#Genesis 19 #BibleForBeginners #Bible #BibleStudy #KnowYourBible
alittleperspective.com/genesis-19/

The Hebrew paragraph:

18:1-19:38 {s} Abraham’s intercession, but the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah

See the Chiastic Structure of this paragraph (attached pic). The structure reveals to us something about the judgment of God. God gets accused of being angry, vengeful, wrathful, and judgmental when He exercises His right, no, His responsibility, of judgment. Is that true?

So far we have seen two instances in the Bible where God exercised judgment which resulted in death:

Overcoming the earth with a global Flood, so that all died but Noah and those with him on the ark; and

The overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In both instances, the judgment came because the wickedness of men had become great.

And YHVH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen 6:5

And YHVH said, ‘Truly, the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, truly, their sin is exceedingly grievous.’ Gen 18:20

Wickedness does not exist in a vacuum. Wicked acts create victims of innocent people, as we see in the structure’s central axis, when the wicked came to Lot’s door to demand they practice their wickedness on the guests of Lot’s house. When wickedness becomes great, it is the responsibility of the Judge of the Whole Earth, YHVH, to judge it, otherwise the innocent become swept up as victims of evil.

Also in both instances, YHVH made a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. In both instances, He provided an avenue of escape for the righteous, from the judgment that was about to come on the wicked, so that He did not ‘sweep away the righteous with the wicked.’ All the while Noah built the ark, for 120 years, he preached righteousness to his neighbors. More than eight people would have been welcome on that ark! As well as the righteous example of Lot to his neighbors (2 Pet 2:5-8).

biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+2%3A5-8&version=NKJV

What about Lot’s two daughters? Lot offering to put them out to appease the wicked was not done at the suggestion of YHVH or the angels, but shows how damaging it was to Lot and his family, the wicked environment was in which he was living. Likewise, that the daughters bore sons to their father was not done at the suggestion of YHVH. Because the Bible factually reports what men did, does not mean that YHVH condoned it, and we must be careful not to conflate the two.

If there are questions, these are good resources:

Finding Messiah in Gen 18:1-22:24 (Vayeira) – Christine Miller
alittleperspective.com/finding-messiah-in-vayeira-gen-181-2224/

The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah – Associates for Biblical Research
biblearchaeology.org/research/chronological-categories/patriarchal-era/2364-the-discovery-of-the-sin-cities-of-sodom-and-gomorrah

mewe @ mewe.com/join/a_little_perspective
Gab @ ChristineMiller
Torah Network @ ChristineMiller