Tag: sodom

Sodom’s Sun God

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The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven,
Genesis 19:23-24 (NASB)

In the same way we learn that the plagues in Egypt point to God’s triumph over specific Egyptian gods, there is a teaching that says that the inhabitants of the 5 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah worshipped the sun.

ויאיצו, in order that their destruction should take place at the very moment the sun, their great god, would come forth. (compare Berachot 7)
Sforno on Genesis 19:15

As Messengers

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In Genesis 19, we read that two “angels” (malakim, or messengers) arrive in Sodom.

But after that, there’s nothing to indicate that they’re angels again until verse 15, when the text says the angels urged Lot to leave the city with his wife and two daughters. Every other time, they’re simply called “the men.”

The men of Sodom call them “the men.”
Lot calls them “the men.”

But the weird part is that even the NARRATOR calls them “the men.”

And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
Genesis 19:5 (NKJV)

See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
Genesis 19:8 (NKJV)

But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
Genesis 19:10 (NKJV)

h’anashim. הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים. The men.

Perhaps we’re supposed to understand that for the men of Sodom, for Lot, and even for the reader, we’re meant to see these angels as completely indistinguishable from humans. We’re being told that even if we were there in the story, we would have also thought they were just men.

And with that, perhaps we’re meant to learn that God often speaks to us… through people. Words of encouragement, blessing, and even warnings can be from God, but through people who are acting as messengers. As malakim.

To Judge

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And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.
Genesis 19:9 (NKJV)

The ancient Hebrew uses double-words for emphasis.

When the wicked men of Sodom accuse Lot of acting as judge, they use a double-word structure. This phrase never appears anywhere else in the scripture.

וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שָׁפוֹט – vayyishpot shafot

“And he judged, judging.”

The root word שָׁפַט “shafat,” meaning “to judge,” first appears in Genesis 16:5, when Sarai says to Abram, “may God judge between you and me.”

The next is when Abraham pleads with God: “won’t the Judge of the earth do rightly?”

And then it’s here, in double-emphasis.

In the first instance, Sarai is claiming the moral high ground, using a phrase reserved for someone willing to stand before God in her accusation against her husband.

In the second instance, Abraham addresses God’s own moral high ground, appealing to God’s righteousness and God’s unique ability to render judgement rightly in light of mercy.

So when the text shows us that men of Sodom use this word, we are shown an irony.

In the same way “yadah” (to know) has been corrupted, so has “shafat” (to judge). Because there is nothing to judge at this point.

The word shafat presents a picture of someone deciding who is wrong and who is right. The “judge,” or law-giver applies wisdom to examine the evidence and make the determination when there is disagreement, or when it’s hard to tell due to limited evidence.

But the readers have already been told that the men of Sodom are wicked; judgement has already been established back in Genesis 13:13.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
Genesis 13:13 (NKJV)

The men of Sodom calling Lot a judge is irony for the reader.

Three Angels, Three Women

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In Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by three “men” who are later revealed to be angels, or “malakim” in the next chapter.

In Genesis 19, there are three women described: Lot’s two daughters, and Lot’s wife.

Lot’s two daughters survive with him, but his wife dies when she is turned into a pillar of salt.

There were three women; two women live, one dies.

There were three angels; two angels are present, one is absent.

Perhaps this is related.

The Men of the City

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Before they lay down, the men of the city — the men of Sodom — surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.
Genesis 19:4 (NASB)

Genesis 19 identifies the city of Sodom twice in verse 1, so when verse 4 uses this phrase “the men of the city, the men of Sodom,” the rabbis tell us that this is hint from Torah.

The focus is “men of the city,” and that’s meant to tie us back to the great wicked city of Babel.

Surrounded

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Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.
Genesis 19:4 (NIV)

When you study biblical words, you find yourself asking a lot more questions.

This word “surrounded” has only been used twice in Genesis prior to this. Both times are in Genesis 2, describing the rivers that surrounded the land.

The name of the first is Pishon; it [a]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Genesis 2:11 (NASB)

The name of the second river is Gihon; it [a]flows around the whole land of Cush.
Genesis 2:13 (NASB)

[a] Lit surrounds

It feels connected. Perhaps.

To Know Us

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“To know” is the way sexual intimacy is described throughout the Bible, but Hebrew word means so much more than that. It also carries the meaning of “experiential knowledge.” It’s not just knowing about something, but it’s also having lived it out.

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Genesis 18:19 (KJV)

‎Here in Genesis 18:19, God says “I know him” about Abraham. It is יָדַע. Yadah.

‎This says so much.

In the previous chapter, where Abraham and God entered a two-way covenant, with God committing himself to Abraham and Abraham going through the commitment of circumcision, we see a change. God is now with Abraham, not merely next to him.

I think “yadah” is the key to understanding what’s happening in Genesis 18. Perhaps the text isn’t showing us three men/angels with one of them being God. I know it appears that way, because only two men show up in the next chapter, but I think something else is being shown to us.

Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the [b]oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.
Genesis 18:1 (NASB)

Perhaps Abraham sees three men, but he understands that God is there in the midst of them. That’s why Genesis 18:1 is written the way it is. It’s not a chapter heading. It’s a statement of awareness, given the new in-dwelling relationship with God.

The chapter continues with the interactions of Abraham and the men, and then in the middle, God just shows up again in verse 13.

But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old?’
Genesis 18:13 (NASB)

I think the right reading of the passage is this: when one of the men asked about Sarah, Abraham understood it to be God’s words, and that these three men were messengers of God.

Later, when the men leave to investigate the city, God tells Abraham that He will go to the city, and that if the outcry is not true, He “will know.” It’s that same word: יָדַע. Yadah.

I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely as the outcry, which has come to Me indicates; and if not, I will know.”
Genesis 18:21 (NASB)

‎But also, if it is true, wouldn’t God also certainly know? Either way, He will experience it. But how?

What does it mean to be a messenger of God? We typically think of someone who is God’s spokesperson to humanity, but doesn’t a messenger bring a message back to God as well? Don’t they return with a report of what has happened?

This makes me wonder if the true reason only two angels show up to rescue Lot isn’t because the third one is God, and that God remained behind. Remember, as messengers, they all three represent God.

Perhaps one actually went ahead first before the other two… and suffered violence.

For we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
Genesis 19:13 (NASB)

The two angels who came to rescue Lot were on a mission to get him out of the city. The text says they were set to destroy the city, not because of the attempted violence against them, but because of the outcry. The cries for help.

And this is what God knew. It’s what God experienced.

A God who knows our suffering is a God who experiences our suffering. When God says He knows Abraham, I think he’s also telling us that He knows us: our wounds, our pain, the violence we have suffered.

And he’s inviting us to know him.

Hospitality

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There are debates over the reason for the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Some point to the specific actions of the men involved in the story and see a link to homosexuality. Others point to Ezekiel, and the treatment of the poor and needy:

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, plenty of food, and carefree ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. So they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 (NASB)

I’m inclined to go with Ezekiel’s answer, because it’s written quite plainly. However, there’s another bit of context in Genesis 18 that lends to this view.

It’s given to us in the form of narrative contrast.

Look closely at Genesis 18:6-8:

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes.” Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.
Genesis 16:6-8 (NASB)

Do you know what “three measures” means? Some translations render it as “three seahs,” which is very helpful, because this is a specific unit of dry-measure, calculated by volume.

1 seah is about 7.7 liters. Or 1.75 gallons.

When you convert this into weight, based on how much grain weighs, you get about 10 pounds per seah.

So Abraham, who just said “let me get you a *piece* of bread” in verse 5 has Sarah whip up a batch of bread consisting of THIRTY POUNDS of flour.

And not just that!

It’s not as though Sarah had a bag of flour handy. Flour was only prepared based on immediate use, or else it would spoil faster. So she (and probably her servants) had to grind out thirty pounds of grain into bread-making flour right away.

And not just that!

The text says Abraham went and took a calf from the herd. Abraham didn’t offer breakfast leftovers. He had a cow slaughtered right then there. That’s some fresh BBQ!

And not just that!

The text says that Abraham was sitting at his tent door in the heat of the day. According to the rabbis, nobody was out and about in the heat of the day, and yet here is Abraham, sitting his tent door, LOOKING TO SEE IF ANYBODY WAS OUT THERE who might need food and water.

All this to say, we are shown a comically ridiculous display of hospitality and generosity, providing the most lavish spread of food and drink for these currently unidentified men who are not even named in the text. For the purpose of the story, they are STRANGERS.

We’re told by Ezekiel later that Sodom did not care for the poor and needy. We’re told in this chapter that there’s an “outcry,” or za’aq (זַעַק), which is the same word that describes Israel’s outcry due to their affliction in Egypt: The weak are being oppressed.

So what we see in Abraham is the contrast. It is the opposite of oppression of the weak. Abraham is wealthy and capable: his actions display how one should treat the travel-weary, the hungry, and the thirsty. And in verse 8, he stands with them.

This is righteousness.

Weeping with God

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The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?”
Genesis 18:17 (NIV)

The word “hide” in Genesis 18:17 isn’t the word khabah (חָבָא) that Adam used in Genesis 3:8-10. Khabah means to hide away to avoid being seen. It’s secretive.

God uses the word kasaw (כָּסָה), which is the same word used to describe Japheth and Shem covering Noah, shielding him. They aren’t trying to conceal their father. They are protecting him from shame and grief.

Similarly, God is not musing over obsecuring the truth from Abraham. It’s heavier than that. God is about to break Abraham’s heart by bringing him into the same grief that God experienced back in Genesis 6. It’s a spiritual and emotional burden.

So the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Genesis 6:6 (NIV)

Now, in the prior chapter, the rabbis suggest a special union was made between Abraham and God through Covenant. This brought in the divine Presence and in-dwelling of God into Abraham and changed the relationship. In this new relationship, God says: “You will share in my glory; and you will share in my heartache.”

So when God asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,” this marks the first instance where a man of God is being brought into that heartache on a personal level. Abraham’s response gives us a clearer picture of God’s heart.

When God destroyed the world by flood, the text says that the thoughts and intents of the heart of all man was evil continually, except for Noah. Would God have destroyed the world if there were even more righteous people?

Look at Abraham’s words that reveal God’s heart.

Abraham approached and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous people within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
Genesis 18:23-25 (NIV)

So when Abraham pleads with God, asking “What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? What if there are 40? 30? What if there are only 10?”, we are shown the kind of consideration God gave back in Genesis 6. God’s own heart broke over the rising wickedness.

Later, fire falls from the night sky to destroy the cities.

We have to picture Abraham watching and weeping, coming to the realization that there weren’t even ten righteous people in the city, just like there weren’t even two righteous people in the world before the flood.

Abraham weeps. God weeps.

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”

If you walk with God, you will weep, too.

Brought Low

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And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Genesis 14:17 (NKJV)

It’s not obvious in English, but in all the places in scripture that mention the proud being brought low, it might be referring to this passage in Genesis 14.

The writer(s) want be you to see it, so they included this parenthetical, effectively saying it twice. The “Valley of Shaveh” is the low place. It’s level, and plain, and the clarification that it is the “King’s valley” (singular) may tell us that this is the place where all lesser kings are brought low before the King of Salem.

For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
Isaiah 2:12 (NKJV)

The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
Isaiah 2:17 (NKJV)

Lesser kings are the proud places in your heart. It is the haughtiness of your soul that will be brought low before the King of righteousness, the King of Peace.