Year 1, Week 4, Day 5 Bible Reading Observations

Year 1, Week 4, Day 5

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Genesis 19-20.

Today’s reading is still tracking the life of Abraham, However, today’s reading opens first with the account of destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the escape of Lot and his immediate family; and the tragic incident within Lot’s family, along with its consequences. Abraham re-emerges before today’s reading is completed as we are provided an account of Abraham, for reasons of self-protection, once again stating that Sarah is his sister.

What struck me from today’s reading is what it reveals about God’s response to human wickedness. The wicked will be judged: “The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.” (Psalm 110:5-6). The LORD revealed His intentions for Sodom to Abraham: “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21). In language that is perhaps adjusted for human comprehension, the LORD, who already knows everything, indicates that He has received intel on Sodom and Gomorrah, and He is heading there to verify what He has heard. The LORD is showing us that He takes sin and wickedness seriously, but He is poised in His reaction. The LORD never does anything—even the unleashing of His wrath—without being composed.

It was as the LORD had heard. Once Lot and his family were removed from Sodom, the LORD judged: “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (Genesis 19:24-25). And yet, while the LORD’s response to wickedness is deliberate and extensive, He does not completely delete or eliminate wickedness from the face of the earth. Some of the wickedness percolating in Sodom escaped to live and perform another day: “Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.” (Genesis 19:36-38). Reminiscent of the aftermath of Noah and his family having been spared from God’s judgment, drunkenness becomes the occasion of curse. For now, the heritage of Sodom and Gomorrah was preserved: “Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah,” (Zephaniah 2:9).

While wickedness is still not currently eliminated, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serve as, “an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6). Sodom and Gomorrah even serve as labels that the prophet Isaiah used for the leaders of Israel as a means of awakening them to the consequences of their disobedience: “Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!” (Isaiah 1:10). The LORD does not maliciously call people names, but He does invoke strong words to arouse us: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). Wickedness is not currently eliminated because the LORD is patient. But we should not confuse patience with neglect or indifference: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10).

While wickedness still exists, life is fraught with fearfulness. Abraham illustrates how quickly fear can overgrow in our hearts as we face a world that does not properly fear God: “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” (Genesis 20:11). Abraham resorted to a previously tried method of self-protection when he felt his life was in danger (see Genesis 12). With this incident, the text does clarify that Abraham was half-right, but we are reminded that Abraham, the one who did trust God; nevertheless, possessed a faith that stood in need of strengthening. Trusting in the LORD is a dynamic not static experience. Our confession of: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3), ebbs and flows. For faith to grow and develop, it needs a proper focus: the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which directs us, “to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe