Teaching Notes are Bible studies we taught before GraceLife Ministries began publishing articles online in 1995. Some were presented as sermons, others as group studies.
Our hope is that these older studies will be a blessing to you in your life and ministry. Please use them in any way God leads you.
These teaching notes are from a series of studies about the Book of Genesis.
[These notes are from a study from 45 years ago.]
Genesis 19:1-5
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. The gateway (bəša‘ar) would often have stone benches or seats as a built-in part of the structure. People would wait for their friends or engage in conversations. Legal transactions took place there also. (1)
The two angels arrived at Sodom. The word “angels” (mal’āḵîm) is used to explain who these ‘men’ were accompanying the Lord.
Lot invites them to his house in the same way that Abraham had invited them earlier. The angels wanted to sleep in the square, but Lot made quite a fuss and they went to his home.
He baked them bread without yeast and they ate. Angels can take on the appearance of men and even eat natural food.
Before the angels had gone to bed the whole male population of the city had surrounded Lot’s house and demanded that the two visitors (angels) be brought outside so they could have sex with them.
Now I have a better insight to the great wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was mass homo-sexuality touching both the young and old.
It’s interesting that God would tolerate polytheism and prostitution, but would draw the line at national homosexuality
God is extremely patient with men and nations, but He will judge and repay.
Genesis 19:6-11
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Lot goes out to meet with the men of Sodom and offers his daughters in the place of the angels. Lot is trying to offer a lesser evil here, but it isn’t good enough. Lot, however, does say that this homosexuality is wicked.
Lot has tried to live in peace with the flesh, but it will stop until is devours us. We cannot live in the ways of the flesh and not be burned eventually. Lot is an alien and the flesh does not want him to now play the judge. Trying to reason with fleshly desire from a spiritual vantage will not work once we have spent time in the flesh. We must escape from the flesh that would destroy us and the flesh must be purged.
The men of Sodom tried to get Lot and break the door in. However, the angels snatched Lot in and blinded the men outside. The men could not find the door.
Genesis 19:12-14
And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
The angels now give Lot time to get his family ready to leave the city. However, his future sons-in-law think he’s just joking.
Genesis 19:15-17
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
At dawn the angels urge Lot to take his wife and daughters and get out or they will be destroyed with the rest of the city.
Here we see the mercy of God even on the carnal believer.
Lot is told to flee to the mountains. The cities of the plain are going to be destroyed and in the mountains are safety. The believer must get totally away from the flesh in order to experience safety and a life of blessing.
Genesis 19:18-24
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
Lot has other ideas, though. He’s afraid that he will be destroyed in the mountains, so he asks to be allowed to run to a nearby city for safety.
Here Lot the carnal believer wants to hold onto the flesh. He’s not used to depending on God and he doesn’t want to start now.
The angel reluctantly gives in and grants Lot’s request. He will not destroy this small bit of flesh that Lot wants to hold onto.
Lot and his family reach Zoar (small) around noon. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. It came down from the Lord out of the heavens.
Some scholars think that a great earthquake caused a violent explosion mixing oil and asphalt into hot salt and sulphur falling on the cities of the plains. (2)
Genesis 19:25-29
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
God destroyed the cities, the people and the vegetation.
Archaeological explorations at the south end of the Dead Sea, particularly at the site of Bad ed-Dra, have shown evidence of a break in civilization about 2000 BC. Recent research by Nelson Glueck also have shown a break in culture about 2000 BC in Transjordan, which he connects with the period of Abraham. (3)
Lot didn’t get far enough away and his wife turned to look at the city where she was turned into a pillar of salt. There are many pillars in the region to this day.
Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he stood before the Lord and looked at the rising smoke from the destruction of the land by the hand of God. It was like the smoke of a furnace.
God remembered Abraham and saved Lot.
Genesis 19:30-38
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 dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar (the flesh never gives us the security we think it will). He leaves and heads for the mountains with his daughters.
The daughters now retreat to the flesh to continue their family line. Their fiancés were destroyed in the judgement of God. The daughters get their father, Lot, drunk and then have intercourse with him. The older daughter did it the first night, the younger daughter the next night. Lot wasn’t even aware of what he had done.
Out of this fleshly union came two boys, Moab and Ben-Ammi, who would father a line of enemies of Israel–the Moabites and Ammonites. The flesh gives birth to flesh.
[Note: the daughters’ names are never given]
(1) Archaeology & Bible History Joseph Free – pg. 62
(2) Unger’s Bible Handbook, pg. 69
(3) Archaeology & Bible History Joseph Free – pg. 63
Next Time
We will look at Genesis Chapter 20 in the next part of our special series.
[Thank you for reading these teaching notes from 45 years ago. My prayer is they will be a blessing to you and your life and ministry.]
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