F. Genesis 18:22 – And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom
1. Yĕhovah yet stood before Abraham. Appendix 33 Companion Bible
2. If we approach this verse with the view that each men represented a third of the Godhead, the two that are leaving toward Sodom
3. The 1st of 18 emendations of the Sopherim or Scribes
a. The Sopherim (or scribes) were authorized revisers of the sacred text; and their work being completed, the Massorites were authorized custodians of it. Their work was to preserve it. The Massorah is called “A fence to the scriptures,” because it locked all words and letters in their places. It does not contain notes or comments as such, but facts and phenomena. It records the number of times the several letters occur in the various books of the Bible; the number of words, and the middle word; the number of verses and the middle verse; the number of expressions and combinations of words. All this not from a perverted ingenuity, but for the set purpose of safeguarding the sacred text, and preventing the loss or misplacement of a single letter or word.
b. A note in the Massorah against several passages in manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible states a phrase translated as: “This is one of eighteen emendations of the Sopherim”
c. These emandations were made at a period long before Christ, before the Hebrew text had obtained its present settled form, and these emandations affect the Anthropopatheia (Ascribing to God what is human)
G. Genesis 18:23 – And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
1. Abraham knew what the “men” were on their way to do without being told
2. Shows that Abraham was in fact not “standing” for how can one draw near while standing?
a. God was the one standing, waiting on Abraham to “draw near.”
H. Genesis 18:24 – Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that [are] therein?
1. Curious about the pause between the first and second question, did Abraham ask immediately or was there an awkward moment between questions.
2. If there was an actual pause, the Lord holds His peace allowing Abraham to continue with the thought by asking a secondary question.
3. Why does Abraham start with 50 here rather than say just 1?
a. Abraham asked in the previous verse “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?’ and God did not answer, Abraham must have taken this as a queue that it was up for negotiation, but one was not God’s starting point.
b. What is Abraham really negotiating for? It’s most likely that he is thinking of Lot and his family, but it appears that he doesn’t want to appear only concerned for his family so he starts with a higher number.
· Obviously, by the continued dialogue Abraham had his doubts that there were 50 righteous otherwise this would have been the end of the conversation.
I. Genesis 18:25 – 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?
1. As if God really needed to hear this, compare the interaction with Abraham and God to children and parents.
2. Quite a bold thing to do on Abraham’s part, but another revelation of God’s character in that He tolerates it.
J. Genesis 18:26 – And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom
1. This really wasn’t a negotiation; God already knew what threshold would keep Him from destroying the cities, He doesn’t respond to Abraham with a counter offer, only that He would do as Abraham requests.
a. The only negotiation taking place is Abraham with himself in determining how many he should ask for.
b. God is content just to grant Abraham’s request without a counter offer
c. Is there a threshold today that will commence the Lord’s Day of judgement?
2. Matthew 5:13 - Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
a. Salt is a preservative, as salt preserves meat so too do the followers of Christ preserve the world.
b. As the salt becomes less salty the meat becomes rancid, as Christians become more conformed to the world the world deteriorates into a rotten state.
c. Sodom Sodom
K. Genesis 18:27 – And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which [am but] dust and ashes:
L. Genesis 18:28 – 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].
M. Genesis 18:29 – 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.
N. Genesis 18:30 – 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.
O. Genesis 18:31 – 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.
P. Genesis 18:32 – 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.
1. The Lord’s answer’s were as follows:
a. If I find in Sodom
b. If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy [it].
c. I will not do [it] for forty's sake.
d. I will not do [it], if I find thirty there.
e. I will not destroy [it] for twenty's sake.
f. I will not destroy [it] for ten's sake.
· First time that God repeats the FORM of His answer, could be what indicates to Abraham that 10 was the limit.
· If so, shows how closely Abraham listened to God.
Q. Genesis 18:33 – And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
1. The Lord’s departure is a good indication that ten was the number
2. We already know what the answer is.
a. Ecclesiastics 7:20 - For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
b. Psalm 14:3 - They are all gone aside, they are [all] together become filthy: [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.
c. Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
I. The Rescue of Lot’s Family (Genesis 19:1-23)
A. Genesis 19:1 – And there came two angels to Sodom Lot sat in the gate of Sodom Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
1. Angels - מלאך mal'ak, messenger, representative…translated angel 111 times, messenger 98 times and ambassador 4 times. When used of God’s representatives it is normally translated angel, when man’s representative it’s normally translated messenger. Every time the word angel or angels appears in the Old Testament it is this word except twice:
a. Psalm 8:5 - For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
· Angels - אלהים 'elohiym, this word appears in the Old Testement over 2500 times, of that 2,346 times its translated as God. This is the only occurrence where it is translated as Angels.
· Quoted in the New Testament: Hebrews 2:7 - Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
o Angels - ἄγγελος aggelos, a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God. Translated angel 179 times, messenger 7 times
o It appears to revert back to the generic word meaning messenger in Greek rather than taking on something more significant as it does in the Psalms.
b. Psalm 68:17 - The chariots of God [are] twenty thousand, [even] thousands of angels: the Lord [is] among them, [as in] Sinai, in the holy [place].
· Angels - שנאן shin'an, repetitions, twice-told repetition, twice ten thousands, thousands of repetitions, twice-told thousands. Why did the translators use Angels here?
2. Sodom
3. Sat in the gate of Sodom Lot was serving as a judge of some sort. The sixth and final step of Lot ’s downfall the previous 5 are described in chapters 13 & 14.
4. At even - ערב `ereb, evening, night, sunset
5. Lot humbled himself bowing to the ground - no correction from the angels given which could lead one to the conclusion that they were worthy of Lot’s worship, the only being worthy of our worship is God.
B. Genesis 19:2 - 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.
1. My lords – אדון 'adown, 1) firm, strong, lord, master 2) reference to God
2. Street – רחב rĕchob, broad or open place or plaza
C. Genesis 19:3 - 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.
1. Lot is aware of the danger of remaining in the street, another indication that Lot is living in compromise in that he is aware of the corruption and yet remains in the city.
a. Begs the question why? Is Lot ’s decision to remain in Sodom
2. Unleavened bread – מצה matstsah, feminine noun
3. feast – משתה mishteh, feast, drink, banquet
4. They ate – here again, why? Possibly to mask their cover, remember they are there looking for 10 righteous.
D. Genesis 19:4 - But before they lay down, the men of the city, [even] the men of Sodom
1. All the people, Old and Young – not just youthful indiscretion but all the people.
a. This makes determining the number of righteous much easier since they were all apparently circling the house
b. This gives a visual of similar to “Night of the Living Dead” where people are zombies, slaves to their sin.
2. Remember Lot holds some sort of official capacity in Sodom Sodom Sodom
a. In order to live under such circumstances Lot had to be living a lifestyle of compromise, allowing this sort of thing to happen under his watch
b. How can Lot ’s corruption of that day be compared to the corruption we see all around us in government as well as business?
c. If Lot wasn’t Abraham’s nephew would he have been rescued?
E. Genesis 19:5 - 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.
1. “Know” doesn’t mean sit down and have a cup of coffee, we won’t go into detail, but the cries that God referred to would stem from these actions.
2. There is some truth behind the saying “mob mentality”
3. There are many sayings we tell our kids about the danger being influenced by others:
a. “Don’t hang out with the wrong crowd”
b. “If everyone jumped off a cliff would you jump too?”
c. Proverbs 1:10 – My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
F. Genesis 19:6 - And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
1. Indicates that Lot had familiarity with these people and thought that he would be able to reason with them. His miscalculation may be the difference between negotiating on the individual level versus the irrational responses from a mob. Individually most people can be reasonable, but a mob takes on a life of its own as if the spiritual puppet masters of darkness can harness the wickedness and alter the normal thought process. History proves that mobs are capable of tremendous evils.
2. How is this situation similar to some of the issues that we face in the world today? Here are a few examples of how individuals are mistreated for the benefit of the masses:
a. A poor family can’t make the mortgage payments due to unfortunate circumstances, their home is foreclosed and goes up for auction…People swarm to the auction to get a “deal” with no sympathy whatsoever for the family losing their home.
b. A city wants to build a strip mall but there are several houses on the land they want to use and the homeowners are refusing to sell. The city claims eminent domain forcing the homeowners to sell. The rest of the town is happy that they will now have a strip mall.
c. A certain country X is a major importer of goods to the country Y. It is widely known by country Y that this country X engages in slave labor and child labor, yet the citizens of country Y continue to purchase country Xs products because they are much cheaper.
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