GENESIS: Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed because of Sexual Amorality; "the men of the city, the men of Sodom, called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.'”

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. (Genesis 19:1)

In the previous lessons, we learned that the Lord appeared to Abraham along with two other men, or angels; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. (Genesis 18:2-4) Later, the Lord stayed and talked with Abraham, while Abraham begged Him not to destroy Sodom; but the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. (Genesis 18:22)

Now the angels had arrived near Sodom, and Lot reacted to their appearing the same way Abraham did. And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. (Genesis 19:2-3)

Based on what we've studied of the scriptures so far, it was a very common practice to offer a stranger or foreigner a place to stay as they traveled through.  Abraham and now Lot knew these weren't just strangers but messengers from God.  Lot also knew that the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. (Genesis 13:13) ... Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)... (II Peter 2:7-8) That's why Lot insisted strongly that they not go spend the night in the open square of Sodom.

Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” (Genesis 19:4-5) In other words, the men of Sodom were sexually amoral, and wanted to have sex with these strangers who were in Lot's house. 

Hence, the city of Sodom is where the words sodomy and sodomite come from. Sodomites are people who engage in sodomy, sexual intercourse involving anal or oral copulation. No way these men of Sodom could know these strangers carnally, other than be anal or oral sex. If this kind of sexual relationship was okay with God, then the men of Sodom would not have been referred to as exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. 

So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” (Genesis 19:6-8) Lot's so desperate to protect God's messengers, he offers his daughters to the men of Sodom instead, but they didn't want the daughters; they wanted to know the men carnally, sexually.

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. (Genesis 19:9-11)

The only sexual relationship that God approves of is between one man and one woman who are married. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25) Later, God would give commandments against every unacceptable sexual relationship. (Leviticus 18) Sexual immorality is the reason Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed; women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. (Romans 1:26-27)

But let's be clear, each of us has a sin nature because we are in flesh.  From the beginning Eve, the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (I Timothy 2:14; Genesis 3:13) The Lord would later warn her son Cain, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7) We all are tempted to sin because we are in flesh, but No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (I Corinthians 10:13) 

And the Lord provided a way of escape for Lot and his family. 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. (Genesis 19:12-14)

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:15-17)

Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. (Genesis 19:18-22) 

Lot still was making his life decisions based on how things look instead of putting his whole trust in God.  However, God doesn't force us to do anything.  He gives us the information and then He allows us to make our choice.  We just have to accept the fact that we'll have to deal with the consequences. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:23-26)

Well, when God delivers us from our old life, we are not to look back! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (I Corinthians 6:9-11)

God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; (II Peter 2:6) But for those of us who have accepted God's free gift of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, no matter what kind of lifestyle we may have chosen to live before, or what sin we may have had the most difficult time overcoming, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11) Our ultimate goal in life should not be to be happy or being able to do whatever we want to do.  Our ultimate goal in life should be “Be holy, for I [the Lord, your God] am holy.” (I Peter 1:16) Through the power of His Holy Spirit it us, He will help us overcome the desires of our flesh and live for Him.

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like 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 which Lot had dwelt. (Genesis 19:27-29) The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16) AMEN!