Genesis 19-20
Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?, says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.
Ezekiel 18:23
Required Reading
Devotional
A point of contention of atheists, is the prevalence of suffering in the world and genocide recorded in the Bible. Why would God encourage, assist, orchestrate, or allow whole populations of people to be annihilated? Does God enjoy killing people? These are tough questions to wrestle with.
Let’s answer the second question first. No. God does not enjoy the death of anyone. We see the words of the Lord explicitly say this in Ezekial 18. Actually, God has a lot to say about this topic. God is responding to the Isrealites after decades of worshipping idols and evil behavior. He is speaking through his prophet Ezekiel, who is one of many prophets he has sent to warn the people to turn back to the Lord and be righteous.
And there is so much more God has to say about this. The books of the major and minor prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Amos are all about the Lord pleading with His people to turn away from sin and follow Him wholeheartedly.
So what about Sodom and Gomorrah? Did they have a chance to repent? Although we don’t have record of a prophet coming to tell them to turn from the Lord, we have seen it to be the pattern throughout scripture of the Lord to send a warning and to save the righteous. Previously in Genesis 18, we see Abram asking God if He would save the entire city if there were fifty or even ten righteous people in the city. It was if Abram was trying to figure out if Lot and his family were acting righteously while living in Sodom. I could see Abram thinking, “Is Lot and his family at least being righteous?”. And yet, although Lot was not righteous, because the city still was burned down, God still saved Lot and his family.
As all the men from the city came to Lot’s door to insist on sleeping with the angels, Lot warned them to not do such a thing. Did they turn from their wicked actions and listen to Lot as he tried to correct them? NO! They turned against Lot and tried to harm him. When Lot tried to warn his future sons-in-law to get out of the city, did they listen? No! And they got burned up in the city with all the other wicked people. Lot himself hesitated to leave the city, but “...because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:16) Lot then refuses to go where the angels instruct him to go. When he and his daughters arrive at the cave, his daughters act unrighteously and get impregnated by him. These actions gave birth to the nations of the Moabites and the Ammonites, two nations full of people who stray from the Lord and fight with the Isrealites for hundreds of years. While knowing that all this would happen, God still saved Lot and allowed these nations to be birthed. Is this sounding like a wrathful or merciful God to you?
Sodom and Gomorrah did not obey the warnings to turn from their sinful ways and as a result they suffered great consequences of death, but King Abimelech’s story was different. Abram lies again and tells a king that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Sidenote: Sarah is 90 years old, barren, and is still catching the eye of these kings! I digress. While Sarah is in the custody of the King, but before he has slept with her, God appears to King Abimelech in a dream. God warns him not to sleep with her. The King is terrified, humbled, and obedient. He heeds the instruction of the Lord and gives Sarah back with gifts of vindication. As a result, God removes the plagues from the Kingdom that was inhibiting the women from bearing children. God blesses King Abimelech rather than punishing him. What a difference from Sodom and Gomorrah.
These two stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and King Abimelech both give us insight to the heart of God. God wants everyone to be righteous and do the right thing. God gives us a chance to do the right thing. If we don’t heed his warnings, we will suffer consequences. If we obey, we reap the rewards and are spared. Just like any good parenting or judicial system, there are consequences for wrong actions and freedom in good conduct.
As we journey through the Bible this year, we will encounter many more stories that follow this theme of grace and consequences. We will even encounter righteous people who go through seasons of disaster for a purpose; however, God never leaves his righteous people without blessing and restoring them.
Let’s answer the second question first. No. God does not enjoy the death of anyone. We see the words of the Lord explicitly say this in Ezekial 18. Actually, God has a lot to say about this topic. God is responding to the Isrealites after decades of worshipping idols and evil behavior. He is speaking through his prophet Ezekiel, who is one of many prophets he has sent to warn the people to turn back to the Lord and be righteous.
“‘Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?, says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.
“Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you? When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds. And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die. And yet the people of Israel keep saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ O people of Israel, it is you who are not doing what’s right, not I.”’ Ezekiel 18: 23-29
And there is so much more God has to say about this. The books of the major and minor prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Amos are all about the Lord pleading with His people to turn away from sin and follow Him wholeheartedly.
So what about Sodom and Gomorrah? Did they have a chance to repent? Although we don’t have record of a prophet coming to tell them to turn from the Lord, we have seen it to be the pattern throughout scripture of the Lord to send a warning and to save the righteous. Previously in Genesis 18, we see Abram asking God if He would save the entire city if there were fifty or even ten righteous people in the city. It was if Abram was trying to figure out if Lot and his family were acting righteously while living in Sodom. I could see Abram thinking, “Is Lot and his family at least being righteous?”. And yet, although Lot was not righteous, because the city still was burned down, God still saved Lot and his family.
As all the men from the city came to Lot’s door to insist on sleeping with the angels, Lot warned them to not do such a thing. Did they turn from their wicked actions and listen to Lot as he tried to correct them? NO! They turned against Lot and tried to harm him. When Lot tried to warn his future sons-in-law to get out of the city, did they listen? No! And they got burned up in the city with all the other wicked people. Lot himself hesitated to leave the city, but “...because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:16) Lot then refuses to go where the angels instruct him to go. When he and his daughters arrive at the cave, his daughters act unrighteously and get impregnated by him. These actions gave birth to the nations of the Moabites and the Ammonites, two nations full of people who stray from the Lord and fight with the Isrealites for hundreds of years. While knowing that all this would happen, God still saved Lot and allowed these nations to be birthed. Is this sounding like a wrathful or merciful God to you?
Sodom and Gomorrah did not obey the warnings to turn from their sinful ways and as a result they suffered great consequences of death, but King Abimelech’s story was different. Abram lies again and tells a king that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. Sidenote: Sarah is 90 years old, barren, and is still catching the eye of these kings! I digress. While Sarah is in the custody of the King, but before he has slept with her, God appears to King Abimelech in a dream. God warns him not to sleep with her. The King is terrified, humbled, and obedient. He heeds the instruction of the Lord and gives Sarah back with gifts of vindication. As a result, God removes the plagues from the Kingdom that was inhibiting the women from bearing children. God blesses King Abimelech rather than punishing him. What a difference from Sodom and Gomorrah.
These two stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and King Abimelech both give us insight to the heart of God. God wants everyone to be righteous and do the right thing. God gives us a chance to do the right thing. If we don’t heed his warnings, we will suffer consequences. If we obey, we reap the rewards and are spared. Just like any good parenting or judicial system, there are consequences for wrong actions and freedom in good conduct.
As we journey through the Bible this year, we will encounter many more stories that follow this theme of grace and consequences. We will even encounter righteous people who go through seasons of disaster for a purpose; however, God never leaves his righteous people without blessing and restoring them.
Reflection Questions
- Have you wrestled with the idea of God pronouncing judgement on entire nations?
- In your knowledge of God, is He gracious or grumpy?
- Can you think of a time when you blatantly did the wrong thing and suffered the consequences?
- Can you think of a time when you deserved a punishment but received mercy instead?
Go Deeper
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