, the scriptures tell us that every generation had become corrupt. The children have been taught the sins of their fathers.
Now that these facts have been established, what will God do to preserve justice and protect the innocent? The account will show us.
The church today must seek righteousness, justice, and hospitality, as Abraham did. We must not let the world’s way of life influence our actions or hearts. We should teach our children to follow God and break the cycle of generational sin. The church should be a safe place of justice and love for everyone. But to accomplish this, we must stand against darkness. We must act promptly to protect the vulnerable. God calls us to be different from the world, not to accept or resemble it. Let us demonstrate both the love and righteousness of Christ in all we do.
Here is the last question I want to leave you with. Through our Genesis study, we have been building on the thesis that the Gospel, that Christ, is present in the book of Genesis. If that is true, where do we find Christ in the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative? This will be part of what we discuss this coming Sunday in our church wide Bible study. You want to be there; don’t miss it!