1381 - Sabbath School - 12.May Thu

Believes Unasp - Sabbath School

Lot in Sodom
Read Genesis 18:16–19:29. How does Abraham’s prophetic ministry
affect his responsibility toward Lot?
God’s promise of a son to Abraham has just been reconfirmed. Yet,
instead of enjoying the good news, he engages God in a passionate dis-
cussion about the fate of Lot in Sodom. Abraham not only is a prophet
to whom God reveals His will; but he also is a prophet who intercedes
on behalf of the wicked. The Hebrew phrase “stood before the Lord”
(Gen. 18:22, NKJV) is an idiom for praying.
In fact, Abraham challenges God and bargains with Him to save
Sodom, where his nephew resides. Moving from 50 down to 10, God
would have saved the people of Sodom if only 10 Sodomites had been
righteous.
Of course, when we read the story of what happened when the two
angels came to Lot to warn him of what was coming (Gen. 19:1–10),
we can see just how sick and evil the people had become. It truly was
a wicked place, as were many of the nations around them; one reason
why, eventually, they were driven from the land (see Gen. 15:16).
“And now the last night of Sodom was approaching. Already the
clouds of vengeance cast their shadows over the devoted city. But men
perceived it not. While angels drew near on their mission of destruc-
tion, men were dreaming of prosperity and pleasure. The last day was
like every other that had come and gone. Evening fell upon a scene of
loveliness and security. A landscape of unrivaled beauty was bathed
in the rays of the declining sun. The coolness of eventide had called
forth the inhabitants of the city, and the pleasure-seeking throngs were
passing to and fro, intent upon the enjoyment of the hour.”—Ellen G.
White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 157, 158.
In the end, God saved only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters (Gen.
19:15), almost half the minimum of 10. The sons-in-law, who did not
take Lot’s warning seriously, remained in the city (Gen. 19:14).
That beautiful country was, then, destroyed. The Hebrew verb hafakh,
“overthrew,” occurs several times in this passage (Gen. 19:21, 25, 29) and
characterizes the destruction of Sodom (Deut. 29:23, Amos 4:11). The
idea is that the country has been “reversed.” Just as the Flood “reversed”
the original creation (Gen. 6:7), the destruction of Sodom is a “reversal”
of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 13:10). In the destruction of Sodom, we are
given a precursor of end-time destruction, as well (see Jude 7).