Genesis 19:9-14 (ESV)

But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

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 the fatal error.

The sins of Sodom aren’t all that special. Everyone has a heart filled with sin and desperately needs transformation. It’s nice that we feed people, or house them, or help them with addiction recovery, etc. but those are just preludes to real help. We need to do a better job of bringing the light of the gospel into what we do. This isn’t just a matter of trying harder.

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.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies