EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/07/2025/9:25
PM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-2“The Case of Sodom and Gomorrah”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 2
Peter 2:6-8
Message of the verses: “and if He condemned the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them
as an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter, and if He
rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men
(for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt
his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),”
I continue this section by quoting John MacArthur to help us understand
that “The word rendered destruction (katastrophe, of which the
English word catastrophe is transliteration) indicates complete
overthrow and total ruin. The
devastation was so thorough that it reduced those cities to nothing more than ashes. (The phrase reducing them to ashes is
described by one word in the original—tephrosas—an aorist participle
from a root verb that can also be translated ‘covered with ashes.’) In fact,
God’s judgment was so complete that the ruins remain undiscovered, and the
cities’ precise location is still unknown.
It is possible, but not substantiated, that they were buried under what
is now mineral-dense water in the southern portion of the Dead Sea. That this destruction refers to more
than physical death is clear from the
parallel text in Jude 7, which says the people of those cities are ‘an
example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.’ Divine judgment not only buried the
people’s bodies under the ashes, but it plunged their souls into eternal
judgment. It is because of eternal
punishment that the cities are examples, as are the angels.”
Now
although the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah would probably have known the
message of righteousness and judgment Noah preached after the Flood (as passed
on by Noah and his family), they rejected it nonetheless. Now instead, what they did is that they chose
to live in sin and perversion, most notably homosexuality (Gen. 19:4-11). “4 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: 5 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 (sexual relations) them. 6 And
Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And
said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 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. 9 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. 10 But
the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut
to the door.11 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.” More than twenty
times in Scripture these cities are used as an example to those who would
live ungodly lives thereafter (see Matt. 10:14, 15; 11:23, 24; Luke
17:28-32). We can see that God used them
and their holocaust to send an unmistakable warning to future generations of
rebellious sinners—namely, that depraved people cannot pursue ungodliness and
also escape God’s vengeance and everlasting judgment (cf. 3:7, 10; Matt. 25:41;
Rom. 1:18; 2:5, 8; Eph. 5:6; 1 Thess. 2:16; 2 Thess. 1:8; Heb. 10:26-27; Rev.
6:17).
Now
prior to their destruction, God revealed the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah
to Abraham as seen in Genesis 18:26-27; also compare Gen. 13:13). In response, the patriarch expressed his
sincere concern for any righteous people who may still be living there. He even implored the Lord to withhold His judgment
for their sakes as seen In Genesis 18:23-33.
“23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also
destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be
fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place
for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from
thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that
the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said,
If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the
place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold
now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and
ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty
righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I
find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he
spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found
there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And
he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak:
Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it,
if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have
taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty
found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And
he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this
once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it
for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon
as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” Now the Lord was willing to spare the
city if as few as ten righteous inhabitants could be found. But when even that minimum could not be met,
the Lord then destroyed that wicked place, and if one thinks about this as to
what the destruction was involved one can get an idea of what the Lord thinks
about homosexuality.
I will
quote one paragraph from MacArthur’s commentary to finish this SD, but there is
still more in this section to look at, and Lord willing, I will look at it
tomorrow evening.
“As in
the previous illustration of the Flood, Peter comforted his readers by
reminding them of those who escaped punishment.
During the Flood, God graciously preserved Noah and his family. In this instance, during the demolition of
Sodom and Gomorrah, God rescued righteous Lot, along with his two
daughters.” 12/7/2025 9:55 PM
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