Sodom and Gomorrah: A Popular Bible Story

Most people will have already heard the popular Bible story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  It is one of the most famous Bible stories of the Old Testament.

In the book of Genesis 19:1-29, the notoriously evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by sulfur and fire as a punishment for their sins.

These cities were estimated to be in the plain south of the Dead Sea, possibly located under or adjacent to the region.

This story has not been without controversy.  At least in part, the desire of the men of the city to indulge in same-sex conduct was the reason why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

It has historically been seen to condemn homosexual behavior.  21st century attitudes tend more towards tolerance than fire and sulfur and so the story can be an uncomfortable read to some.

However, the story is, consciously or unconsciously, engrained in modern culture.  For example, the word “sodomy”, comes from the name of the city of Sodom.

Whatever your views the story of Sodom and Gomorrah provides some important life lessons for us all.

Interestingly, Dr. Steven Collins, a Christian biblical researcher and the Dean of the College of Archaeology at Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides some evidence for the destruction of Sodom.

According to Dr. Collins, the destruction was made possible by a cosmic impact. This is further discussed in our article, “The Scientific Basis for the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah”.

Sodom and Gomorrah: The Details

The Three Angels Visit Abraham

The story all began when three men – who were later known as angels sent by God – arrived at Abraham’s encampment while he was standing at the entrance of his tent.

Not recognizing them as angels, Abraham gave them a warm welcome and fed them well because that was their custom at the time. The visitors told him that God would give him and Sarah a son. In addition, God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Probably since his nephew Lot lived in Sodom and Abraham wished to spare his nephew from God’s wrath, he begged God to spare Sodom.

Abraham was informed by God that Sodom and Gomorrah’s immorality and sinfulness were grievous but he would listen to Abraham’s request and that God would descend to determine if the actions of the Sodomites were as bad as the outcry that had reached him.

This was later confirmed when the Lord’s angels saw how evil the people were in these cities.

The Angels Come to Sodom

So, while Lot was sitting at the city’s entrance, two of the three men who visited Abraham, arrived in Sodom. Lot persuaded them to go home with him, since he knew that any such travelers would be in danger from the city’s residents.

However, Lot’s efforts were in vain and an angry crowd of men gathered wanting to attack and rape the angels.  Lot tried to protect them – even going so far as to offer his two virgin daughters in exchange for their safety, but the townspeople refused because they wanted to have sex with his visitors.

God’s wrath descended on the city and the people attacking the angels were blinded.  This allowed time for Lot and his family to escape with the angels.

This was to be the end for Sodom and Gomorrah as God desired to put an end to their evil ways by annihilating the entire cities and their populations.

Lesson 1: Sin is a sin no matter what the intention is.

Lot offered his two virgin daughters to protect the two visitors – who were actually angels – from the enraged Sodomites. Despite his best efforts to be righteous, he nonetheless came dangerously close to committing a sin.

The two visitors, however, prevented it from happening to Lot’s daughters by identifying themselves to Lot as angels sent by God and defeating their attackers with a blinding light.

Let’s try our very best to stay righteous without sacrificing our other virtues because no matter how we think we are being righteous, it is nothing if we fall into sin.

Lesson 2: God is present even in the most difficult times.

In Genesis 19:16-21, Lot and his family were saved from the punishment of Sodom and its people. He and his family were escorted by the angels until they reached Zoar.

They urged Lot and his family to run for their lives, but Lot initially hesitated. The two angels then led him outside the city by grabbing his hand as well as the hands of his wife and daughters.

In this kind of scenario, we must call on God – he responds to our prayers. All sorts of dangers will force us to turn away from God. By praying to him, we can draw strength to fight the temptations lurking and awaiting us to sin.

God continually directs people to his path of peace and love, even when there are doubts and nothing makes sense.

The Lord is our strength and our fortress. God doesn’t want us to rely on our understanding. If we place our entire trust in him, he will embrace our lives in his light.

Lesson 3: The things of the world will destroy us.

In Genesis 19:26, Lot’s wife disobeyed God when she looked back at her town. She was so attached to all the material things she possessed there, including her house.

Thus, she couldn’t leave her treasures and her family’s greatness behind, which made God turn her to a pillar of salt. She wasn’t ready to turn her back on the wealth the world had given her.

God gives adequate chances to change our ways from evil to good. Therefore, he takes everything from us for our own good, but oftentimes we misunderstand it as we think that he doesn’t love us, or he wants to punish us.

It’s because we want to believe that certain things and people will stay forever because we have some sort of attachment to them. Therefore, when they all disappear, especially the people and things we prefer to be around with, we suffer great pain.

Bible primer, Old Testament, for use in the primary department of Sunday schools, 1919 (1910s) by Hult, Adolf (1869-1943) Augustana synod. (from old catalog). This image is in the public domain. Cropped from original.

Lesson 4: The wicked shall face destruction.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah illustrates God’s ultimate judgment. Lot took the land in Sodom after he made up his mind to part with Abraham.

There, people practiced self-destruction and sin. Because they lacked fear of God, they abused his creations.

They had no regard for the lives of mankind and only lived for lustful desires. They were killing one another, engaging in adultery, and performing other heinous acts.

God therefore put an end to their evil by reducing the two towns to ash and eradicating everyone there—men, women, the young, and old.

Every act we do has a corresponding reward or punishment, and we should know this. Let’s all decide to do well since God sees us and knows when we rebel against him.

When we witness individuals turning bad and choosing to live without God, they rely on their own wisdom and capabilities.

Sodom and Gomorrah is not just a story to tell, but a lesson to live by. It’s because God will judge each of us based on how we made an effort to know him and live by his examples.

Lesson 5: Let us take God’s word seriously.

The angels instructed Lot to leave Sodom with his family, including his future sons-in-law, to save them from being destroyed.

When Lot told them this, his future sons-in-law didn’t think he was serious about it. Instead, they laughed, thinking he was just kidding. Thus, they were burned in Sodom along with the rest of the population.

We have a guide on how to follow the Lord through the Bible. He gave us the Ten Commandments and Jesus to attain salvation. The Holy Scriptures offer us a means of escaping the punishment of eternal damnation.