Our God is a Consuming Fire

In Genesis 18-19, we find the account of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We were first introduced to these cities in connection with Lot back in chapter 13. After Abram and Lot made their decisions about separating the land, it says:

“Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” (13:12-13)

Fast forward to chapters 18-19. Here are the high points:

- God Himself, along with two angels, visits Abraham and Sarah. God, once again, promises that they will have a son - to which they (again) respond with laughter - this time, Sarah.
- God also tells Abraham what He is about to do - because the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is “very grave”, God is going to bring destruction on the cities.
- Abraham intercedes on behalf of the righteous that might be in the cities - asking that God spare the city if there are fifty righteous people there. And eventually, even if there are just ten people there.
- Highlighting their own wickedness, the men of Sodom want to have sex with the two angels, who were spending the night in Lot’s house. Lot (also wickedly) offers to the men of Sodom his daughters instead. The angels quell the threat by striking the men with blindness.
- The angels once more warn Lot of the destruction and punishment that is coming. Lot warns his sons-in-law, who think he is only kidding.
- Lot continues to linger and not escape. But mercifully, the Lord uses the angels to bring Lot and his family outside of the city. Lot and his family flee to Zoar - a small, nearby city.
- Destruction comes - “the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (19:24-25) Lot’s wife, looking back at the cities, is turned into a pillar of salt.
- But the wickedness sadly has not ended. Lot’s daughters, now living with Lot in the mountains and caves, plot to get their father drunk, have sex with him, and become impregnated by him. From these two daughters would come the Moabite and Ammonite peoples.

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There are few passages in the Bible that rival this one in terms of displaying both the wickedness of man, and also the holy wrath of God.

Upon reading such passages, what is your attitude? What are your takeaways?

I think it's safe to say in our approach to God's Word, we tend to tend gravitate away from passages like this, and gravitate toward passages that highlight the love, mercy, and kindness of God.

Said another way, we really like the passages that remind us of the good news (rightly so!), but we are, at best, indifferent toward the passages that remind us of the bad news.

But friends, we must never get too far away from the bad news. Because it is in light of the bad news that we truly feel and experience the GOODNESS of the good news!

Here is the bad news: God is pure, holy, and wrathful toward sin. He MUST punish sin - to not do so would contradict His perfect character.

As the writer of Hebrews says,
"Our God is a consuming fire." (12:29)

Certainly we see this on display in Genesis 18-19. And you might read this passage and think,

"Well, certainly the people of Sodom and Gomorrah should have been punished. But I'm not anywhere near as wicked as them!"

But friend, we must not diminish the holiness of God. He is too perfect, too high above us for us to rationalize our righteousness before Him.

In our sin, there is between us and God an infinite chasm. And yes, perhaps in our man-made righteousness, we could get a few feet closer to the other side than the worst person in Sodom. But you and I are still miles and miles from reaching the other side.

Only God Himself can bridge this gap.
And good news:
That's exactly what He did for us in Jesus.

Not only was Jesus perfect on our behalf, but on the cross, He fully bore God's wrath in our place.

That same wrath we see displayed toward Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, Jesus absorbed that as our Substitute on the cross.

"Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ, I live."

As you reflect on Genesis 18-19, may the passage serve as a challenge to you...

To not minimize the holiness of God.
But also,
To not minimize His kindness toward you through the finished work of Jesus.

- Joe