BIBLE FOR YOU!--No.40!--Genesis Chapter 19!      DFO 2807         11/90
--Bible Classtime with Grandpa!

         1. PTL! Who's going to pray? (Techi: I'll pray! Thank You Jesus for this classtime. We pray that You'll please bless us & help us to learn a lot & get a lot out of this Chapter. Please bless Grandpa. Give him wisdom & strength & help him, in Jesus' name. Thank You Lord!) Amen! Praise the Lord! Thank You Jesus! Okay, Genesis Chapter 19! This is a long Chapter, about twice as long as most of them. Lord bless the reading of Thy Word & help us to get the lessons out of it that You want us to get.

The Two Angels Come to Lot in Sodom!

         2. (Verse 1): "And there came two Angels to Sodom at even; & Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: & Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; & he bowed himself with his face toward the ground." That was a big bow, like the Japanese & Thais! (Verse 2:) "And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you." Notice, he didn't say "my Lord." Obviously Jesus was not with them this time. (Techi: It was just the two Angels?) Yes.
         3. "And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, & tarry all night, & wash your feet, & ye shall rise up early, & go on your ways." Why did he ask them to wash their feet? (David: I think they wore sandals back then, so it got pretty dusty.) Yes, on dusty roads with no socks, their feet got pretty dirty. And that was the host's usual job, to offer to wash a guest's feet. (Techi: Boy, that's stooping pretty low.) Yes, it's very humbling. But if they didn't do it, it was almost considered an insult. Remember when Jesus entered that Pharisee's house & the Pharisee didn't offer to wash His feet, but a woman came & washed them with her tears? (Luke 7:37-50.)
         4. "And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night."--Street people! (David: So Lot must have known that they were Angels.) Yes, I'm sure he must have. He calls them "my lords," so he must have known they were either Angels or very distinguished people, like kings. (Techi: But if he knew they were Angels, I wonder why he was so afraid for them to sleep in the street?) Well, he knew the town & how bad the people there were. (Techi: But Angels couldn't get hurt, could they?) Well, in this case they were posing as humans... (Techi: Oh, I see, so he still thought they might get hurt.) Yes.
         5. (Verse 3:) "And he pressed upon them greatly; & they turned in unto him, & entered into his house." It's a good thing they did! "And he made them a feast, & did bake unleavened bread, & they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old & young, all the people from every quarter." Think of it!--They were all wicked, even the young! (Techi: That's sick.)
         6. (Verse 5:) "And they called unto Lot, & said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them." (David: "Know them" in the Biblical sense?) Yes. (Techi: Sick!)
         7. (Verse 6:) "And Lot went out at the door unto them, & shut the door after him, & said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, & do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof." Can you imagine him doing such a thing? It shows how he really respected these guys, he was even willing to give them his own daughters instead!
         8. But the crowd said, "Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn"--now they're talking about Lot--"& he will needs be a judge." Lot had become a judge in Sodom. "Now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, & came near to break the door." Here's poor Lot standing outside the door trying to keep it shut. "But the men (the Angels) put forth their hand, & pulled Lot into the house to them, & shut to the door."
         9. (Verse 11:) "And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small & great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door."--Obviously it was kind of a miracle! "And the men (the Angels) said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son-in-law, & thy sons, & thy daughters, & whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord."--Cry against Him, in other words. "And the Lord hath sent us to destroy it."
         10. (Verse 14:) "And Lot went out, & spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters." (Techi: Those must have been some other daughters, not the ones who had "not yet known man.") Yes. So besides his two youngest daughters that went with him finally, he must have had other daughters who were married. So they almost made up 10 people. There were at least two married daughters & their husbands, that's four. And two unmarried daughters, that's six people. And he & his wife, that's eight people. (Techi: And the Angel asked him if he had any sons, too.) Yes, he may have had sons. So there were probably about 10 people! (Techi: But they didn't all go, so that's why the Lord destroyed it.) Right!
         11. (Verse 14:) "And Lot went out & spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, & said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." In other words, "You're crazy, Dad!" They didn't believe him, & they probably held back his married daughters from going too.
         12. (Techi: So the Lord still destroyed the city even though there were 10 righteous people found?) (David: Well, they must not have been so righteous if they didn't want to leave!) Obviously there were not 10 who were righteous enough for Him not to destroy the city. Only four went out--Lot & his wife & his two daughters--so there were not a total of 10 for which the Lord could spare the city, but only four.

Lot & His Family Dragged Out of Sodom!

         13. (Verse 15:) "And when the morning arose, then the Angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, & thy two daughters, which are here." Apparently they were the only ones willing to go with him. "Lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men (the Angels) laid hold upon his hand, & upon the hand of his wife, & upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: & they brought him forth, & set him without the city." They had to practically drag him & his family out! Apparently one Angel had Lot & his wife on each side of him pulling them, & the other Angel dragged the two daughters out of the city!
         14. (Verse 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! And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, & thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; & I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, & I die." (Techi: Does he mean he was afraid he might be killed by mountain lions & things like that?) Yes. He didn't want to flee into the wilderness.
         15. (Verse 20:) "Behold, now, this city is near to flee unto, & it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) & my soul shall live." (David: He wanted to go to another city, ha!) Yes, he liked the city luxury, & apparently his wife did, too.
         16. (Verse 21:) "And he (the Angel) said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow that city, for the which thou hast spoken." The Angel tells him, "OK, you can go to the little city & I won't destroy it." (Techi: He said, "Is it not a little one?"--Ha! That's the funniest thing!) I always thought that was funny. He begs the Angel, "Oh, now you're making me move out of the big cities, can't I just go to a little city?" They were probably as bad there as they were other places. "And he said, 'Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither.' Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar." (Techi: It says in my Bible that Zoar means "little.")
         17. Boy, oh boy, those Angels were sure patient!--First with Abraham, & then with this arguing old Jew, Lot! The Jews are really known for their arguing. Boy, oh boy, when we lived in South Beach, Miami, they'd be out in the middle of the street yelling at each other, especially husbands & wives. They liked to get out where there was lots of space & where everybody could hear'm.
         18. (Verse 23:) "The sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom & upon Gomorrah brimstone & fire from the Lord out of Heaven; & He overthrew those cities, & all the plain, & all the inhabitants of the cities, & that which grew upon the ground." Just think, He even destroyed all their crops & everything, all the farm land around the city & the inhabitants of the plain, too! Apparently even the farmers around there were wicked Sodomites!

Lot's Wife Turned into a Pillar of Salt!

         19. (Verse 26:) "But his wife looked back from behind him." What did the Angels tell them not to do? (Kids: Not even to look back.) Why do you suppose she looked back? (David: She was sorry to leave.) Exactly! She was lamenting having to leave. She loved Sodom. "And she became a pillar of salt." (Techi: I guess she got covered in salt?) Yes. (Techi: Or did the Lord turn her into a pillar of salt?) That whole area is salt today.--The sea coast & Mount Sodom. (Techi: Mount Sodom. Really?) Yes, at the southwest end of the Dead Sea is a mountain of pure table salt!--Five miles long & 300 feet high! (Techi: Wow! Five miles long!) It's a great source of salt.
         20. Salt is a valuable commodity in most countries. (Techi: I wouldn't want to use salt from there!) Well, you would if you didn't have any other salt. Where do you think you get your salt from? You get it from some mountain or some mine somewhere, or sometimes from the sea. (Techi: Oh, I see, it's not like a mountain of salt sand in little grains, but it's rock.) Yes, rock salt. That's where we get salt from, from such places, & even from mines under the Earth!
         21. (Techi: Don't the Arabs say that there's a pillar there?) Yes, you remembered my "Bible in Pictures"! There's a pillar of salt still there that they point out as Lot's wife. (Techi: But do you think it actually is Lot's wife?) Why not? (Techi: But have they ever looked inside?) Ha, ha, ha! (David: Salt is a preservative.) If it was hot salt when it was raining down, it probably didn't leave much of her! (Techi: But it would be interesting if they looked.) OK, Honey, if we ever go there some time, we can take a trip & you can look inside.--Or you can ask the Lord & then you'll know.
         22. (Techi: But Grandpa, the Lord just rained down salt?) He rained down fire & brimstone, & apparently also salt. (David: If it was a volcano, it might have had a bit of salt.) (Techi: Why would He rain down salt?) Tell her, David, what effect salt has on the land. (David: It stops everything from growing for up to 70 years or something like that.) It completely ruined all the farm land so you couldn't raise animals on it. There would be no more grass or anything, see? (Techi: So it was totally barren.) It ruined all of the country around upon which the farmers grew the food that they fed to these wicked Sodomites.

Abraham Watches from Afar!

         23. (Verse 27:) "And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: And he looked toward Sodom & Gomorrah, & toward all the land of the plain, & beheld, & lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." Boy, imagine how shocked he must have been! "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, & sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt."
         24. (Techi: So He would have destroyed Lot too if it hadn't been for Abraham?) Yes, & if it hadn't been for those Angels that dragged Lot out of town. (Techi: Why would He have? Lot was pretty good, wasn't he?) Well, he certainly wasn't very spiritual. Number one, he was selfish. He took the best part of the land when he & Abraham divided it. (See Gen.13:9-11.) Number two, he was worldly. He went & dwelt as a judge in this evil, wicked city. How could he have stood it? Abraham didn't! And apparently Lot's wife was quite worldly also.

Lot & His Daughters Flee to the Mountains!

         25. (Verse 30:) "And Lot went up out of Zoar, & dwelt in the mountain, & his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: & he dwelt in a cave, he & his two daughters." Aha! When he saw what was happening to Sodom & Gomorrah, he took off for the mountain after all! Here Lot hadn't wanted to go to the mountain, he thought it would be nice to be nearby in just a small city. But when he saw what God was doing to Sodom & Gomorrah, he didn't even feel safe in Zoar, & he left!
         26. (Verse 31:) "And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, & there is not a man in the Earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the Earth." In other words, "Well, that ends our chances for ever having children! Here we're off in this mountain cave just with our father, & where will we ever get a husband who can give us children?" They thought the whole Earth & all the men in it were being destroyed, so they were pretty desperate to continue the human race.
         27. (Verse 32:) "Come, let us make our father drink wine, & we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father." In other words, they thought their father was the only way that they could continue to populate the World. "And they made their father drink wine that night: & the firstborn went in, & lay with her father; & he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose." So he didn't even know what was going on! They made him drink it. I guess he figured, "Oh, OK, I'll drink if it makes them happy."
         28. (Verse 34:) "And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; & go thou in, & lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: & the younger arose, & lay with him; & he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose." He was pretty drunk!
         29. (Verse 36:) "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father." (Techi: They said, "Our father is old!") Yes. In other words, "He's old, he's going to be dying pretty soon. He's the last man in the World! We've got to do something about it!" (Techi: I'll bet he was pretty shocked!) Yes.

Moab & Ammon!

         30. (Verse 37:) "And the firstborn bare a son, & called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, & called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day." Ben in Hebrew means son.
         31. That land across the Jordan where Lot ran up the mountain with his two daughters & hid in the cave later was called Moab & Ammon, because of all of their descendants who settled there.--And it's still there, & there still are Ammonites & Moabites there, only now they're called something else. Do you know what country is right across the River Jordan? (Techi: Jordan?) Right! The land is now called Jordan & the Jordanians are what's left of the Moabites & Ammonites! How about that?
         32. The Bible contains some rather shocking stories, doesn't it? (Techi: Yes! I didn't know what his daughters did!) Well, Lot probably wouldn't have done it if he hadn't been drunk, but it was their doing & that's what they thought was necessary, & they succeeded. And that's why we still have Jordanians & the King of Jordan, whose name is King what? (Kids: Hussein.) Yes, King Hussein, a very sweet man. I think he may be a Christian. Of course, he wouldn't dare confess he is a Christian because he is the king of a Muslim country.
         33. So the Bible is quite a book & tells us the facts as they are. That's why I said a long time ago that some day they're probably going to ban the Bible as being obscene & pornographic & say that it teaches illegal sex. It is very likely the excuse that the Antichrist will have for burning Bibles!--Especially since he is going to call himself God! I'm surprised that the ACs haven't already tried to ban the Bible. (David: I guess because, like you said, the church is pretty strong right now.) Yes, they're still pretty strong.

Closing & Prayer

         34. Well, we got that Chapter read in record time because we started early, but we don't have time for a test now because that's a long Chapter & there are going to be quite a few questions! So remember to study this Chapter for a test on our next class night. All right? (Kids: Yes, Sir!)
         35. OK! Who is going to pray? (David: Thank You Jesus for the Bible we got to read & for all that we learned. We thank You for these classes & how interesting they are & for how much we learn from them. Thank You for Grandpa teaching us, in Jesus' name. Amen!) Amen! Praise the Lord! God bless us all!