Genesis 19:9-14

And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.”

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

This passage shows two vastly different paths to destruction. The men of Sodom are acting amazingly evil. The angels miraculously rescue Lot from them and then strike them blind.

So, what’s their reaction? Leave? Seek medical care? No, they continue to grope for the door of Lot’s house until they are worn out. That’s nuts. They seem to deserve what’s coming.

But the sons-in-law are something else entirely. They do not seem so deserving. Sure they ignore the warning, even laugh at it, but is that so wrong?

Absolutely. Does, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” sound like a joke? Consider just how unreasonable their laughter is. Obviously, they’re aware of the depravity going on all around them. So, how come they don’t see the prospect of the LORD destroying the city as a real possibility instead of a joke?

Apparently, all that depravity isn’t offensive to them—not in the least. They’re amused by it. While they aren’t active participants in the evil, they tacitly approve of it.

That’s their fatal error.

The sins of Sodom aren’t all that special. Everyone has a heart of sin and needs transformation. It’s nice that we feed people, or house them, or help them with addiction, but those are just warm-ups to real help.

The gospel is real help. We need to connect the windup to the pitch. But how?

We need God’s direction. Should we have an evangelism training program? Should we invite more people to worship? Should we hand out tracts? Pray that God will direct us. Ask the Lord to inspire us.

Pray for revival.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.