Bible Commentaries
Genesis 19

Verse 1

CONTENTS

The Sacred Historian, prosecutes in this Chapter, the account of what was hinted at in the former; namely, the destruction of Sodom, Lot is delivered from the overthrow: he is constrained by the Angels to flee for his life; his wife becomes a monument of the divine displeasure for looking back: Lot retreats into Zoar: he removes to the mountain: he there falls into the horrid sins of drunkenness and incest.

Verses 1-2

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

The same observations meet us here, as in the opening of the foregoing Chapter; which see. (See POOR on "Genesis 18:1 ")

Verse 3

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

Doth not the Reader call to mind, Him, who in the days of his flesh was constrained in like manner. Luke 24:28-29 . And is not the Reader's heart prompted by the view of both scriptures, to constrain Jesus also, to enter in and tarry with him. Oh! for a spirit of heart-wrestling with God our Saviour, not to be refused!

Verse 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:

Observe, old and young, all; an universal infection of sin. See Isaiah 1:5-7 .

Verses 5-10

But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

Observe how God protects his people in the moment of danger.

Verse 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.

Perhaps such blindness as that mentioned; 2 Kings 6:18 or like Elymas the sorcerer. Acts 13:11 . But awful as both these instances are, how much more the blindness of the soul. Romans 11:8 .

Verse 12

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

Sweet thought! mercy you see is shewn to ungodly relations, in the suspension of judgments. Matthew 13:30 ; 1 Corinthians 7:14-16 .

Verses 13-17

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

1 Kings 19:3 . And what is the cry of God in the soul of every truly awakened believer, but the same: Escape for thy life from sin: Look not back with any hankering after the world: Neither stay thyself upon any creature-righteousness, or creature enjoyments: but flee unto the rock Christ Jesus, lest thou art consumed!

Verses 18-20

Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

Zoar means a little one.

Verses 21-23

The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Jesus the Sun of righteousness, may be said to be arisen on the soul, when the faithful enter within his shelter. See Malachi 4:2 ; Isaiah 32:2

Verses 24-25

And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Numbers 34:12 ; Psalms 83:15 . A standing monument of God's judgment! Deuteronomy 29:23 ; 2 Peter 2:6 ; Matthew 10:15 .

Verses 26-28

And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Revelation 19:3 . So we are told, the saints will behold the destruction of Spiritual Sodom at the last day.

Verse 29

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

Precious consideration to the believer. Hebrews 6:10 ; Isaiah 63:11 ; Exodus 32:13 .

Verses 30-36

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

I detain the Reader but to turn to two scriptures, after the perusal of this melancholy subject. The first is, 1 Corinthians 10:12 . The other is 1 Peter 1:5 .

Verses 37-38

And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Awful effects of sin! Those nations were the sworn foes of the Lord's people through all generations. Here ends the history of Lot.

REFLECTIONS.

My soul! do not hastily turn thine eyes of reflection from this Chapter. Behold in it the graciousness of God's mercy in the midst of judgment, and connect with it this precious assurance, in all times of prevailing corruption like this, that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of danger as well as temptation. Who shall say in the present hour what nations, ripe for destruction by sin, are still preserved by the Lots which are dwelling among them? Who knows, or can calculate, the extent and efficacy of those prayers of the faithful, which being quickened by divine grace are heard in the divine mercy, for the suspension of the Lord's anger from breaking forth upon a guilty land! My soul! I counsel thee to seek earnestly a spirit of grace and supplication from above, that in lamenting before a throne of mercy those sins of our common nature in which I bear a part, my spirit may so earnestly wrestle with God in the Redeemer's name and righteousness, that I may find acceptance in the Beloved.

Reader! what various views of men and things, of mercy and judgment, of grace and nature, and the very different terminations between the righteous and the wicked, doth this chapter furnish. Gracious God! let it be my mercy to be called out of Sodom; to disregard the reproaches of the ungodly, and resolutely, like Lot, to bear an open testimony against them. And when in tenderness to my lingering footsteps, thou layest thy gracious hand upon me, oh! for thy quickening power in my soul also, that I may hasten to the Zoar of safety, even to the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone delivereth from the wrath to come!