Sodom and Gomorrah

In the Jordan Valley, in a region that was once like the Garden of Eden for its beauty and fertility, stood two great cities: Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were wealthy and prosperous, surrounded by well-watered plains and blessed with abundant crops and trade.

But beneath their material prosperity lay spiritual corruption of the deepest kind. The people of these cities had turned completely away from God and given themselves over to every form of wickedness and immorality.

Lot’s Choice

Years earlier, when Abraham and his nephew Lot had accumulated so many flocks and herds that the land could not support them both, they had agreed to separate. Abraham had graciously allowed Lot to choose first where he wanted to settle.

Lot looked toward the Jordan Valley and saw that it was well-watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah appeared prosperous and appealing, so Lot chose to move his family and possessions toward those cities.

At first, Lot probably lived outside the cities, maintaining some distance from their wickedness. But gradually, he was drawn closer and closer, until eventually he was living right in Sodom itself, even sitting at the city gate as a respected citizen.

But Lot’s choice to live among the wicked people of Sodom brought constant distress to his righteous soul. Day after day, he was tormented by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds.

God’s Investigation

The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah became so great that their sin cried out to heaven. The Lord said to Abraham, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grave. I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

God was preparing to investigate these cities personally, not because He didn’t already know their condition, but to demonstrate His perfect justice and give them every possible chance for repentance.

Abraham’s Intercession

When Abraham learned that God was considering destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, he was deeply concerned for his nephew Lot and his family. But Abraham’s intercession went beyond just his own relatives—he was concerned for all the innocent people who might be living in those cities.

In one of the most remarkable conversations in the Bible, Abraham began to plead with God for mercy: “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?”

Abraham’s question went to the heart of God’s character: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

God graciously responded, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”

But Abraham wasn’t finished. With growing boldness but continued reverence, he continued his intercession: “What if there were forty-five righteous? What if there were forty? Thirty? Twenty?”

Each time, God agreed to spare the cities if that number of righteous people could be found.

Finally, Abraham made one last plea: “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”

And God said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

This conversation reveals both God’s justice and His mercy. He will not ignore sin, but He is always looking for reasons to show mercy rather than judgment.

The Angelic Visitors

That evening, two angels came to Sodom in the form of men. They found Lot sitting at the gate of the city, and when he saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed with his face to the ground.

“Here now, my lords,” Lot said, “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.”

The angels initially declined, saying they would spend the night in the open square, but Lot urged them strongly. Perhaps he knew how dangerous it would be for strangers to spend the night in the streets of Sodom.

So the angels went with Lot to his house, where he prepared a feast for them with unleavened bread.

The City’s Wickedness Revealed

Before the angels lay down to sleep, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people from every quarter, surrounded Lot’s house. They called to Lot and demanded that he bring out his visitors so they could abuse them.

This incident revealed the complete moral corruption of the city. There was not even common decency or hospitality toward strangers, let alone respect for what is right and good.

Lot went out to try to protect his guests, even offering to sacrifice his own daughters to save the strangers he had welcomed into his home. But the men of Sodom rejected his plea and threatened to treat him worse than his visitors.

“This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge,” they said mockingly. “Now we will deal worse with you than with them.”

Divine Intervention

As the mob pressed forward to break down Lot’s door, the angels reached out and pulled Lot back into the house, then struck the men outside with blindness so they could not find the door.

The angels then revealed their identity and mission 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.”

The Warning Goes Unheeded

Lot immediately went to warn his daughters and their husbands (or fiancés) about the coming destruction. “Get up, get out of this place,” he told them urgently, “for the Lord will destroy this city!”

But his warning seemed like idle talk to them. They had lived so long in Sodom that they couldn’t imagine God actually judging the city. The idea of divine judgment seemed ridiculous to people who had normalized wickedness.

This is often how sin works—it blinds people to spiritual realities and makes them unable to take God’s warnings seriously.

The Reluctant Departure

When morning came, the angels urged Lot to hurry: “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”

But Lot lingered. Perhaps he was reluctant to leave his home, his possessions, and his life in Sodom. Perhaps he still couldn’t fully believe that God would actually destroy the city.

Seeing his hesitation, the angels took hold of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by their hands, and led them out of the city. The Lord was merciful to them, not willing that they should perish with the wicked.

When they had brought them outside the city, one of the angels said, “Escape for your life! Do not look back behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

The Plea for Zoar

Lot, perhaps overwhelmed by the thought of fleeing to the mountains, made a request: “Please, let me escape to that little city over there—is it not a little one?—and my soul shall live.”

The angel granted his request: “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.”

The small city was called Zoar, meaning “little,” and it was spared for Lot’s sake.

The Destruction

As soon as Lot and his family reached Zoar, the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens. The destruction was complete and catastrophic—the cities, the inhabitants, and even the vegetation of the land were utterly destroyed.

The beautiful, fertile valley that had once attracted Lot with its prosperity became a wasteland of salt and sulfur, a monument to God’s judgment on sin.

Lot’s Wife

But in the midst of this escape, tragedy struck Lot’s family. Despite the clear warning not to look back, Lot’s wife turned around to gaze upon the cities they were leaving behind.

Perhaps she was reluctant to leave her home, or curious about the destruction, or simply unable to resist one last look at the life she was abandoning. But her disobedience cost her everything—she became a pillar of salt, a permanent reminder of the danger of looking back when God calls us to move forward.

Abraham’s Morning View

The next morning, Abraham rose early and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain. Instead of the prosperous cities that had been there the day before, he saw thick smoke rising from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

Abraham’s intercession had not been able to save the cities, because there were not even ten righteous people to be found in them. But God had remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.

The Lessons of Sodom and Gomorrah

This powerful story teaches us several important truths:

God’s Justice is Perfect: God does not ignore sin or allow wickedness to continue indefinitely. His judgment may be delayed, but it is certain.

God’s Mercy is Great: Even in judgment, God provides ways of escape for those who will listen to His warnings. He sent angels to rescue Lot and was willing to spare entire cities for the sake of even a few righteous people.

The Power of Intercession: Abraham’s prayer shows us that God welcomes our intercession for others and that our prayers can make a real difference.

The Danger of Gradual Compromise: Lot’s gradual movement from living near Sodom to living in Sodom shows how easily we can be drawn into situations that compromise our faith.

The Importance of Obedience: Lot’s wife reminds us that even in the midst of God’s rescue, disobedience can be fatal.

The Influence of Environment: Living among wicked people affected Lot’s family profoundly, showing us the importance of choosing our associations carefully.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah stands as both a warning and a comfort—a warning that God will judge sin, but a comfort that He always provides a way of escape for those who trust in Him. Just as Lot was rescued from the destruction by divine intervention, God offers rescue from the judgment we all deserve through faith in Jesus Christ.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are gone, but their memory remains as a testimony to both the justice and mercy of God, reminding us that righteousness and wickedness lead to very different destinations.