Life Walk Lesson 4: God is Just
As we get to know God through the Scriptures, we come to understand what we can expect from God because of how He walked with others. We have learned, from Scripture, that all evil will be removed, and righteousness will remain. Let’s continue to see how God feels about justice, and what His children learned to expect of Him in this regard.
The Account from the Book of Genesis
Genesis 18 [AMP]
1 “Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks [or: terebinths] of Mamre; as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day,
2 he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood at a little distance from him. He ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the ground
3 and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you.
4 Let a little water be brought, and you may wash your feet and recline and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel [mouthful] of bread to refresh and sustain your hearts before you go on further—for that is why you have come to your servant. And they replied, Do as you have said.
6 So Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly get ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and bake cakes.
7 And Abraham ran to the herd and brought a calf tender and good and gave it to the young man [to butcher]; then he [Abraham] hastened to prepare it.
8 And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had made ready, and set it before [the men]; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, [She is here] in the tent.
10 [The Lord] said, I will surely return to you when the season comes round, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah was listening and heard it at the tent door which was behind Him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; it had ceased to be with Sarah as with [young] women. [She was past the age of childbearing].
12 Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become aged shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband), being old also?
13 And the Lord asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I really bear a child when I am so old?
14 Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son.
15 Then Sarah denied it, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh.
16 The men rose up from there and faced toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do,
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him and shall bless themselves by him?
19 For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him.
20 And the Lord said, Because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is exceedingly grievous,
21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether [as vilely and wickedly] as is the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.
22 Now the [two] men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
23 And Abraham came close and said, Will You destroy the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) together with the wicked?
24 Suppose there are in the city fifty righteous; will You destroy the place and not spare it for [the sake of] the fifty righteous in it?
25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as do the wicked! Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth execute judgment and do righteously?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in the city of Sodom fifty righteous (upright and in right standing with God), I will spare the whole place for their sake.
27 Abraham answered, Behold now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord.
28 If five of the fifty righteous should be lacking—will You destroy the whole city for lack of five? He said, If I find forty-five, I will not destroy it.
29 And [Abraham] spoke to Him yet again, and said, Suppose [only] forty shall be found there. And He said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
30 Then [Abraham] said to Him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak [again]. Suppose [only] thirty shall be found there. And He answered, I will not do it if I find thirty there.
31 And [Abraham] said, Behold now, I have taken upon myself to speak [again] to the Lord. Suppose [only] twenty shall be found there. And [the Lord] replied, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 And he said, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again only this once. Suppose ten [righteous people] shall be found there. And [the Lord] said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
33 And the Lord went His way when He had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.”
Genesis 19
1 “It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at Sodom’s [city] gate. Seeing them, Lot rose up to meet them and bowed to the ground.
2 And he said, My lords, turn aside, I beg of you, into your servant’s house and spend the night and bathe your feet. Then you can arise early and go on your way. But they said, No, we will spend the night in the square.
3 [Lot] entreated and urged them greatly until they yielded and [with him] entered his house. And he made them a dinner [with drinking] and had unleavened bread which he baked, and they ate.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, all the men from every quarter, surrounded the house.
5 And they called to Lot and said, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know (be intimate with) them.
6 And Lot went out of the door to the men and shut the door after him
7 and said, I beg of you, my brothers, do not behave so wickedly.
8 Look now, I have two daughters who are virgins; let me, I beg of you, bring them out to you, and you can do as you please with them. But only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.
9 But they said, Stand back! And they said, This fellow came in to live here temporarily, and now he presumes to be [our] judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they rushed at and pressed violently against Lot and came close to breaking down the door.
10 But the men [the angels] reached out and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door after him.
11 And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness [which dazzled them], from the youths to the old men, so that they wearied themselves [groping] to find the door.
12 And the [two] men asked Lot, Have you any others here—sons-in-law or your sons or your daughters? Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place,
13 for we will spoil and destroy [Sodom]; for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will spoil and destroy this city! But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be [only] joking.
15 When morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here [and be off], lest you [too] be consumed and swept away in the iniquity and punishment of the city.
16 But while he lingered, the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, for the Lord was merciful to him; and they brought him forth and set him outside the city and left him there.
17 And when they had brought them forth, they said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in the whole valley; escape to the mountains [of Moab], lest you be consumed.
18 And Lot said to them, Oh, not that, my lords!
19 Behold now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your kindness and mercy to me in saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.
20 See now yonder city; it is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape to it! Is it not a little one? And my life will be saved!
21 And [the angel] said to him, See, I have yielded to your entreaty concerning this thing also; I will not destroy this city of which you have spoken.
22 Make haste and take refuge there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar [little].
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.
25 He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Abraham went up early the next morning to the place where he [only the day before] had stood before the Lord.
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and saw, and behold, the smoke of the country went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29 When God ravaged and destroyed the cities of the plain [of Siddim], He [earnestly] remembered Abraham [imprinted and fixed him indelibly on His mind], and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities where Lot lived.
30 And Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31 The elder said to the younger, Our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth to live with us in the customary way.
32 Come, let us make our father drunk with wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.
33 And they made their father drunk with wine that night, and the older went in and lay with her father; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.
34 Then the next day the firstborn said to the younger, See here, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drunk with wine tonight also, and then you go in and lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring (our race) through our father.
35 And they made their father drunk with wine again that night, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37 The older bore a son, and named him Moab [of a father]; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38 The younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi [son of my people]; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.”
Additional Reading: The Account from the Ancient Book of Jasher
The corroborating account, in The Ancient Book of Jasher, Chapters 18-19, of the lifestyle and consequential destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which we find a portion of in the Book of Genesis, is a reminder of what God despises, in regard to injustice and the mistreatment of fellow human beings, especially the poor and the stranger in the land.
Together with the account in Genesis 18-19, we see a picture of a society that had become so utterly depraved and wicked, that they were beyond saving. In Matthew 25, Jesus recounts the things discussed here in these chapters, as to how people have looked after one another, for on this basis they will be judged.
I include it so that we recognize that it wasn’t only for the sexual immorality and depravity of the continued desire for unions between spirit and human, and unnatural human relations, like men with men, women with women, and human with animal, as in the pre-flood times, but the consistent evil behavior we see today, of con-artists, scammers, and the injustice of torture, rape, and the swindling of others possessions, along with murder, theft, and all manner of predatory wickedness.
God had every right to utterly destroy by fire from heaven, just as it will be once again when the righteous have been removed and only the wicked remain at the final consummation of all things, according the the Apostle Peter’s account in 2Peter 3.
Sefer HaYashar: [(Sefaria.org) Section: Book of Genesis, Vayera]
“And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the grove of Mamre and the Lord sent three of his ministering angels to visit him. And while sitting in the door of his tent Abraham lifted up his eyes and behold, three men coming from the distance. And Abraham rose and hastened to meet them, and he bowed down before them and brought them unto his house. And he said unto them: Not so my, lords, but if I have found grace in your eyes, turn ye in and eat a morsel of bread. And after pressing them they turned in and he brought water to wash their feet, and then he seated them under a tree before the door of the tent. And Abraham ran and took a calf tender and good, and he slaughtered it hastily and gave it to his servant Eliezer to do it up. And Abraham came unto the tent to Sarah and said unto her: Take quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover up the pots, and she did accordingly. And Abraham brought before them butter and milk and beef and mutton and he placed it before them to eat, ere the other meats were done, and they ate. And when they had finished their eating one of them said: I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife will have a son. And after that, the men arose and went their way where they were sent to. And at that time all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of all these five cities, were very sinful and wicked before the Lord and they provoked the Lord with all their abominations. And they increased their abominations and acted spitefully against the Lord, and their wickedness grew exceedingly before the eyes of the Lord in those days. And they had in their land a very spacious valley about half a day’s journey, and it was supplied with springs of water and with rich vegetation around the water. And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled there four days in every year, they and their wives and children and all belonging unto them, and they rejoiced there with music and dancing. And in the midst of their jollification they would rise one and all and take hold upon the wives of their neighbors and their virgin-maidens, and enjoy their company and then they returned them again. And they saw their wives and daughters in the hands of other men, yet they would not say a word. So they carried it on from morning even unto evening, and then they returned every man to his house and every woman to her tent, and that festival lasted four days in each year. And when a stranger came to their city with goods, which he had bought, or if he had some goods for sale, they would gather themselves around him, all the men, women and children, young and old, and they took by force everyone a little of his goods until all of the merchant's property was gone. And when the owner of the merchandise would quarrel with them saying: What mode of dealing is that you have done with me? Then each separately would approach him and show him the little he had in his hand saying: Behold I have not taken of thee but the little which thou hast given unto me. And hearing the same words spoken by every one of them, the poor man would arise and leave in sorrow and bitterness of soul, and then all the people followed him and drove him out of the city midst hooting and yelling. And a certain man was journeying from the land of Elam and he had with him an ass richly caparisoned, and it carried a costly mantle of many colors, and the mantle was fastened with a beautiful cord to the back of the ass. And passing on his way the day darkened over him in Sodom, and he sat down in the street to tarry overnight, for nobody cared to take him into his house. And at that time there was living in Sodom a man especially wicked and cunning to do all things of evil, and his name was Hidod.
And Hidod lifted up his eyes and saw the man upon the public street, and he went unto his presence and asked him: Whence comest thou and whither dost thou go? And the man replied: I am coming from Hebron and I am going to Elam where my home is. And I came up to this place and the sun hath set over me and I seated myself in the streets, but there is no one here to invite me into his house, though I have bread and water with me as also straw and fodder for my ass; I lack nothing. And Hidod said unto the man: Leave all thy cares to me, and indeed thou shalt not spend thy night in the street. And Hidod having brought the man into his house untied the fine mantle and its cord from the ass, and the traveler slept at his house that night. And in the morning the man rose and made himself ready to start when Hidod begged him, saying: Stay yet a while and support thy heart with a morsel of bread and then thou canst go. And the man did so, and they sat down to take their meal. And they continued eating and drinking together until the man arose in order to leave. But Hidod said unto him: Behold the day is declining and before long it will be night. Now therefore let me prevail upon thee to stay with me and rejoice thy heart another night in my house. And Hidod pressed the man to stay, until he consented to do so. And next morning when the man prepared to leave, Hidod again forced the man saying: Refresh thy heart with a morsel of bread and then thou mayest go. And after they finished eating and drinking and the man arose to go, Hidod again insisted upon him to remain saying: Behold the day is most gone, you better stay another night in my house and leave right in the morning. But the man would not allow himself to be persuaded and was decided upon leaving. And the man went out and saddled his ass hastily. And Hidod’s wife, seeing the man saddling his ass, came unto her husband saying: Behold this man hath been in our house two days and two nights, eating and drinking, and now he is about to leave without paying us anything for it. And Hidod said unto her: Keep thou silent. And the man saddling his ass, said unto Hidod: Will thou now please to give me my mantle with many different colors and the cord? And Hidod said: What is it thou art saying? And the man repeated, saying: I would ask of my lord, to give unto me my mantle of many different colors and the cord, which thou hast hidden in thy house for safe keeping. And Hidod replied unto the man, saying: This is the interpretation of thy dream. The cord signifies that thy life will be prolonged like a cord, and the mantle so rich in colors means, that thou wilt plant a vineyard wherein thou wilt have all kinds of delicious fruit-trees. And the traveler rejoined saying: Not so my lord, I was not dreaming but fully awake when I gave unto thee my mantle woven in so many colors, and a cord, which thou hast removed from my ass and taken into thy house for safe-keeping. And Hidod said unto the man: Well, and have I not fully explained unto thee thy dream and its interpretation? Verily it is a good dream thou hast dreamed. And now the people pay me generally four pieces of silver for interpreting their dreams, but from thee I will not ask more than three pieces.
And the man became fearfully enraged and cried out a terrible and bitter cry against Hidod, and he forced Hidod to go with him unto the judge of Sodom whose name was Sherek. And the stranger laid his grievances before the judge, and Hidod replied according to his own story. And the judge in his decision said unto the traveler: It is the truth that this man Hidod was speaking unto thee. For he is known in these cities as the most reliable among interpreters of dreams. But the stranger appealed from the decision of the judge, crying and saying: Not so my lord, but it was in day time that I have surrendered into his care a mantle and cord which I had fastened upon my ass, and which he took into his house for safe keeping. But Hidod denied the allegations of the stranger and they stood before the judge quarreling, each of the men insisting upon the truth of his own statement. And Hidod finally turned unto the man saying: Now since I see what kind of a man thou art, thou must pay me four pieces of silver for the interpretation of thy dream, I will take nothing less; besides thou must give me the money for the four meals thou hast taken in my house. And the stranger replied: The truth is with thee that I should pay for the meals I have eaten at thy house, and I will willingly do so; but then give me my mantle and cord which thou hast hidden in thy house. And Hidod said unto the man: And have I not disclosed unto thee the interpretation of thy dream? The cord shows that thy days will be lengthened like a cord, and the mantle with various. colors signifies that thou wilt have a vineyard wherein thou wilt have planted different kinds of delicious fruit trees? And now give me my hire for interpreting thy dream which is four pieces of silver, for I will not allow thee the least beyond my usual hire. And thus the two men were quarreling before the judge until he became tired and called his servants and they drove both of them out of the house in great haste and confusion. And while they were both ejected from the presence of the judge, still quarreling and fighting, all the people of Sodom surrounded them and hooted at the stranger and abused him, and drove him from the city in disgrace. And the poor man prosecuted his way upon his ass, weeping and lamenting in the bitterness of his soul. And he never ceased crying and lamenting until Sodom was destroyed. And there were in Sodom four judges for the four cities, and these are their names: Sherek, for the city of Sodom; Sharkar, for Gomorrah; Sabnach, for Admah; and Menun, for Zboyim. And Eliezer, the servant of Abraham made puns upon them and he changed their names; and he made of Sherek, Shakra (lie), and of Sharkar, Shakruka (falsehood), and of Sabnach, Casban (liar), and of Menun he made Mazul-indin (perverter of justice).
And upon the advice of those judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds erected in the public streets of the cities. And when a traveler came to tarry in their cities they would seize upon him and put him into one of those bedsteads by force. And if he was shorter than the bedstead, six men would lay hands on him and stretch him until he was equal in length; and if he was taller, then they would press him against the two sides of the bedstead until he would fit. And they did not give ear to the cries of the strangers but tortured them until they almost reached the gates of death, when they told unto him: So it will be done to everyone that cometh into our land. And all the people hearing of what was done in the cities of Sodom, kept away from coming into these places. And when a poor man came into any of their cities they were extremely liberal with their charity. And they opened their hands and gave unto the needy and destitute silver and gold in great abundance. And after that, they caused it to be proclaimed in a loud voice throughout all their territory that no one dare to give that poor man a morsel of bread for all the money he might offer. And since no man could get out of the land before many days, the poor man had to die of starvation, for no one would give him a morsel of bread in all their cities. And when the poor man was dead, all those that gave him their silver and gold came and recognized it and got it back. And they took away the garments off the poor man and fought over them, and whosoever was strongest took all unto himself. And after the corpse was thus stripped of its garments they buried it in its nudity into one of the ditches of the deserts around them. And so they would do to every stranger that happened to die in their land. And after many days Sarah sent Eliezer to Sodom in order to see Lot and to inquire for his peace. And while on his way Eliezer met one of the Sodomites robbing a stranger of his garments, and then leaving the poor man naked in the field. And the poor man cried unto Eliezer for help, and the poor man wept bitterly on account of what the Sodomite had done unto him. And Eliezer said unto the man of Sodom: Why dost thou act so wickedly towards this poor man who came round here? And the Sodomite replied, saying: Is this man thy brother or have the people of Sodom chosen thee for their judge that thou takest his part and speakest in his behalf? And Eliezer quarreled with the Sodomite concerning the poor man and approached him to take away from him the garments he had stripped the man of, but the Sodomite seized a stone and threw it with great force at Eliezer's forehead. And Eliezer was wounded in his forehead and his blood was streaming from the wound. And the Sodomite seeing the blood took hold upon Eliezer saying: Give me my hire for the bloodletting I have performed on thee, for behold I have relieved thee of all thy bad blood, and such is the law in our land concerning these things. And Eliezer became incensed, saying: Is it not enough that thou hast wounded me and now shall I give thee yet hire for thy wickedness? And Eliezer would not listen to the voice of the man, and the man took hold of him with force and dragged him before Sherek, the judge of Sodom, to obtain judgment. And the man explained, unto the judge saying: Such and such was the behavior of this man, when I struck him in the forehead with a stone, and a great deal of blood came out of the wound and he refuseth to pay me my hire for relieving him of his bad blood. And the judge spoke unto Eliezer saying: This man speaketh the truth, give him therefore his hire, for such is the law in our land. And Eliezer having heard the judge's decision, hastened and took up a stone and cast it at the judge, and the stone entered his forehead and a great deal a blood streamed out of the wound. Then Eliezer said: And now since thou hast acquainted me with the law of thy land, that one must pay another for wounding him, thou give the hire thou owest unto me, to this man, for that is the just thing according to thy decision. And so Eliezer left the man and his judge, and went on his way. And it was at the time when the kings of Elam carried on war against the kings of Sodom and they had captured all the property of Sodom, that Lot was among the captives with all his property and his people. And Abraham pursued the kings of Elam and snatched from them all the property of Lot and of Sodom. At that time the wife of Lot bare a daughter and her name was called Paltith, for he said: The Lord had saved me and all belonging unto me from the hands of the kings of Elam. And when Paltith, Lot's daughter, grew up, one of the men of Sodom took her for his wife. At that time a poor man came to the city, to make his living in some way and he went around in the place for some time. And all the people of Sodom caused it to be proclaimed in a loud voice that no one shall give a morsel of bread to that poor man until he die in the land. And all the people obeyed the order. But Paltith saw the poor man lying about in the streets of the city and starving, and yet no one gave him a morsel of bread, so that his soul almost departed from him. And her soul was filled with compassion for that poor man, and she supplied him secretly with bread for many days, and thus the poor man was kept alive. And when Paltith went forth to fetch water she would hide the bread in her water-pitcher and when she came to the place of the poor man she took the bread and placed it before the poor man and he ate. And so she did for many days. And the people of Sodom wondered at the poor man that he did not die after so many days. And they said unto themselves: This cannot be otherwise but that he eateth and drinketh somewhere, for no man can sustain life for so long a time without eating and drinking; and yet this man liveth and even his countenance is not changed.
And three men concealed themselves accordingly near the place where the poor man was wont to sit, in order to find out who supplied him with bread to eat. And before long Paltith, Lot's daughter, came to fetch water and she gave the poor man some water to drink, and then she took the bread from her pitcher and gave it to him likewise and he eat. And the three men saw it and said unto themselves: Now we know who supports that man and why he did neither suffer hunger nor change his countenance nor die like those before him. And the three men went forth from their hiding place and they seized Paltith and the bread which was yet in the poor man’s hand. And they took Paltith and dragged her before their judges saying unto them: Such things hath she done, and she hath supplied the poor man with bread so that he did not die. And now pronounce ye your judgment, what it is that hath to be done unto her for violating our law. And the judges pronounced their judgment, whereupon all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled, and they kindled a fire in the streets, and they brought the woman and cast her into the fire and she was burnt to ashes. And in the city of Admah was also a maiden, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men of the people of Admah, and they did unto her as follows: A man came over into the city in order to stay there over night and to continue his journey next morning towards home. And he seated himself opposite the house of the father of that maiden, for the sun had sat over him in that place and there he concluded to tarry over night; and the girl saw him sitting before the door of her house. And the man having asked her for some water to drink, she inquired of him: Who art thou? And he replied, I am on my way homewards and now the day hath darkened over me in this place and I will abide here for the night and in the morning I will continue my Journey. And the maiden went into the house and brought unto the man bread and water to eat and drink. And the matter soon became known to the people of Admah and all of them assembled, and they brought the maiden before their judges to punish her for that offense. And one of the judges said: This maiden is under the judgment of death, for such is the punishment for those transgressing our law. And all the people of the cities came together and took the maiden, and after stripping her of all her vestments they anointed her with honey from the crown of her head to the sole of her foot according to the words of the judge, and they placed her before a swarm of bees around their hives. And all the bees came upon her and stung her that all her body was swelled up. And the poor girl cried out in her pain caused by the bees but no one would regard her cries and no one would have mercy upon her. And her shrieks of agony went up to heaven. And the Lord was enraged on account of that as also on account of all other acts of wickedness practiced in Sodom. For they had abundance of food and they lived in peace and security, and yet they would not give help to the needy and destitute, and their sins and their crimes were enormous in the eyes of the Lord. And the Lord sent the three angels which were in Abraham’s house to Sodom and all its cities, to destroy them.
And the three angels, after having ceased eating and drinking with Abraham, arose from the door of his tent, and went towards Sodom, where they arrived in the evening. And Lot was seated at that time in the gates of Sodom, and seeing those men he went to meet them and bowed down before them to the ground, and prevailed upon them to come into his house. And he placed before them food to eat and he invited them to abide in his house that night. And the angels said unto Lot: Arise and depart from this place lest thou perish through the sins of this city, for the Lord is about to destroy this place. And the angels took Lot by the hand, as also his wife and his daughters and all belonging unto him, and they carried them outside of the city. And they said unto Lot: Now save thy life. And he arose and fled with all belonging to him. And at that time the Lord let rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah and upon all these cities, brimstone and fire from heaven, and thus he over threw all the cities and all the plain, and all the vegetation of the earth. And Edah, the wife of Lot looked around to see the destruction of the city, for her compassion was aroused for her daughters that did not go along with her but had remained in Sodom. And as she turned backwards to see what hath occurred, she became a pillar of salt. And that pillar is still standing in its place to this very day. And the oxen which frequent that place daily, lick the salt pillar until they come to the toes of its feet, but until morning all they licked off would grow again to be consumed again the coming day, even to this day. And Lot with his remaining two daughters, fled and escaped unto the cave of Adulam and they remained there for several days. And Abraham arose in the morning, and looking towards Sodom to see what had been done with those cities, saw dense smoke arising from all those cities like unto the smoke of a furnace. And while Lot was tarrying in the cave with his two daughters they gave their father wine to drink and they lay with him, for they thought that all the earth was destroyed and there was no other man left upon the earth of whom they could have an offspring. And both lay with their father and they conceived of him, and both bare sons. And the eldest called her son Moab, saying: For I have conceived him from my father. And the youngest daughter called her son Benamy, he is the father of all the sons of Amon to this day. And after this occurred Lot departed from there and dwelt with his two daughters and their sons on the other side of Jordan. And the sons of Lot grew up and they went and took wives from the land of Canaan, and they bare unto them children and they were fruitful and they multiplied greatly.”
Psalm 76:8-10
8 “From heaven You pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet —
9 when You, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
10 Surely Your wrath against mankind brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath are restrained.”
From the Book of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees was written, according to scholars, some time during the two hundred years before Jesus’ birth. The revelation given to Moses, given to him by angels, according to Scripture, is clarified in this manuscript as given by the Arch Angel Michael, being the angel of the Lord who went with Israel. It is written, then, in the first person — Michael speaking on behalf of God, when he says, “we”.
Book of Jubilees 16:1-9
- “And on the new moon of the fourth month we appeared unto Abraham, at the oak of Mamre, and we talked with him, and we announced to him that a son would be given to him by Sarah his wife.
- And Sarah laughed, for she heard that we had spoken these words with Abraham, and we admonished her, and she became afraid, and denied that she had laughed on account of the words.
- And we told her the name of her son, as his name is ordained and written in the heavenly tablets (i.e.) Isaac,
- And (that) when we returned to her at a set time, she would have conceived a son.
- And in this month the Lord executed his judgments on Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Zeboim, and all the region of the Jordan, and He burned them with fire and brimstone, and destroyed them until this day, even as [lo] I have declared unto thee all their works, that they are wicked and sinners exceedingly, and that they defile themselves and commit fornication in their flesh, and work uncleanness on the earth.
- And, in like manner, God will execute judgment on the places where they have done according to the uncleanness of the Sodomites, like unto the judgment of Sodom.
- But Lot we saved; for God remembered Abraham, and sent him out from the midst of the overthrow.
- And he and his daughters committed sin upon the earth, such as had not been on the earth since the days of Adam till his time; for the man lay with his daughters.
- And, behold, it was commanded and engraven concerning all his seed, on the heavenly tablets, to remove them and root them out, and to execute judgment upon them like the judgment of Sodom, and to leave no seed of the man on earth on the day of condemnation.”
It is plain to see, after reading these accounts from Scripture and other ancient writings, that the level of wickedness in the region had become, as God said, even worse than the pre-flood era -- which is articulated in the first Book of Enoch in great detail.
Abraham negotiated with the Lord and His angels, but the Lord knew the level of wickedness was too great to spare anyone but Lot, and those who were willing to go with him, just as it was in the days of Noah, when God found Noah to be the only righteous man. Even the grace given to Lot, who offered his own virgin daughters to the men of the city, rather than the angels, is immense. For the sake of His friend Abraham, however, I believe God spared his life, and the lives of Lot's daughters.
As the flooding of the River Gihon did not deter wickedness in the pre-Flood era, and God chose to eradicate that creation, sparing only Noah, his family, and a representation of the animals of that time period, so also the burning of Sodom and its surrounding cities did not deter wickedness from the earth.
Once again, as Peter described in his letter to the Church, God will burn the whole earth because of its defilement caused by wickedness. These things recorded are a warning to each generation to turn to God, repent and believe God, and be part of His Family Kingdom, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
In Context, under the Grace of Jesus Christ
Isaiah 11:2-4
2 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord —
3 and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decided by what He hears with His ears;
4 but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”
God thinks the best of us until otherwise informed, and He comes with blessing in His hands, and in His words.
Matthew 5:1-12
1 “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
2 and He began to teach them. He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Every Chance for Repentance is Given to Everyone
Matthew 7:1
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
John 12:47
“If anyone hears My words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
John 3:16-17 [NKJV]
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
God the Father Reserves the Right to be the Judge
James 4:12 [NIV]
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One Who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbor?”
In Luke 12, Jesus is speaking with His disciples regarding those who desire to kill Him, for He knew the intent of the Pharisees. In verses 1-3, Jesus teaches the disciples God’s capabilities, for He knew the heart of humans and their continual bent toward evil, and in this case, hypocrisy.
The Pharisees were not led by the Holy Spirit, but walked according to the flesh, so they could not understand what God was doing. Even though the Scriptures they held onto prophesied the coming of the Messiah they did not recognize Him.
God teaches us to be kind to everyone, for we do not know the day, nor the hour of the Son of Man’s coming. Jesus told the Apostle John, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” [Revelation 3:20]
Open the Door and let God in, but Keep evil Out
John 14:23-24 [NIV]
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves Me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.
24 Anyone who does not love Me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not My Own; they belong to the Father Who sent Me.”
Luke 12:4-5 [NIV]
4 “I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him Who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
For the righteous, however, who have an ongoing close relationship with God, “There is now, therefore, no condemnation”, as Paul taught in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:1 [NKJV]
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
John 15:10-12
10 “If you keep My commandment, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love.
11 I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Choose God's Wisdom
Proverbs 5:1-23
1 “My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience], incline your ear to my understanding;
2 that you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment), and your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].
3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey [like a honeycomb] and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter like [the extract of] wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
6 so that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;
Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me and do not depart from (forget) the words of my mouth.
8 Let your way [in life] be far from her, and do not go near the door of her house [avoid even being near the places of temptation],
9 or you will give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one,
10 and strangers will be filled with your strength and your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];
11 and you will groan when your life is ending, when your flesh and your body are consumed;
12 and you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline, and my heart despised correction and reproof!
13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, nor have I inclined my ear to those who instructed me.
14 “I was almost in total ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
15 Drink water from your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship]
and fresh running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs (children) be dispersed, as streams of water in the streets?
17 [Confine yourself to your own wife.] Let your children be yours alone, and not the children of strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain (wife) be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity],
and rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 Let her be as a loving hind and graceful doe, let her breasts refresh and satisfy you at all times; always be exhilarated and delight in her love.
20 Why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an immoral woman
and embrace the bosom of an outsider (pagan)?
21 For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, and He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].
22 The iniquities done by a wicked man will trap him, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.
23 He will die for lack of instruction (discipline), and in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.”
It is clear from what we have learned in this Lesson, that God’s heart for us is that we would listen to Him, learn from His Wisdom, and apply His ways in our lives, as we walk by faith in Him.
