• Abraham Pleads for Sodom

I currently reside in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Known for its cold weather and for what we take pride in, the people of Minnesota are known for being 'Minnesota Nice. '  Genesis 18:16-33: In contrast, Sodom and Gomorrah were the Twin Cities of Evil, and God had had enough of their behavior and told Abraham He would destroy them.

But Abraham humbly pleads with God to spare these cities if even 10 good people can be found.  This is an interesting negotiation and a great example of God's patience in hearing our prayers, showing that He genuinely cares.  The prayers of a righteous person are listened to by God, as exemplified by Abraham, and this remains true today. 

The Twin Cities of Sin (Genesis 19)

What is the moral of the story?  God's Grace is amazing and free but never... cheap. You cannot put a price on God's Grace, but now we must turn from our sins and never look back.

God is good, patient, and kind, BUT He will not be mocked.

• Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

(Genesis 19)

Next, the two angels arrive in Sodom (Ge 19:1-3), and Lot pleads with them to come into his home rather than the streets, because it is unsafe there.  They wanted to spend the night in the City Square, but did agree to go to Lot’s home. 

-But the men of this wicked city came asking Lot to send out these men so they could have sex with them.  Lot, being the excellent host… good host??? says, “No… don’t do this evil thing, BUT... you can have my two virgin daughters.”  This is another one of those jaw-dropping moments that transcends culture, and to compound the level of wickedness, the men yelled back, “Get out of our way, Lot... We want the men!” 

So these angels blinded these evil men and then told Lot to warn his family that the Lord is about to destroy these Old Testament sin cities.  In the morning, Lot, his wife, and two daughters flee the city while his future son-in-laws thought Lot was joking and stayed behind. 
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So the two men/angels took Lot and his family and led them from the city, and once they were safe, they were all instructed: “Don’t look back.” 

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur from the sky and obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah. At the same time, an emergency weather alert was issued, a 'hellfire' heat warning for the entire region.

Finally, as Lot and his family ran for their lives, Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.  Her last words hung in the air... "I think I left the oven on." Ge 19:10-26

After this display of God’s wrath, a local CSI team conducted an investigation, finding an empty "Improve Our City " suggestion box at the city limits.  Many years later, an archaeological dig uncovered a road sign confirming the existence and location of the ancient city of Gomorrah. The sign stated...

​'What happens in Gomorrah, stays in Gomorrah. ‘

Of course, Lot’s life was a mess, and there were stories following the Sodom & Gomorrah judgment. Read Ge 19:30-38 regarding Lot and his daughters as further examples of depravity.