Righteous Judgement Part 4
When Jesus said "You're the salt of the Earth," He wasn't talking about this kind of salt.
Last week, we looked at why Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. But this week, we're examining the few people who escaped.
The whole story is found in Genesis 18-19. It's honestly a wild ride. It starts with the LORD shown as three visitors coming to meet with Abraham and Sarah, and ends with a story of Lot—Abraham's nephew who lived in Sodom—fathering his daughters' children. "Wild" might be mild.
As with any Scripture, there's a lot to digest and wrestle with. There's also a lot more than the surface reading reveals.
Let's take a few of these elements and dive in, starting with those who had the opportunity to escape Sodom but were subjected to wrath like the rest.
The Warning
God told Abraham what He was about to do, and Abraham begged God to look first for 10 righteous people—and if He could find them, to spare the whole community.
So God sent two individuals to go and search out Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham should have kept bartering to a smaller number. When these individuals looked over all of the town, the only one righteous they found was Lot. His family was questionable, but these individuals were willing to save Lot and his family—as long as they were willing to get out of Sodom.
Genesis 19:12-13 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
So Lot obeyed them. He ran to the two men who were engaged to be his sons-in-law, but they laughed and ignored him. So he gathered his two daughters and wife, and they fled the city. The two sons-in-law-to-be died in the destruction of the city.
Heed the Warning—Never belittle God's wrath and judgment. You don't have as much time as you think. Young men and women often think they can put off God's radical call to holy living until another day. They get so busy with plans, ideas, and ambitions that they fail to grasp what's most urgent. What if that warning is for you right now? When God gives you a warning, it might be your last. Don't ignore it—embrace it. Jesus said salt can lose its saltiness; it's a warning not to lose your purpose by pushing away God's call.
Heeding the warning is an act of mercy that demands trust.
God's Mercy
Lot and his family almost didn't make it either. They were leaving their home, and they had nowhere else to go. Honestly, they didn't know anyone else. It was comfortable. It was all they had and all they knew.
So rather than running right away, Lot hesitated—he got stuck—for a moment.
Genesis 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.
Lot hated the wickedness of Sodom. His hesitation was not longing or belittling God's wrath—it was fear and uncertainty about the future. The Lord is merciful. This grasp of mercy isn't just rescue—it's God's keeping us "salty," preserving our purpose even when fear makes us falter.
Embrace God's Grasp—When you have doubts and uncertainty about the future, don't hide them; let it be known. Your honesty about your weaknesses, insecurities, fears, and the unknown puts you in the grasp of God so He can lead you into the future. His power is made perfect in your weakness. Where in your life do you need to let God take your hand today—to keep your saltiness from being stuck in doubt?
We've seen warnings ignored and mercy extended in hesitation, but now comes the ultimate test: What happens when we can't let go of the past?
Don't Look Back
After being led to safety, they were given one last direction. Well, truly, it was a firm warning of God's judgment.
Genesis 19:17 “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"
Hesitating because of doubt is one thing; longing for what God hates is another. This was the contrast of verses 16 and 17. This is how God always talks about sin—from the beginning of the Bible to the end. The message is the same: Flee from it and don't look back.
When Jesus calls His disciples "the salt of the earth," He was telling them to be those who are filled with purpose, heal wounds, preserve what's holy and sacred. Following Jesus is bringing out the flavor and joy of life that comes from Christ flowing through us. Why long for what the world has, when Christ makes everything better. "But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
When we're longing for more of what God hates, we exchange our purpose and effectiveness, for a destiny of destruction. I can't help but think Jesus was echoing back to this story. In Sodom, Lot was the salt preserving the city. When he left, there was nothing left to preserve.
The charge was: Don't look back; don't long for the old things. I honestly expected one of Lot's daughters to look back, longing for their fiancés.
Genesis 19:26 "But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
She looked back, longing for a home of wickedness rather than a family of righteousness. This is wild. Sometimes we belittle God's wrath, but God is pretty clear about how important holiness and obedience are to Him. When Lot's wife looked back, her heart was revealed, and the words Jesus spoke became her description: "It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
Harsh? But it was the reality of things.
Flee From Old Cravings—When we crave things God hates more than God Himself, we become someone God can't use. If you want to be useful to God, pursue Him in obedience, run after Him, and don't look back. What's one "Sodom" in your life you're tempted to glance at— and how can fleeing it restore your saltiness for God's kingdom?
Even after fleeing Sodom's fire, the embers of its influence lingered—showing how deeply sin can root itself, even in the saved. Buckle up this is a wild ride...
Wild 'n Out
The last part of this story is by far the most detestable. Lot, overwhelmed by everything that just happened, decides to drink—a lot. His daughters, spurred by fear and a lack of trust, got their dad so drunk he didn't know what was happening and became pregnant by him. It's one of those stories you don't expect to be in the Bible, but the Bible is full of truth—and often the truth reveals how wicked we can really be.
These daughters each give birth to a son: Moab and Ammon. These two become nations who fight with Israel, worship other gods, practice child sacrifice, and commit every abomination that Sodom was destroyed for. You can take the girls out of Sodom, but you can't take Sodom out of the girls, I guess. Fear without faith makes you salt without taste. Fear of the Lord without faith in Him and His character will cause you to fill the God sized hole in your heart with whatever seems right for the moment.
Yet in all of this, God was still working things for good. The book of Ruth shows us a young Moabite woman who left her home, her country, and her gods to follow Naomi to Israel. Ruth told Naomi, "Your people will be my people and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Ruth, unlike her nation for centuries, learned to Fear and put her faith in God; she left the former things, didn't look back, pursued righteousness, and found God's mercy. She became the type of salt that could preserve generations.
This young lady, who came from a nation made in sin—leading others to sin, full of wickedness and every form of evil—rejected what she knew was evil to pursue what she knew was good. Not only is she honored in Scripture, but she becomes the great-grandmother of David and is listed in the lineage of Jesus.
There's Always Time to Turn—It doesn't matter how far you've gone or how long you've been there. It doesn't matter how normal what God hates has been to your family and your way of life. As long as you have breath, there's still time to turn from death and live. Like Ruth, turning to God right now, can change the heritage of generations to come.
You are the salt of the earth
Preserve the earth through prayer, righteous living, and faithful obedience.
Don't lose the joy of your salvation; don't lose your power and purpose. Be the example to the world of people who understand God's judgment is righteous, His commands are not impossible, and His way is the best way. Call upon the Lord, and ask Him to lead you into righteousness and to empower you to lead the world into His righteousness.
Last week, we looked at why Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. But this week, we're examining the few people who escaped.
The whole story is found in Genesis 18-19. It's honestly a wild ride. It starts with the LORD shown as three visitors coming to meet with Abraham and Sarah, and ends with a story of Lot—Abraham's nephew who lived in Sodom—fathering his daughters' children. "Wild" might be mild.
As with any Scripture, there's a lot to digest and wrestle with. There's also a lot more than the surface reading reveals.
Let's take a few of these elements and dive in, starting with those who had the opportunity to escape Sodom but were subjected to wrath like the rest.
The Warning
God told Abraham what He was about to do, and Abraham begged God to look first for 10 righteous people—and if He could find them, to spare the whole community.
So God sent two individuals to go and search out Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham should have kept bartering to a smaller number. When these individuals looked over all of the town, the only one righteous they found was Lot. His family was questionable, but these individuals were willing to save Lot and his family—as long as they were willing to get out of Sodom.
Genesis 19:12-13 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”
So Lot obeyed them. He ran to the two men who were engaged to be his sons-in-law, but they laughed and ignored him. So he gathered his two daughters and wife, and they fled the city. The two sons-in-law-to-be died in the destruction of the city.
Heed the Warning—Never belittle God's wrath and judgment. You don't have as much time as you think. Young men and women often think they can put off God's radical call to holy living until another day. They get so busy with plans, ideas, and ambitions that they fail to grasp what's most urgent. What if that warning is for you right now? When God gives you a warning, it might be your last. Don't ignore it—embrace it. Jesus said salt can lose its saltiness; it's a warning not to lose your purpose by pushing away God's call.
Heeding the warning is an act of mercy that demands trust.
God's Mercy
Lot and his family almost didn't make it either. They were leaving their home, and they had nowhere else to go. Honestly, they didn't know anyone else. It was comfortable. It was all they had and all they knew.
So rather than running right away, Lot hesitated—he got stuck—for a moment.
Genesis 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.
Lot hated the wickedness of Sodom. His hesitation was not longing or belittling God's wrath—it was fear and uncertainty about the future. The Lord is merciful. This grasp of mercy isn't just rescue—it's God's keeping us "salty," preserving our purpose even when fear makes us falter.
Embrace God's Grasp—When you have doubts and uncertainty about the future, don't hide them; let it be known. Your honesty about your weaknesses, insecurities, fears, and the unknown puts you in the grasp of God so He can lead you into the future. His power is made perfect in your weakness. Where in your life do you need to let God take your hand today—to keep your saltiness from being stuck in doubt?
We've seen warnings ignored and mercy extended in hesitation, but now comes the ultimate test: What happens when we can't let go of the past?
Don't Look Back
After being led to safety, they were given one last direction. Well, truly, it was a firm warning of God's judgment.
Genesis 19:17 “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"
Hesitating because of doubt is one thing; longing for what God hates is another. This was the contrast of verses 16 and 17. This is how God always talks about sin—from the beginning of the Bible to the end. The message is the same: Flee from it and don't look back.
When Jesus calls His disciples "the salt of the earth," He was telling them to be those who are filled with purpose, heal wounds, preserve what's holy and sacred. Following Jesus is bringing out the flavor and joy of life that comes from Christ flowing through us. Why long for what the world has, when Christ makes everything better. "But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
When we're longing for more of what God hates, we exchange our purpose and effectiveness, for a destiny of destruction. I can't help but think Jesus was echoing back to this story. In Sodom, Lot was the salt preserving the city. When he left, there was nothing left to preserve.
The charge was: Don't look back; don't long for the old things. I honestly expected one of Lot's daughters to look back, longing for their fiancés.
Genesis 19:26 "But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
She looked back, longing for a home of wickedness rather than a family of righteousness. This is wild. Sometimes we belittle God's wrath, but God is pretty clear about how important holiness and obedience are to Him. When Lot's wife looked back, her heart was revealed, and the words Jesus spoke became her description: "It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
Harsh? But it was the reality of things.
Flee From Old Cravings—When we crave things God hates more than God Himself, we become someone God can't use. If you want to be useful to God, pursue Him in obedience, run after Him, and don't look back. What's one "Sodom" in your life you're tempted to glance at— and how can fleeing it restore your saltiness for God's kingdom?
Even after fleeing Sodom's fire, the embers of its influence lingered—showing how deeply sin can root itself, even in the saved. Buckle up this is a wild ride...
Wild 'n Out
The last part of this story is by far the most detestable. Lot, overwhelmed by everything that just happened, decides to drink—a lot. His daughters, spurred by fear and a lack of trust, got their dad so drunk he didn't know what was happening and became pregnant by him. It's one of those stories you don't expect to be in the Bible, but the Bible is full of truth—and often the truth reveals how wicked we can really be.
These daughters each give birth to a son: Moab and Ammon. These two become nations who fight with Israel, worship other gods, practice child sacrifice, and commit every abomination that Sodom was destroyed for. You can take the girls out of Sodom, but you can't take Sodom out of the girls, I guess. Fear without faith makes you salt without taste. Fear of the Lord without faith in Him and His character will cause you to fill the God sized hole in your heart with whatever seems right for the moment.
Yet in all of this, God was still working things for good. The book of Ruth shows us a young Moabite woman who left her home, her country, and her gods to follow Naomi to Israel. Ruth told Naomi, "Your people will be my people and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Ruth, unlike her nation for centuries, learned to Fear and put her faith in God; she left the former things, didn't look back, pursued righteousness, and found God's mercy. She became the type of salt that could preserve generations.
This young lady, who came from a nation made in sin—leading others to sin, full of wickedness and every form of evil—rejected what she knew was evil to pursue what she knew was good. Not only is she honored in Scripture, but she becomes the great-grandmother of David and is listed in the lineage of Jesus.
There's Always Time to Turn—It doesn't matter how far you've gone or how long you've been there. It doesn't matter how normal what God hates has been to your family and your way of life. As long as you have breath, there's still time to turn from death and live. Like Ruth, turning to God right now, can change the heritage of generations to come.
You are the salt of the earth
Preserve the earth through prayer, righteous living, and faithful obedience.
Don't lose the joy of your salvation; don't lose your power and purpose. Be the example to the world of people who understand God's judgment is righteous, His commands are not impossible, and His way is the best way. Call upon the Lord, and ask Him to lead you into righteousness and to empower you to lead the world into His righteousness.
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