Dr. Dean Alley PhD: All right, Chaplain Dean Alley here. I had a moment. I hope you're doing okay today. As I'm warming up here, I wanted to get into chapter 19 with you and wanted to talk about what this this chapter will unfold in this podcast. Now I would say this. I want to kind of give you just a walkthrough right now what we've covered through the 19 chapters. So in the beginning we we learned the early beginnings and chapter one. We learned about the creation of the world. We learned that the story of man, which was Adam and Eve, we learned that there was a fall, and it was Adam and Eve, and Eve ate of the fruit. And then we learned that Cain and Abel, the first murder in the Bible. And then we learned about Noah and the flood and what was going on there. Why did God have to to destroy the world? Because it was corrupt. It was what it is today, corrupt in some form or fashion. Not everywhere. Some people are good people. But then we learned about the sacrifice the sacrifice in the covenant, which was with the the the rainbow if you remember. And then we talked about the descendants of Do Noah, where they went and they tried to build the Tower of Babel. and God had to confuse them because of their their pride. And if you follow me on Facebook, I actually did a picture of what the Tower of Babel looked like and I put that on one of my one of my posts. I don't know which one, but I took all the data from the Bible from the Bible and I plugged it into AI and that's what it developed, and it looked pretty pretty amazing. So Anyways, that's what I did. So we learned about that. Then we got into that's kind of the first part of like the primal history, and then we moved into the patriarchs of the history. And this is where we learn in chapter 11, we learn about the book of faith, the choice of being or at Abraham being chosen. And and then we learn about his family. Then we learned about his call in his migration. come out of Ur, remember, and and and and and go and get and go head get ready and go head to Hebron which is Mamre so he'll go there but the set he was separated from Lot we learned about that he went and had to save Lot and everybody and then he after he delivered him then we know we we saw Melchazedek which is an archetype of To Christ, and he gave ten percent to him, and we get the the sense from that standpoint, just the the sheer respect that he had. And then we got into talking about the covenant, how he he divided up the middle the the carcasses, but then he put Abraham to sleep, and then he walked it himself, so he's taking on the ownership of the covenant. That's the reason why I struggle with my colleagues that'll say, Well, all the covenants are there's no covenant anymore, they're all gone. And I I beg to differ. I mean the whole kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, and the whole whole purpose and theme is for Israel to repent and come back to God as his chosen people. And the church is separate because We are the ones that believe and we've been set apart. That's why I always say there's I just don't believe that we're gonna have that wrath that everybody seems to think. And that's okay. I mean, let me give you an analogy about where you sit in camps. Okay. First of all, the conversation about, you know, when he comes back and all that, that's not gonna affect your salvation. You you're probably gonna be in heaven with him. But let me give you an analogy. Like I grew up in New England and The Boston Red Sox was like more important than your birthday. Every one of those games. And when it came to the New York Yankees, it was a generational dislike towards them that was embedded into your psyche, if you will. I had relatives that never saw the Red Sox win the World Series and never saw how they defeated the Yankees in O four and how that come back win. What I would say about that, and the reason I bring this up in a comparison, is you may like the Yankees and I dislike the Yankees. But can we get along? Well absolutely. We still have the love of the game. Well same way with with with with with certain doctrines that Are where I would see it through my studies and rightly divide it. And then you may see something different and say, no, I see it differently. And this is the way what I'm not going to, I'm gonna want to have a debate about it. And the debate is a gent a gentleman or a gentlewoman debate about your belief systems and try to understand because you know why? I can change my views. I'm willing, I'm teachable. If I'm reading something wrong, I'd said something I think I put on a post that I was reading it wrong. I was saying we were going to be on heaven and the new heaven, which was above the earth, was going to be for the Israel. And it's the opposite based on what we read in the last and I admitted that. I came right out and said, Look, hey, I got this wrong and I thought it was the other way around. So I share that to let you know that hey, I I don't know everything. I I am teachable and I'm always willing to learn and hear other people's belief systems, but I do have a foundation that I hold to. I have doctrines that I hold to that you're gonna have to do a good job to get me to think differently. So then we talked about how he was delivered, then we talked about that covenant, as I mentioned, then we talked about the birth of Israel, Ishmael. they couldn't wait and they were taking it. Man takes it on himself to go fix it. Get a he he wanted the child. Sarah Sarah wanted the child. So they he gave her the handmaid, remember? And he gives the handmaid Hagar to Abraham and they conceive and they have Ishmael, which later on will be the more of the Arab Arab nations is where that all kind of started. And taking taking everything in their own hands and God said, No, I was gonna give you a child. I I told you that was a promise that I gave you and he did. He came back and that is Ishmael. And Ishmael is the child that is beginning his lineage of establishing the Israel race. So we talked a little bit about that. We talked about the circumcisions and the importance of why they believed in all that. And the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is where we're at now. So we started in 18 and we're gonna be in 19 here. And we're gonna kind of go down the the the list here. And so let me let me first give you some context. You know I love context, right? I think you have to have an understanding. So that's the reason why I walk through up to where we are, so you kind of understand where we're at. You have to have a good foundation of the beginning to be able to get to the last chapter of the book to understand the whole piece and how it connects. The whole thing brings comes together. It's Genesis connects with revelations. And you have to understand that. And then there's a lot of stuff in between that is some outstanding learnings that you could pull from that. that that bible so the same night that same night after the dawn in genesis eighteen the two angels that reach sodom at the evening while lot sat at the gate he pressed them into the house washes bakes unleavened bread before the night the of the men of sodom young and old they surround the house And they demand the guest for the assault. And Lot pleased with them. And he even offers up his two virgin daughters at the at the time. Now he was you say, well, why would he give up his daughters for anyways? I I don't have that answer. but it didn't matter because they didn't care about the the two virgin daughters. They wanted to sodomize these visitors that were visiting. And the angels The angels pulled lot back inside and they strike the mob with blindness and so they cannot find the door. So they can't get in. you can imagine if he had got out what that crowd would have done in Sodom to these two angels. Now, I would say that Raphael and I've read some of the Torah this morning and I'll and I will say this. So their account of the tour, they would say that Raphael and Gabriel and Michael were the three people. We would say there was two angels and the angel of the Lord, which we would say is Jesus. And that's how we would we would see that. Anyways, that's this background noise. It's hot outside, but obviously somebody is coming around. So okay, so let me just continue through and I hope the background will be taken out of this situation. But mob gets blinded right at the door and then they warn him that to gather all their sons, son in law's daughters and wife and everybody, and they tell to flee the town 'cause it's gonna be destroyed. Now remember the previous chapter where Abraham negotiated with with the angel of the Lord, Jesus, about saving the city if he could find fifty. Remember he got all the way to ten, he couldn't find ten. So they're on track to be destroyed. And God is a righteous and he's a just God. He said, If you find those people, I will not destroy the city. So think about that. He was not willing to sell to to to destroy that city. But if you're gonna sin and you're gonna do these abominations that he calls, especially the sodomizing, you are not gonna get the mercy you think you're gonna get. You will not. He has clearly shown you what he will do to people that are doing the abominations in the towns. And there were several other towns in there, and I'm gonna show you a map there of how they were affected. It was Sodom, then it was Gomorrah. And then there's a couple others we'll look at in a minute. But I'm just giving you that pre preface. I'm I'm giving you this laying this out in this preface for you to understand how we're gonna get through this next chapter. So he tells them, Don't look back. You know, he commands them, run to the mountains, get out of here. And at dawn, the angel sees Lot and the wife, and Lot bargains for Zor. So He prays for the city of Zor and to save it. And we'll get into that. When the sun rises, the Lord starts to commence the brimstone and fire from the Lord of heaven. And it starts to throw down the cities, the plains, the inhabitants, the vegetarian, everything's getting wiped out. And it was sadly said that Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt. Now I've read in antiquity that that pillar assault of Lot's wife, Josephus, one of the historians, which is not Christian, he is outside of the Bible, by the way, said that he saw that pillar of salt. He witnessed the pillar of salt. That's that's that's what I read. So unfortunately, Lot's wife looked back and she looked back on her sin and Maybe she wanted to go back I don't know, but it was enough to to take her life 'cause they were told not to look. When we are commanded to do something, we are to do it, right? And so Adam, or Abraham, I should say, looks towards Sodom in the morning. He sees the smoke furnace going on. a lot then fears for Z for Zoar or Zor, and he goes up the mountain cave with his two daughters, thinking no man no man is left on earth, thinks everybody's gone at this point. and he makes and they make his father wine for two nights, and they basically they lay with their father because they think all men are gone and nobody's around, they want to have children. So they conceive Moab and Ben and Ben Amen. And the midrash says that those two children actually came one from the ancestors, Ruth came through the King David line. And Naaman came through the Amorites, which were part of the genealogy. So the far fathers of the Moabites and Amorites. And the chapter contrasts Lot's hospitality with Sodom's depravity. And we see that it shows that God is faithful to Abraham, intercesses for him, and delivers Lot. At the end, the moral collapse and the follow delay compromise the trauma of the rescue. So when when we look at this and we start saying, okay, well, let's just break this out. Let's look at it from a doctrinal standpoint. Doctoral meaning, a set of beliefs or an official belief in principles or rules that are taught and mandated can be for religious or philosophical. those are the two I would pick. There's others. You can look at the criminal side. There's different levels of doctrine, but I would focus on the religion and the philosop philosophy and that group. and pertain to the official church dogmas. Dogma means dogmatic, it's true, that's what it means. Theological teachings are faith statements. So doctrine of dispute over the nature of grace, you know. people they they They debate over doctrine all the time. One thing I've learned about theologians and scholars, they'll scholars, they'll don't they'll debate about anything. All right. Two angels let's walk through here. Two angels that were left, execute the judgment. Yahweh himself, he rains down that fire from the Lord, and the distinction of the God they had is seen in eighteen twenty two. and I'm gonna read these in a little bit, but Torah has got this a little different. They They call it an angel. There's three angels. And we are saying, No, no. There was Michael and there was Gabriel and then the angel of the Lord. But so there was a cry that was out of Sodom and it was so great. And sin was very grievous. The homosexuality and the violence, the inhospitable and pride. They had a lot of pride. And you can see that in Ezekiel sixteen and read it through 49 and 50. But it it brings that overthrow because of that. Pride, God hates pride. I mean, l look at the top three lists. He goes, they were they were homosexuals, they were alternate lifestyles, and they're inhospitable, they were not nice people, and they had pride. You're not gonna do anything to me. I'm my own God. They had the pride. So righteous Lot is vexed and delivered, so he was pulled out and saved. God knows how to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment. You can find that in 2 Peter. You can find it in chapter 2, verses 6 through 9. The escape is by grace and seizure, and not by Lot's strength. So Lot didn't do this on his own, and he actually is the weakest link. But he de is told, look not behind is the command, but the wife looks back in unbelief. She doesn't believe what she was told. She's they said, Look forward, don't look back. She says, No, I don't believe it. So she looks back and you saw what happened. So Zor spares Lot's life and remains the principal for the one family. And the Moab and the Ammon born in incest are delivered because they heat the remember the daughters laid with him, got him drunk. And the flesh after the rescue produces the enemies of Israel. See, Moab and Ammon, they were enemies of Israel. Yeah. So, I mean, down the road, I mean, generationally. So we let's go into midrash. I wanted to talk about the midrash for a second and what it is. So I don't see it as an authority. The Bible is my authority. I will believe the Bible, but I will read what Orthodox Jews write. and what their sages write, what their their rabbis will write, especially some of the I like Rashi and there's a couple other ones I like to follow. But Minrash basically means to seek, to inquire, and to expound. It's a rabbinic interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. so So that's the mid rash. And then there's there's the other one that has hold on, it'll come to me in a second. it's all Aramaic. it's another view from an Aramaic standpoint that it's used for their they would count that as authority. but so basically It refers to both method and collecting of writing. So you have these so-called experts or Jewish experts that would break these down. There's two main types. the midrash of the halakaha, which is the legal side. That means so I have one up over here, right there. That's the legal things that you have to do, and you can't violate those, okay? And that derives or justifies the halakha which is the jewish law simply put and the midrash agash or agadah is a narrative or a homiletic it's a homily and it fills in the gap with biblical stories it adds some ethic it adds some theology maybe some parables also it often gives us some legends to look at to to to look at so you have the five books of the Torah is their Hard and fast. You will n that they are they are locked down on those. And then the Megillah. There's five Megillas that are in play here. And they that's basically how to live and do different things. Talks about the 603 you know oral laws and things on the line. And then that was compiled from 200 to 1000 CE. And Midrash essentially is it's it comments verses by verse and the Talmud, that's what I was looking for. The Talman talks a lot about the Aramaic side and it is viewed as more information and material for different groups. So anyways, I wanted to give you just a synopsis of why I looked at that and kind of break it down because you know, when we started looking at different things. in Genesis, you know, the midrash, for instance, would say Lot had become a judge in Sodom. You see where see where we go with this? The Jewish people think Lot becomes a judge. And he sat in the gate and he learned hospitality from Abraham, yet he stayed in the city that outlawed him, that was outlawed. So that's how they see it. They see, well, Abraham taught him, he's the judge of Sodom. The two angels that were in charge, one was to overthrow, one was to save Lot. they refused the street because Sodom's street is a violent place. So when he when they wanted to, you know, bring him out to the street or whatever, so they refused that because they knew it was violent out there. So when he offers up his daughters, you know, the rab rabbis would say that Abraham giving from Abraham but distorted it, he would surrender his house and protect the guests, still bargain with the wicked. So that that is You can see where they're swinging that a little bit different. And she looked back on the daughters of the city. Another line, she begrudgingly the salt to the guest, and she became salt. It's another story in their belief system. so I'm I'm I'm telling you this only because do I look at some of this stuff? I do. Do I create do I think it's anything that is a Do I think that it has merit? No, I I I don't, but I think it has a little bit of color because you could pull little things out of it. again, and that's kind of my thought process there. So let's do this. I'm going to pull. I'm gonna pull this up, share this screen, and I'm gonna read some Bible. Okay, let us share the window. Okay. You should be seeing that. Let me see. I'm gonna try yep. Seeing all that. Okay, so as you can see, Sodom is here. Here's Gomorrah. Here's Zor in the mountain range here. Adama and Zebobim, I guess. Up here was Dibba, Hejbon. But over here is this is where Abraham is. He is in Hebron, which Hebron, what's the name? Mamry. That's where they get the word Mamry from and it's Hebron. So he's over in that side. And remember, this was the plush side that Lot decided to take because it looked good on the eyes. But it was wicked. And and they were established before it wasn't like Lot established these. These were already stabbed established by previous. And again. So let's let's read without fail. So let me Start in here, get comfortable. We'll read this and we'll walk through it real quick. So, in the beginning well I'm in Genesis one, sorry. I was just looking at the P here. Okay. So the two angel visit is What we talk about. And there came two angels to Sodom at Eden, or even. Even means evening. And Lot sat at the gate of Sodom. And Lot seeing them rose to meet them. Now they're visiting Lot now, right? Because they're they they left and went to Abraham previous chapter, and he bowed himself to the to himself with his face towards the ground. And he said, Behold, now my Lord turns in, I pray you into your servant's house, and tarry all your servant's house, excuse me, all your servants' house, and tarry all night, wash your feet, and I shall and ye shall rise up early. and go your way and they said nay. But We have we will abide we will abide in the streets all night. And he pressed them upon greatly that they returned in unto him to enter the house, and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they did eat. So here are the first three verses. They were gonna go sleep in the street, and then Not and then but he said, No, you gotta come in because he knew it was wicked. Knew it was bad. so so the wickedness of Sodom was so bad with the men, you can see it in verse four, we pick it up. It says but and it's a contraction. It's shifting. When I say contraction, but and that shifts the the the conversation. We just talked about him in the home with the angels. But this is a contraction. Before they lay down the men and city, even the men of Sodom, compassed or compass would be surrounded them. And then he goes on to say. Compass the house around both old and young and all the people from every quarter. Here comes a contra contraction, I think. and they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? That was their question. Bring them out unto us that we may know them. That's scary. So that they wish as to wish to know them. And La went out the door unto them, shut the door after him or behind him. And he said unhe said, I pray, brethren, do not be so wickedly. So he's trying to plead with them. He's trying to say, Look, don't do this. And then he said, Behold, but look now, I have two. Now he's trying to shift the gears away from the men to I have two daughters. That he says, and don't think I could do this, but he says, I have two daughters which I have not known men. Let me, I pray you, bring them out, and you do as to them as in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing. So here, take my virgin daughters and do what you want with them. I don't care, but don't do anything with these guys. See, I couldn't do that. I just couldn't do that. for therefore came under the shadow of my roof. And they said, stand back. And they said again, this one fella came to sojourn, or sojourn means to spend sleep or spend the night. and he will need and and he will need a judge now. Will he deal worse than with thee than with them? Who you gonna deal with? Them or me? So then we look at and They pressed sore or or very hard upon the man, even unto Lot, and came near to try to break the door down. it says break door, but I'm saying they're trying to break that door down. but the men put forth their hands and pulled Lot into the house and shut the door. And they smote, or basically in verse eleven he talked about smoting means struck something. And then the men that were At the door of the house were the blindless, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find themselves, find the doors. And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides the son-in-law, 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 waxed great. Before the face of the Lord, and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. That's that's the angel's doctrine. And then Lot went out and spake unto his son-in-laws, which married his daughters, and said, get out, get you out of this place, for the Lord is going to destroy the place. But he contraction here, he seemed as one that mocked unto the son-in-law. So they basically made fun of him. Yeah, whatever. Yeah, I don't believe it. You know I gotta destroy this whole city. They didn't go with them. So then we pick up 15 where we know that Lot gets delivered. He says, And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened, or came quickly, to Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, thy daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in iniquity. And while he lingered, the men laid up hold his hands, and upon his hand on his wife, and upon the hands of his daughters, the Lord being merciful. Remember now, he's saving them from. Unto him, and they brought him forth and set him without the city. So basically, outside the city. When he says without, it's outside the city. And it came to pass when they had been brought up or brought forth abroad, and he said, So basically, once they were brought outside abroad, Then he basically is gonna say that He said, or I guess the word there would be something on the lines of they that they escaped for their life. Look not behind thee, neither stay thou in the plain, and escape to the mountains, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, O not my soul, Lord. Behold now thy servant has found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving faith, saving my life, and I cannot escape the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. Verse twenty Behold, now I Behold, the city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. let me escape there or thither. It is not a little one, and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, see I have accepted thee concerning, which means favored you. I accepted you because I favored you. And This also that I will not overthrow the city, for th the w the which thou hast spoke spoken. Old English here, folks. Haste thee, escape thee thither, for I cannot do anything till thou be come hither. So then we see this is a this is an example, arrive there. When he says, Be come hither, to be or arrive there is what he's saying. Therefore the name of the city be called Zor. So it's an insignificant city, but that's what he saved. And the sun rised upon the earth and Lot entered Zor. So he didn't destroy Zor. So let's talk about the cities in the plains that were destroyed. As you look at the little map here I got up here. Remember now Sodom's destroyed And then it says, The Lord reigned upon Sodom upon Gomorrah, so both cities were destroyed, with brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities and all the plains and all the inhabitants of the city and the and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham. Got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord, which had stopped stood is what I would say there. That he had stood before the Lord. So he went to the same place where he was standing when he was with the Lord. And he's up early in the morning for this. And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and towards the land of the plains, and beheld, or he saw, and lo. the for or lo or look, no the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of the furnace. So it was just burning. And it came to pass when the God had destroyed the cities of the plain and God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he was overthrown the cities in which Lot dwelt. Verse 30, we're going into it these births of Moab and the Benamiah, Meme, Mima, which is the two sons that are gonna come from them. And Lot went out of the mountain in Zor and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him feared to dwell in Zor. They didn't want to, they didn't want be there. So they were scared and dwelt in the cave. So they went to a cave. And he and his two daughters they went to this cave, and the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man left in the earth. So that's what they're thinking. Their current thinking is there's not a man left. And then he goes on to say, or the Bible the verse goes go on to say that To come as after a manner, excuse me, of the earth, which is talking about customs of the earth. So customs are having kids. and they were made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and laid with the father, and he perceived not. So he didn't know where he was at. And she and she laid down, nor when she arose. So he didn't know when she laid down, he didn't know when she got up. And it came to pass on the morrow, which is the next night, the firstborn, for younger went first, firstborn second, and said unto the younger, Behold, I lay l last yesterday night with my father. Let us make him drink in wine this night also, and you go lay in and lie with him, that you may preserve the seed, which is important, you know, context with us, the lineage, seed of lineage there of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him and perceived not when. So I don't know why it says begin to fast tomorrow the younger unto the younger of the firstborn. Okay, yeah. So couple thoughts here. pressed upon greatly Lot knew what was gonna happen when they were trying to get in there. That was the last word. Let me check. No, let me finish it up. And she lay down with him, and then she arose. Thus there there were both daughters and lot, and with the child and their father. And the firstborn bare a son, called him Moab, the same as his father of the Moabites, unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son and called the name Benjamin. Benamine. And the same is the father of the children of the Ammonites. So let's just look at a couple things here. So just talking about the the sheer I mean Lot knew they were gonna break in. and becoming they were becoming one of his guests of his saints and Sarah laughed with my I'm in the wrong chat. I'm in eighteen. All right. We may know. I was gonna say that that's we covered it last week. So basically he went and said, I have two daughters, absolutely amazing all alternative. Like I said, I don't think I could do it. he offered them to be, you know, offered by the believer. She seemed it seemed as if they mocked. They didn't really want those those versions. And evidently Lot's testimony had degener degenerated or kinda went down at that point. I mean, I wouldn't have a whole lot of respect for a guy that wanted to do that with his daughters. So he was losing his His faithfulness, his his his his character was really taking a beating here. to the point where his family did not believe that he was even serious. Now his sons didn't even know, I mean, didn't believe him, right? They mocked him. then we see that he says, I will not overthrow that city. So God comes out and he says, I'll spare, not only spare Sodom until Lot was saved, but he spared another city, Bella, which is permanently Because of his prayer. So because of his prayer, which was Zor, by the way, down here, see Zor. And he saves that city and he didn't overthrow it. And he waited for what? He waited for Lot to get out of there. Again, protecting them. And it you know, and because of his prayer is one of the strongest old testament illustrations of eternal security. That gives gives us security for the backslidden believer. No matter what, even though he was going downhill in his character and his his sister's situation, living in sin and the sin or living in a sinful city and all these things, he was spared and brought back to with God. And that is a testament showing an old testament illustration of eternal salvation and the security of and then in spite of Lot's deep apostasy which The New Testament assures that he was a righteous man and redeemed at the righteous soul was daily vexed until the deeds of s the sodomite neighbors. And we see that in Second Peter. So he became right righteous and doubtless. But God or excuse me, Lot with will be among those that shall suffer loss, but himself shall be saved. So he loses his wife, he loses his son in laws. So he's gonna suffer some loss. So she becomes a pillar of salt. Who? His wife. And Jesus used this incident as a warning to others to not look back. Why did he turn her into a pillar? It wasn't just because he felt like it. He was trying to set precedence and put a stern warning about when you leave and walk away from sin and point to God, you walk away. Don't turn back. And she had a desire to turn back to sin. I think of Las Vegas. Sin City, right? They they they they they sell it at Cincity. anyways. If I was an unsaved and unbeliever, New York City, Vegas would probably be the two main places I would go if I was I was I was a non believer. I mean, because I'm a believer I'd rather not go because I know what's in those cities. All right. And Baltimore too. Certain sides, certain parts of it. All right. So the brimstone of fire refers to a a probably a meteorite shower coming out of heaven. And it literally burned everything up, is what we're told. The Bible tells us that. So let's just go through a couple things and we'll finish her down here. So it's a picture of Lot's compromise with the world. That's what we see in the first few verses. He was a believer that had an inner godliness god goodness and the extent of urgent invitation and hospitality to the men. So initially he was hosp hospitable to the men. The fact that he sat at the gateway of Sodom was a sign of a leader of a wicked city. I think that is what permeate permeates from reading this text. the other part, when we look at from verse four to verse eleven, it's a picture of Lot's depravity. he chose godliness and depraved environment. He he he craved that environment. A mob surrounded his house. They were all depraved, they were all sinful. all burned with unnatural affection. There's people today that are burning with unnatural affection that completely goes contrast to what the Bible tells us to do goes against what you know Genesis is all about. And I've seen I'm gonna tell you I've seen people with an alternate lifestyle come back to God. you can come back to God. but it's not one of those things you could keep bouncing back and forth. Well, today I'm gonna be good and tomorrow we bad. That's not how it works. But I'm saying I've seen people that will repent, you know, Romans 10, 9, and repent that the Lord is Lord and come back to Him. And I've seen them leave those lifestyles. And you know, women that were of a lesbian relationship married with kids, going to church. Same way with a man with a man another man. Now married with a family. Good. You see all kinds of examples. I find that the older you get in that lifestyle, you get more people that leave it. They leave that lifestyle. Because when you're young, it's about a it's about being different. It's about being cavalier, it's about being something different against the world, not going with the grain, just you know, wild and crazy like you know, the hippies, the sixties, you know, the Woodstock. So they morphed to these type of belief systems. Anyways. So they were all depraved. They burned with homosexual lust. He had made his home depraved and wicked on this earth. He went out. He knew and lived among the worldly people. So he went and talked to them. So he knew them. We're in the worldly land world too. so we have to be able to disseminate. Between the two and stay strong in our faith. That's why this this Bible study is about strengthening ourselves. he had been engulfed by a selfish compromise, and he offered to his daughters the mob in exchange for guests, and it was a sin for sin, really. here, take my daughters and sin with them, or take these guys and sin with them. It's a sin for sin. There was no winners, and then he lived a a Hypocritical life. He judged and reproved citizens in Sodom. He was a judge in Sodom for their injustice while living, compromised in the world. So he played judge, and he was just as bad as all of them. So he was saved from the b the mob. We know that they pulled him back and they blinded them all. So then we pick it up in 12 where he says Lot is power, his powerless life becomes a testimony. the warning to say to save the family. Escape the coming judgment of Sodom's wickedness to be destroyed. Excuse me. A powerless testimony is terrible. Lot warned his family and what happened? His family considered it was a joke. I mean, he he didn't have credibility even within his own home. And there's people like that today. That's why lying doesn't last long. It's it I always say a good lie doesn't last long. And If you don't have your word, if you don't do what you you know, if you s do what you say and and and if you don't have your word and your testimony, I don't know how you sleep at night, knowing if you've done something you said something but you didn't do it, that should that should bother you. so Lot's desire in the world was urgent and it was a warning and he was told to get out. and what happens was he linger he lingers. Lot had difficulty to give up his house. He didn't want to leave. He was showing that, but he was forced out. And God's mercies for Lot took him by the hand and forced him out. Wasn't like he was going on his own. See how his countenance was was falling? And I don't know. It just you just it's it's just an incredible sign of spiritual weakness in this situation. The Lord urges w the warning to Lot to escape unless you be conceived. There's people on this planet right now, when he comes back, they're they say that the the the the Bible says people will will cry, people will cry out when they see God. You know why they're gonna cry out? Because they didn't believe them and it becomes true and there's no hope after that. That's why they're gonna cry. They're gonna cry, they're gonna be sad, because hey, I didn't believe him. So he lingered, terrible decision. Yeah, just the spiritual weakness was terrible. so Lot pleads with God's will, pleads for the physical weakness, and then Lot remains close to Sodom in the world still. And God accepts Lot's choice and continues the worldly in Zor. So he goes there in twenty verse twenty and twenty-two. God argued, No more. And God continued to save because Abraham's prayer. That's why he was saved. That's why parents, when you have maybe a wayward child, You pray for that child, and long after you're gone, those prayers are still hovering around, and God will answer those prayers. So we pick it up here where he talks about the picture when we look at Lot's warning and judgment, it's kind of a lesson for all of us, right? the compromising believer lost everything. depraved unbelievers were judged, suffered the fire, and they were killed by the brimstone. the spouse backslid. Completely believer. didn't believe what was told to her, she backslid in sin and looked back and did what she wasn't supposed to do, and she paid the price. That's an example. He made an example out of her. the picture of Lot's deliverance is the answer to prayer. So prayer warriors and urgent anticipation gives us where Abraham arose early to look to see what had happened, you know? And I mean, I'm sure it was terrible. I know that I've looked over battlefields and things explode and be burned up and and charred and smokes rising and oil wells and all that. And I've seen what devastation can do to a on a on a military battlefield. And I can imagine this maybe being worse. So God remembers he saves Lot all because of Abraham. I would say verse thirty is Lot's for this picture of Lot, tragic end results in backslide. So it was fear, it was humiliation, loss of included respect, 'cause now he was a judge. Now he's living in cave, right? He was a bad influence upon his children. He had immoral thoughts and plans. He was drunkenness and he was in sexual impurity. Now you would say, Well, it wasn't his fault they got him drunk. Yeah, but he still The sin follows the individual. So just because they sinned against him doesn't mean that he's gonna get off scot-free. So the children were misleading, they were sinning into shame. That's why those sons became enemies of Israel. and they are sinned in shame. And the older sister led the younger sister into evil. So the one that should have known better takes it, brings the little one in there and brings her into it too. So when we look at verse thirty-seven, when it talks about the firstborn bear the son, it was the trouble for the future rel generations. Moab was born to oppose God's people throughout history. That's no secret documented. And Benami, the father of the Amorites, was born to oppose God's people throughout history. Those folks became completely against Israel. And you know, it's just it just it's one of those that people we look at the story and people water it down and they don't really realize what they've done and you know what this looks like in in terms of things and you know we compromise. it it it's it's a it's an example of let me close this off here, stop sharing here. All right. So hope that map helped. So it just gives us that there was compromise. Lot was doing a lot of things. He was compromising some things. I think he i you know, it's a descriptive picture of the application between Lot and the angels. And you know, you start thinking about it, I mean They had brought something when they said, Well, we'll stay on the street and just sleep in the park is kind of what they said. Obviously didn't happen. So depravity. Let me let me talk about paravity per depravity, the homosexuality and the immorality. This is the second picture of backsliding. And it's backsliding is lots depravity. He is just sinning. The the scene here is pictured, it's it's kind of shocking. you know, how utterly depraved the human heart can be, but it shows how far. Believers can backflip backslide. People, anybody can backslide. Never think that you are protected enough that you would not do something that you say you went. Like we say sometimes, be careful what you say. Could could happen to you. And that can happen. And people don't realize that. So you stay humble, you pray for the strength of God every single day to protect you, you and your family, and you stay in your you stay in the word, you stay into. stay close to God and you're gonna be in a better place. But if you drift and you get into the world, you're gonna slide. It's gonna be how far back that that carnal fleshly mind that you can become or go back to. So the these verses really give us that graphic picture, right? Of Lot's depravity, also as well as the depravity of the sodomites. I mean how sad is that, you know? They they've they've reduced themselves to that point where they just got a boys and old men are trying to sodomize. I don't I don't get it. So Lot chose the god the godless depraved. That's where he stayed when he was in when he moved to Sodom. Lot made his home with depraved wicked wickedness on the earth and became one of them, really, verse six and seven. And Lot became consumed with selfishness as we read. in verse eight, which was it's horrible. It's an unbelievable scene because I don't think I could give my daughters up in that. And that's a selfish and that's a compromise thing. and he did that for his virgin daughters. That is horrific. In today's world you see things on the news, there's a big thing going on where this lady killed her kids. She took four minutes per child and strangled them and killed them. And then I want you I want to say this now. postpartum depression is a real thing. And I don't I wasn't there and there is a it's a real and they and I don't know if she was reaching for help or trying to figure out what the deal was or whatever, but she sent her husband away to go run an errand while she silently killed each and every one of them, taking up to four minutes. That's a long time to look your kid in the eye while you're choking him to death. I mean, if you could do that and sleep, I don't know. But regardless, she should be punished for that. Doesn't matter. Even if she didn't, you say, well, she she wasn't in the right mind, the mass no, no, no, no, no. You've crossed the barrier when you start taking lives. you have to pay for that. That is a sin that should be paid for. Now, when I watch the TV and I watch modern American women line up at the courthouse and they're clapping. As she's going to the courthouse in support of her, folks, we have gone the wrong way in the country when we are celebrating death, especially babies. I mean, if you don't think that God's coming back because of the sin, look at our news. I mean, how can you clap for somebody that killed three babies that didn't have a voice? Okay, you're having a bad day. I get it. I don't know the circumstances of who she reached out to or what she had to do, but if I mean I would she should have just gotten a car and drove and left him at home if she was that bad. I mean, instead of just let me just get him out of the way. But first let me get my husband out of the way and let me methodically take time to kill him. And it just to me I can't I can't put that around my head. Now I will say, Postpartum, depression is real. People see that they need to be helping those individuals and not sta not not standing back. I mean, I've seen some memes where people are splashing water on their kids' face, like, okay, maybe this is the next one, or or walking by. I saw a lady walking by a tree. it was a you know, those incinerators or trees, you throw the limbs in and chews it up. She's walking by kind of looking at it like with her kid in her hand. It's it it's implying I'll throw my kid into there and and they'll be chill folks. People think that's humor. People think that is valid, and people think that is something to celebrate. We have reached that point in this world. That is what's going on. And people take a lie and turn it into the truth and continue to be depraved. Just like these days in in in in Sodom. I don't have the answer other than You're gonna have to put your faith, hope, and trust in God. You're gonna have to repent, you know, pray, pray, the prayer Jesus, forgive me of my sins and mean it. Turn from your sins and continue to follow him and believe in your heart that he came, died, and he rose. That is the that is the gospel, and that is the salvation for being saved from this world. It's ugly. Anyways, where we All right, so the testimony, I'm not gonna go into a deep dive 'cause we're getting late here. we know that Lot was weak. we also know the worldliness is the backsliding part. There's a lot of people in this world backslide. I think of always when when Paul writes in his letter and he says, send this, or he's asking some for some things to come to the prison. I I don't know what verse it is, but He says, for Demas has forsaken me for this world. He was one of his followers. He followed Paul. So he had a good understanding of what Jesus and God and what it was all about. But he forsaken that for the world. Just like Lot forsake and went to the world. So also the prayer, the prayer is a powerful thing, shows that God does still hear. And then the result in the backsliding. you know, worldliness backsliding defeats a believer. And we don't want to be in that that game that that that position. All right folks, chaplain Dean Alley, bit long. I hope it was a blessing. If you need anything, let me know. God bless.