Fire and Brimstone, Yet Swimming in Mercy

When Abraham graciously told Lot to take his choice of the land before him (Genesis 13:5-9), Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley (Plain of Siddim) was well watered.  Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was all like the garden of the Lord (Garden of Eden), like the land of Egypt, as you go toward Zoar.  Then Lot chose for himself the Jordan Valley and traveled east.  So they separated.  Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the Valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom and dwelt there (Genesis 13:10-12, Amplified Bible).  

Five cities nestled in a row, north to south, in this extremely lush area that Lot coveted - Sodom was the most northerly, then Gomorrah, followed by Zoar, Admah, and Zeboiim.  But the men of Sodom were wicked and exceedingly great sinners against the Lord (Genesis 13:13, Amp.). 

Because of his love for Lot, Abraham later rescued these 5 cities when they were sacked by Mesopotamian kings, bringing Lot and all the other captives back, along with all of the stolen goods (Genesis 14:1-24).   Twenty to twenty-six years later, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord (the Son of God) and two angels (all in the form of men) appeared before Abraham.  The Lord told Abraham that he was going to destroy the Plain of Siddim "because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is exceedingly grievous.....the cry of it which has come to Me" (Genesis 18:20-21, Amp.). 

Jude 7 (Amp.) says:  "...Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent towns... gave themselves over to impurity and indulged in unnatural vice and sensual perversity."  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Zephaniah, in addition to Jewish texts and Rabbinic writings, expand the picture of the cry that reached heaven from these cities: lies, adultery, arrogance, blasphemy, and extreme torture of foreigners looking for refuge and those who would help them.  In spite of all this depravity, Abraham pled for mercy for all the inhabitants, if only ten righteous could be found.  But there were not even ten!

Truly, Lot made a TERRIBLE decision in choosing to allow earthly benefits to take precedence over the fact that his children would be brought up in such spiritual depravity!  Nevertheless, GOD WAS MERCIFUL to Lot!  The two angels warned Lot, "Whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place, for we will spoil and destroy, for the outcry and shriek against its people has grown great before the Lord, and He has sent us to destroy it!" (Genesis 19:12-13).  In the morning, the angels urged Lot to hurry out of the city with his wife and daughters.  BUT HE LINGERED.  So... "the men seized him and his wife and two daughters by the hand, for THE LORD WAS MERCIFUL TO HIM, and they brought him forth and set him outside the city...and said, Escape for your life!  Do not look behind you or stop anywhere in the whole valley; escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed (Genesis 19:16-17, Amp.).  Lot, however, begged to be allowed to escape to the "little" city of Zoar, which plea was granted.

"Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens.  He overthrew, destroyed, and ended those cities, and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (Genesis 19:24-25).  Deuteronomy 29:23 and Hosea 11:8 make it clear that the cities of Admah and Zeboiim were included in the destruction.  Zoar, however, was spared, as Lot asked.

But, sadly, Lot's wife "looked back, and she became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26).  The Hebrew word here for "looked" means "to intentionally look with desire".  Her heart and allegiance were still back in the city, so she stopped running, and the destruction overtook her.  Abraham also "looked" at the burning city, but this Hebrew word indicates just the action of gazing.  Assuredly gazed with extreme horror, as "the smoke of the country went up like the smoke of a furnace" (Genesis 19:28), laying waste the valley that Lot had so much coveted (See Jesus words in Luke 17:32).

Archaeological surveys and excavations have identified five cities situated in a line (running north to south), southeast of the Dead Sea.  The Sodom cemetery was first discovered in the 1960's and then 4 other cities were uncovered in 1973-1979.   Zoar (formerly Bela), Admah (Feifa in Arabic), and Zeboiim (Khanazir in Arabic) have not yet been excavated.  Zoar is the only one of the five cities that did not undergo violent destruction.  It continued on for many years as a flourishing city.  

SODOM (Bab edh-Dhra) and GOMORRAH (Numeira) EXCAVATION.... (aish.com,Biblearchaeology)

·         A thick, spongy ash, ranging from 4 to 20 inches in depth and containing fragments of wooden roof beams, covers the entire area.

·         Numeira is the more well preserved of the two cities.  There, every room was covered in ash and burned debris.  Mud and brick detritus (from the collapse of the city's mud/brick structures) sometimes covered the ash.

·         There is evidence that both cities met their end at the same time.

·         There is also evidence of 2 obstructions about 20+ years apart.

·        Found in the excavations are clay figures of many goddesses, wooden staffs, sandals, reed baskets,   
        pottery, and jewelry, many with Mesopotamian influence.

·         Paleoethnobotany discoveries show wheat, barley, dates, plums, peaches, grapes, figs, almonds, olives, nuts, lentils, watermelon, chick peas, pumpkin, and flax seed in the excavations (verifying the original extensive fertility of the area).

Brimstone (gafrit in Hebrew), or sulfur, was likely a hydrocarbon called bitumen - a highly flammable substance naturally occurring in the Dead Sea area in pits.  All five cities were established parallel to a major plate boundary (or fault line) called the Dead Sea Rift.  The pressure caused by two large tectonic plates in this fault has created a number of past earthquakes in the area.  This same pressure also has the capability of forcing subterranean matter (such as bitumen) to the surface and up into the air.  Some geologists are suggesting that an earthquake along this fault line caused flammable bitumen to be spewed high into the air, ignite by lightening or some other source, and fall back on the four cities.   

25% of the water of the Dead Sea is salt or potash deposits, which is a concentration higher than any other lake in the world, and the Dead Sea has no fish or marine life.  However....scientists are now finding life in springs at the bottom of the Dead Sea!  (Job 38:16 talks about the springs of the sea, but scientists did not know springs existed under the sea until 1977 when hot springs were discovered in the Galapagos Rift.)

This historical account in Genesis of the five cities holds a number of thoughts for us to consider...

 1.  How and on what basis are we making our choices, our decisions - through prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit - or by what looks good in the world's eyes?  What voice are we listening to - the Holy Spirit - or our own flesh and pride desires?

2.  What are we "looking back on with desire" that God has clearly defined as "off limits" for us?

3.  Are there instances in our own life where God has pulled us by the hand and drug us away from temptation, possibly by allowing difficult circumstances in our lives?

Lord, thank You for Your continual redemptive works in our lives, drawing us into closer fellowship with You.  Thank You for Your ongoing mercy when the shriek of our own sins reaches Your ears!  Thank You for showing us, little by little, the absolute truth of Your Word.  Most of all, thank You that Your own blood has saved us from eternal fire and brimstone and instead guaranties us fellowship with You forever in a land where streets will be paved with gold, where every tear shall be wiped away, where death, pain, and suffering shall be no more, and where we shall see You - face to face!  Halleluiah!

UNBROKEN COVENANT

Abraham, born as "Abram" sometime between 2215 and 2055 BC, grew up in Ur, a city that was south of Babylon (now in present-day Iraq).  Archaeological excavations of Ur reveal homes (dated 2047 to 1750 BC) with 10-20 rooms, including a lower floor for servants, an upper floor for the family, a guest chamber with a lavatory, and a private chapel for idol worship.  Ur boasted a school with clay tablets for reading, writing, and arithmetic.

God first called Abraham in Ur (Acts 7:2-4).  In response to that call, Abraham's father, Terah, left their home and land, took his family and a large entourage, along with provisions, and set out walking on a journey of around 850 miles to Haran (Genesis 11:31-32).  After Terah died in Haran, God again called Abraham to "Go for yourself away from your country, from your relatives and your father's house, to the land I will show you" (Hebrews12:1, Amp.).  God accompanied the request with a Covenant Promise of land, a name, blessings, and many descendants who would turn into a great nation.  He also promised Abraham, "In you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3, Amp.).

The Word of God tells us that "And he [Abram] believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6, Amp.).

So Abraham, at 75 years old, took off again on a long, hard journey - until, about 750 miles later, God told him to "STOP" (Hebrews 11:8).

However, it wasn't long until "righteous" Abraham blew it.  Fear of a famine caused him to flee to Egypt with his wife Sarah (Sarai), where he REALLY blew it - encouraging a situation where Pharaoh took Sarah as his wife.  The Lord, in mercy, scourged Pharaoh's household, so Pharaoh returned Sarah to Abraham (Genesis 12:10-20). 

Abraham continued to mess up...

·         his faith grew weak, and he complained to God (Look... no child! Genesis 15:3, Amp.);

·         he tried to fulfill the Promise himself, by creating a child through sex with a servant (Genesis 16:1-4);

·         both he and Sarah laughed when God (for the 4th and 5th time) again reminded them of the Covenant Promise (Genesis 17:17; 18:15);

·         he repeated the same atrocity that he had fallen into with Pharaoh, only this time with Sarah and King Abimalech (Genesis 20:2-18).

Yet God continued to have patience and mercy and grace.  And, in spite of Abraham's many sins,
GOD NEVER BROKE COVENANT.  When Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah gave birth to their "promised child" - Isaac, whose name means "laughter" (Genesis 21:1-7).  Around 400+ years later, the nation of Israel left Egypt for their Promised Land.

God is the same with us as He was with Abraham.  The Ancient of Days has made a "new" Covenant with us.  By the atoning blood of God Himself, He has (like with Abraham) "declared us righteous".  And even though we sin, every day, HE NEVER BREAKS COVENANT with us.  He is still our Abba Father (Galatians 3:13-4:6)! 

Halleluiah.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus!! 

God's Gentle Confrontation

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, we see God gently confronting them.  You would think that God would immediately come down hard on Adam and Eve, but Genesis 3:8-13 recounts four calm and loving questions God asks them (even though He already knew the answers):  "Where are you?...  Who told you...?  Have you eaten...?  What is this you have done?"

We see the same gentle confrontation with Cain in Genesis 4:6-9, even before Cain slew his brother:  "Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?"

Then God counsels Cain:  "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Even after Cain lets his anger take over, violently attacking and killing his innocent brother, God  gives Cain an opportunity for repentance with a gentle question:  "Where is your brother Abel?"

In Genesis 6:5 and 12, God acknowledges the horrible wickedness of ALL living persons (except righteous Noah).  "Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time!...for ALL humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction."

God explains to Noah that He is going to destroy all mankind by a worldwide flood, but that through an ark that Noah will build, God will save Noah and his family and representations of each kind of animal, bird, and creeping thing.  So Noah (starting at age 480) diligently works away on the ark for 120 years.  About 20 years into the work, Noah's first son is born. 

But notice......all the while Noah is working, he is constantly preaching to the lost (I Peter 1:11 and I Peter 3:19-20).  So here again, we have God gently confronting.  For 120 years, God's patience prevails with these horribly wicked people!!

But, out of possibly 3 billion people at that time, not one repents, including Noah's father, Lamech, and grandfather, Methuselah.  Both have walked with Adam (Lamech was 65 when Adam died), and Methuselah has seen his own father (Enoch) walk so closely with God that Enoch was actually "transferred" to heaven instead of having to die (Hebrews 11:5).  But Methuselah dies the year of the flood, at age 969, without God, and Lamech dies 5 years before the flood, at age 777, also still entrenched in his own wickedness, notwithstanding that their own son and grandson had been God's instrument, for somewhere between 75 and 120 years, to plead for their repentance.

Today, God still gently confronts us, as His own children, through the Holy Spirit Whom He so graciously implanted in our hearts, quietly and lovingly pleading with us to turn from sin areas in our life and walk fully with Him.  Sometimes we listen; sometimes we don't.  But He continually and patiently calls us to "master the sin that is crouching at our door".

Lord, thank you for Your extreme patience with each of our areas of sin.  Thank you for becoming our substitute lamb for those multitudes of sins.  Help us to listen to and obey Your gentle, quiet voice within us.  Teach us to master those sins, bringing joy to Your heart and praise to Your name.