Lesson 018 Sodom And Gomorrah Genesis 19:1-30
MEMORY VERSE 2 PETER 2:9...then the Lord know s how to deliv er the godly out of tem ptations and to reserv e the unjust under punishm ent for the day of judgm ent... WHAT YOU WILL NEED: Bring in some tree leaves (or if in a season when leaves are not available cut out leaves from constructions paper). Also needed: cardstock paper, crayons or markers, and glue. Before class, cut out two circles (approximately 2 in diameter) from poster board (or sturdy cardboard) for each child in your class. You will also need markers or crayons and masking tape. Fruit preserves, matching fresh fruit, and crackers. ATTENTION GRABBER! Make Like a Tree and Leave Gather some leaves for each child in your class (can be green leaves of fall leaves. If out of season, cut out leaves from construction paper). Have each child draw a tree trunk on a sheet of cardstock or white construction paper and have them glue the leaves to the branches of the trees. Explain to your class that in today s lesson, angels will tell Lot to leave Sodom. This was probably very hard for him to do as he was leaving two daughters with their husbands in the doomed city. Explain that we should be obedient to God even when it is difficult. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked.
LESSON TIME! Today, we are going to learn about the fate of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Last week, we talked about how the Lord and two angels came and talked to Abraham. As the two angels departed for Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord revealed to Abraham His plans to judge and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities. Abraham pleaded, If there were fifty righteous people in the cities, would God spare the cities? Abraham continued to question God about the fate of the city should numbers of righteous people descend. Finally, he asked if God would spare the city if there were only ten righteous people. God told Abraham that if only ten righteous people could be found in the entire city, He would spare it. God is truly merciful and gracious. He does not desire to judge and punish evil; His desire is that man turn from his evil ways and find His salvation. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. As Christians, we need not fear God s judgment. God sees us as righteous because we believe in Him and the work that Jesus did on the cross for our salvation. Though the world today is ripe for God s judgment, God will deliver us and protect those who have put their trust in Him. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. G EN ES I S 19:1-3 N o w t h e t w o an ge l s c am e t o S o d o m i n t h e e v e n i n g, an d L o t w as s i t t i n g i n t h e gat e o f S o d o m. Wh e n L o t s aw t h e m, h e r o s e t o m e e t t h e m, an d h e bo w e d h i m s e l f w i t h h i s f ac e t o w ar d t h e gr o u n d.
An d h e s ai d, " H e r e n o w, m y l o r d s, p l e as e t u r n i n t o y o u r s e r v an t ' s h o u s e an d s p e n d t h e n i gh t, an d w as h y o u r f e e t ; t h e n y o u m ay r i s e e ar l y an d go o n y o u r w ay. " An d t h e y s ai d, " N o, bu t w e w i l l s p e n d t h e n i gh t i n t h e o p e n s qu ar e. " B u t h e i n s i s t e d s t r o n gl y ; s o t h e y t u r n e d i n t o h i m an d e n t e r e d h i s h o u s e. T h e n h e m ad e t h e m a f e as t, an d bak e d u n l e av e n e d br e ad, an d t h e y at e. The two angels who had visited with Abraham arrived in Sodom. Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom, which meant that he was a judge or a leader in the city. Judges usually sat by the city gates, the public places (John 29:7, 12-17) where legal and business transactions were finalized. Lot was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7-8), but he made careless decisions. He first pitched his tent close to Sodom; later, he moved into Sodom. Now, we see that he is part of the leadership in the city. It appears that the city ended up controlling his life. We must be careful not to follow what looks good on the outside. Lot knew that what went on in Sodom was wrong. In fact, he made the attempt to bring righteousness into Sodom with him, but he was lacking power. As Christians, we must realize the danger of becoming too comfortable in this world. We are to be in this world, but not of it. We are salt and light, but we need to be careful that the things and the ways of this world do not begin to control our lives. Let us go where God calls us; for then, He will go with us. If we exercise our own will above God s will and travel our own course, God cannot bless our lives.
Lot saw the two angels and he recognized them. He bowed down to them and invited them into his house. The angels refused and said they would stay in the open square. Lot continued to persist strongly, and the angels agreed to come into his house. G EN ES I S 19:4-11 N o w be f o r e t h e y l ay d o w n, t h e m e n o f t h e c i t y, t h e m e n o f S o d o m, bo t h o l d an d y o u n g, al l t h e p e o p l e f r o m e v e r y qu ar t e r, s u r r o u n d e d t h e h o u s e. An d t h e y c al l e d t o L o t an d s ai d t o h i m, " Wh e r e ar e t h e m e n w h o c am e t o y o u t o n i gh t? B r i n g t h e m o u t t o u s t h at w e m ay k n o w t h e m c ar n al l y. " S o L o t w e n t o u t t o t h e m t h r o u gh t h e d o o r w ay, s h u t t h e d o o r be h i n d h i m, an d s ai d, " Pl e as e, m y br e t h r e n, d o n o t d o s o w i c k e d l y! " S e e n o w, I h av e t w o d au gh t e r s w h o h av e n o t k n o w n a m an ; p l e as e, l e t m e br i n g t h e m o u t t o y o u, an d y o u m ay d o t o t h e m as y o u w i s h ; o n l y d o n o t h i n g t o t h e s e m e n, s i n c e t h i s i s t h e r e as o n t h e y h av e c o m e u n d e r t h e s h ad o w o f m y r o o f. " An d t h e y s ai d, " S t an d bac k!" T h e n t h e y s ai d, " T h i s o n e c am e i n t o s o j o u r n, an d h e k e e p s ac t i n g as a j u d ge ; n o w w e w i l l d e al w o r s e w i t h y o u t h an w i t h t h e m. " S o t h e y p r e s s e d h ar d agai n s t t h e m an L o t, an d c am e n e ar t o br e ak d o w n t h e d o o r. B u t t h e m e n r e ac h e d o u t t h e i r h an d s an d p u l l e d L o t i n t o t h e h o u s e w i t h t h e m, an d s h u t t h e d o o r.
An d t h e y s t r u c k t h e m e n w h o w e r e at t h e d o o r w ay o f t h e h o u s e w i t h bl i n d n e s s, bo t h s m al l an d gr e at, s o t h at t h e y be c am e w e ar y t r y i n g t o f i n d t h e d o o r. Here, we see that the men of the city must have seen the angels. They were so filled with sin that they wanted to come and treat the angels very badly. They were going to hurt the visitors in order to commit their sin and wickedness. These men had allowed sin to so fill them that they would do anything to commit sin. Their intentions toward the angels were an abomination before the Lord. Now, we must realize that God did not destroy Sodom because of any one sin; sin is sin in God's eyes. But, when a culture accepts a sin as normal lifestyle, it indicates that that culture is devoid of morals and unrepentant. Even though Sodom was filled with sin and wickedness, God would have spared them if only a few would have turned to Him. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. We must never accept sin. It is so easy to go with the flow and say that things are all right. We must see sin through God's eyes. How do we see sin through God's eyes? We read the Bible. It's like putting on a pair of glasses so you can see clearly. Remember, God wants us to love those who are controlled by sin, but we should never accept any kind of sin as a normal way of life or a right thing to do. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. Lot went out to try to calm down the people. He even offered his two daughters to them, further indicating how far he had compromised with the world. What a sad place for Lot or anyone to be in! The world has no respect for a compromising Christian. They cried out as if to say, Who does this guy think he is? He thinks he can judge us. So, they decided to treat him worse than they were going to treat the angels, and they pressed him against the door to the point of almost breaking it down. Then the angels
stretched out their hands and blinded the wicked people, confusing their senses so they could not find the door. What a lesson we can learn about compromising with the world. Let s remember the lesson of Lot and his family and remain committed to be faithful to the Lord no matter what. G EN ES I S 19:12-14 T h e n t h e m e n s ai d t o L o t, " H av e y o u an y o n e e l s e h e r e? S o n -i n -l aw, y o u r s o n s, y o u r d au gh t e r s, an d w h o m e v e r y o u h av e i n t h e c i t y --t ak e t h e m o u t o f t h i s p l ac e! " F o r w e w i l l d e s t r o y t h i s p l ac e, be c au s e t h e o u t c r y agai n s t t h e m h as gr o w n gr e at be f o r e t h e f ac e o f t h e L O R D, an d t h e L O R D h as s e n t u s t o d e s t r o y i t. " S o L o t w e n t o u t an d s p o k e t o h i s s o n s -i n -l aw, w h o h ad m ar r i e d h i s d au gh t e r s, an d s ai d, " G e t u p, ge t o u t o f t h i s p l ac e ; f o r t h e L O R D w i l l d e s t r o y t h i s c i t y!" B u t t o h i s s o n s -i n -l aw h e s e e m e d t o be j o k i n g. Then the angels asked Lot about his relatives. The invitation was to any righteous in Sodom. So Lot went to his sons-in-law and asked them to come, but they thought he was joking. This is another warning to us to not do something God does not call us to do. Lot should not have been in Sodom. He was not changing the city towards righteousness; instead, the city was changing him. His willingness to compromise affected not only the strength of his own relationship with God, but his relative s relationship with God. If we do what our friends do or accept what they do even if it is against the Word of God, they will not take us seriously when we seek to take a stand for God and righteousness. We must be steadfast unwilling to accept compromise and sin--while at the same time, loving those who are deceived by sin with the same compassion that Jesus has for those who do not know Him.
G EN ES I S 19:15-22 Wh e n t h e m o r n i n g d aw n e d, t h e an ge l s u r ge d L o t t o h u r r y, s ay i n g, " Ar i s e, t ak e y o u r w i f e an d y o u r t w o d au gh t e r s w h o ar e h e r e, l e s t y o u be c o n s u m e d i n t h e p u n i s h m e n t o f t h e c i t y. " An d w h i l e h e l i n ge r e d, t h e m e n t o o k h o l d o f h i s h an d, h i s w i f e ' s h an d, an d t h e h an d s o f h i s t w o d au gh t e r s, t h e L O R D be i n g m e r c i f u l t o h i m, an d t h e y br o u gh t h i m o u t an d s e t h i m o u t s i d e t h e c i t y. S o i t c am e t o p as s, w h e n t h e y h ad br o u gh t t h e m o u t s i d e, t h at h e s ai d, " Es c ap e f o r y o u r l i f e! D o n o t l o o k be h i n d y o u n o r s t ay an y w h e r e i n t h e p l ai n. Es c ap e t o t h e m o u n t ai n s, l e s t y o u be d e s t r o y e d. " T h e n L o t s ai d t o t h e m, " Pl e as e, n o, m y l o r d s! " I n d e e d n o w, y o u r s e r v an t h as f o u n d f av o r i n y o u r s i gh t, an d y o u h av e i n c r e as e d y o u r m e r c y w h i c h y o u h av e s h o w n m e by s av i n g m y l i f e ; bu t I c an n o t e s c ap e t o t h e m o u n t ai n s, l e s t s o m e e v i l o v e r t ak e m e an d I d i e. " S e e n o w, t h i s c i t y i s n e ar e n o u gh t o f l e e t o, an d i t i s a l i t t l e o n e ; p l e as e l e t m e e s c ap e t h e r e (i s i t n o t a l i t t l e o n e?) an d m y s o u l s h al l l i v e. " An d h e s ai d t o h i m, " S e e, I h av e f av o r e d y o u c o n c e r n i n g t h i s t h i n g al s o, i n t h at I w i l l n o t o v e r t h r o w t h i s c i t y f o r w h i c h y o u h av e s p o k e n. " H u r r y, e s c ap e t h e r e. F o r I c an n o t d o an y t h i n g u n t i l y o u ar r i v e t h e r e. " T h e r e f o r e t h e n am e o f t h e c i t y w as c al l e d Z o ar.
Now the angels told Lot that it was time to leave Sodom, but Lot was hesitant to go. The angels grabbed hold of his hands, his wife s hands and the hands of his two daughters and brought them out of the city. They told them to not look behind them. So, it is with sin in our lives. Sin can exercise powerful control over our lives. We may find ourselves especially struggling with a certain sin. God wants us to surrender completely to Him and lean on His strength to free us from sin. A little compromise with a sin can lead us into a bondage to that sin. We must turn from sin and not look back. I m "Outta" Here! Before class, cut out two circles (approximately 2 in diameter) from poster board (or cardboard) for each child in your class. You will also need markers or crayons and masking tape. Allow the children to decorate their two chips with anything related to the Bible or Jesus. Next, clear the center of the floor and place two strips of masking tape approximately 3 feet apart. Have 4 or 5 children at a time line up behind one line. They should then lay down one chip and using the other chip they can set it on the edge of the chip on the floor and make it pop up and move forward. Allow the children to race and see who will be the winner. If you have a large class, have the winners of 2 or 3 races race against one another. Explain that Lot should have run away from such a place as Sodom long before he did, but when the angels took him and his family by the hand out of the city, they fled. Just like the chips need encouragement to go by applying pressure to them, sometimes the Lord has to apply pressure to our lives to get us to move in the direction He wants us to go.
God knows that any sin that has a foothold in our lives will destroy us. We must surrender ourselves completely to God and let Him enable us to walk away from sin. Once free from the grip of sin, we must cherish our freedom and not allow compromise to return us to bondage. Lot bargained with the angels to go to the small town of Zoar instead of taking on the perils of the mountains. If God were saving him from the judgment of Sodom, would He not save him from any danger in the mountains? God granted Lot s request. Remember that the Bible calls Lot "just" (2 Peter 2:7,8). His deepest desire was right. His problem was his compromise. Such compromise is disastrous in the life of a Christian. When we compromise, we end up causing a great deal of problems in our own lives and in others lives. G EN ES I S 19:23-26 T h e s u n h ad r i s e n u p o n t h e e ar t h w h e n L o t e n t e r e d Z o ar. T h e n t h e L O R D r ai n e d br i m s t o n e an d f i r e o n S o d o m an d G o m o r r ah, f r o m t h e L O R D o u t o f t h e h e av e n s. S o H e o v e r t h r e w t h o s e c i t i e s, al l t h e p l ai n, al l t h e i n h abi t an t s o f t h e c i t i e s, an d w h at gr e w o n t h e gr o u n d. B u t h i s w i f e l o o k e d bac k be h i n d h i m, an d s h e be c am e a p i l l ar o f s al t.
Once Lot had gotten into the city, God started His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities. It says He rained fire and brimstone on the cities. God kept His Word, as He always keeps His Word, and everything was destroyed, even what grew on the ground. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. Many people believe that the Dead Sea now covers the remains of the former cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Dead Sea is a lake in Southern Palestine. The Jordan River, and other smaller rivers flow into it, and because it's at the lowest place on earth, no water flows out of it. The water evaporates so quickly that salts and other minerals have become so highly concentrated that nothing can live in it hence the name, Dead Sea. God completely wiped out everything. Lot's wife disobeyed the angels and turned to look back. She still loved Sodom. When she looked back, the Bible tells us she became a pillar of salt. Again, we see the other problem with compromise it affects the people around us. Perhaps Lot could handle Sodom better than his wife and could leave easier than she could. He may have maintained a relationship with God; however, he suffered tragic consequences as his wife and relatives were unable to escape the influence of the evil culture around them. Sin will affect those we love. God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. G EN ES I S 19:27-29 An d Abr ah am w e n t e ar l y i n t h e m o r n i n g t o t h e p l ac e w h e r e h e h ad s t o o d be f o r e t h e L O R D. T h e n h e l o o k e d t o w ar d S o d o m an d G o m o r r ah, an d t o w ar d al l t h e l an d o f t h e p l ai n ; an d h e saw, an d be h o l d, t h e s m o k e o f t h e l an d w h i c h w e n t u p l i k e t h e s m o k e o f a f u r n ac e.
An d i t c am e t o p as s, w h e n G o d d e s t r o y e d t h e c i t i e s o f t h e p l ai n, t h at G o d r e m e m be r e d Abr ah am, an d s e n t L o t o u t o f t h e m i d s t o f t h e o v e r t h r o w, w h e n H e o v e r t h r e w t h e c i t i e s i n w h i c h L o t h ad d w e l t. Now we see that Abraham got up early in the morning to see what had become of the cities he had been interceding for. He saw the smoke and desolation, for it was great. As Abraham pleaded for sparing the city, he would have no doubt been thinking of Lot and his family. God did deliver Lot, and though his wife failed to survive, Lot s two daughters accompanied him to safety. God answered Abraham's prayers, for it says, "God remembered Abraham," and He delivered Lot out of the city. God hears our prayers of intercession for our loved ones. The country and the world in which we live is filled with wickedness and sin. Though we must live in this world, we must not compromise. With God s strength, we can be righteous in a wicked world. Let us remember to let God reign supremely over the choices we make: where to go, what to do. In so doing, we will be blessed and protected. Let us not compromise, but stand as a strong witness to those around us who do not know Jesus. And, let us pray without ceasing for loved ones and others who do know Jesus. For we know, God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
Preserves Bring crackers to class and an unopened jar of fruit preserves. If possible bring some of the same fruit in its fresh form. Ask the class what would happen if the fruit were just left in the pantry in a plastic bag. Explain that the fruit in the jar has been preserved. Share it with the class on crackers and discuss how God will deliver the righteous, but will punish the wicked. PRAYER Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to live righteous lives before the Lord. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel, give them opportunity.