Introduction
“Then the Lord said, ‘if I find 50 good people in the city of Sodom, I will save the whole city because of them.” Genesis 18:26
Abraham divided the land between he and Lot. Abraham gave Lot the choice of land near Jordan for his flocks. It was the richest portion. The fields were greener and the water plentiful. There were two great cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of these cities were very wicked.
As Lot’s cattle ate the grass of one field, he moved and kept moving until he was right among the evil people of the city. Lot tried to do better, but it was hard for him to keep out of trouble in Sodom. Once some foreign kings captured the king of Sodom, and Lot was taken prisoner. His uncle, Abraham went and rescued him, but he went right back to Sodom.
Abraham continued to live in his tent home under oak trees at Hebron, away from those wicked people, so he could obey God and offer sacrifices.
Abraham was sitting at his door about noon when three strange men appeared. He didn’t know who they were. He bowed and asked them to stay a while. He gave them a meal Sarah had prepared. After they had cleaned up, one of them began to speak about the blessings God had promised him and a son would be born.
But the sad news was that Sodom and Gomorrah were so bad that God was going to punish them. This worried Abraham because of his nephew Lot, so he asked,
“Are you going to punish the good with the bad?” Abraham asked, “Would you save the city if there were fifty good people in it?”
The Lord agreed to save the city if there were fifty good people in it. Then fifty could not be found, and he asked to save it if forty-five could be found; and the Lord agreed. It was so bad, Abraham asked if forty, thirty, twenty, and then ten. The Lord agreed if ten could be found there He would not destroy the city.
The two men who came along with the Lord had gone ahead to Sodom. Lot, when he saw them, asked them in his house, but they refused and preferred to stay on the streets. The wicked men asked Lot about the men. Lot was afraid for them to stay outside, afraid the wicked men would harm them. The wicked men began to break in the door, and suddenly the men came out the door and drew Lot inside. The wicked men became blind.
Then they told Lot that God was going to destroy Sodom. He asked Lot to gather his family and leave at once. He begged his son in laws, who were to soon marry his daughters, but they just laughed at Lot.
The Angel that night told him to take only his wife and daughters and leave Sodom. He hated to leave, but finally his wife and daughters and he had to flee for their lives, and was not to even look back. The Lord rained fire from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. But, Lot’s wife could not resist, but went back and turned into a pillar of salt.
Quiz
1. Who first came to Abraham?
2. What message did he give him and what did he beg them to do?
3. How many people that were good if found in Sodom would the Lord save Sodom?
4. Could they be found?
5. Did the people of Sodom accept the strangers?
6. How did God destroy the city?
7. Who were saved and what did Lot’s wife do?
