English Language Bible Study Guide for January 29, 2008
Genesis 18
God announces the birth of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom
1-8: The Lord, along with two angels, visits Abraham; and Abraham and Sarah prepare a meal of cakes, butter, milk and beef
9-15: When the Lord tells Abraham that the promised child will be born of Sarah, she laughs within herself; but the Lord knows what she’s thinking.
16-22: The Lord tells Abraham that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed.
23-33: Abraham negotiates for leniency on behalf of the cities; if only 10 righteous people can be found in them, the Lord will spare the entire population.
Meditation Points:
- 1-8: Sitting in the shade when the sun is hot
- When the Lord visits
- Running to meet the Lord
- Serving the Lord and His servants
- Hospitality and entertaining strangers
- 9-15: Are we ever too old for God to use us?
- Laughing at God’s predictions and plans for our lives
- God knows our innermost thoughts
- Is anything too hard for the Lord?
- Telling lies to save ourselves from embarrassment
- 16-22: God gives us a glimpse of the future
- The good father leads his family to obey God
- Widespread sin gets God’s attention
- 23-33: Knowing that God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked
- Presuming to get God to change His mind–negotiating and praying
- Interceding for others
Genesis 19
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed
1-3: With insight like his uncle’s, Lot welcomes the heavenly visitors into his home.
4-11: When Lot’s life is threatened by the wicked, male mob, the angels strike the sinners with blindness and pull Lot into the safety of his house.
12-14: Lot, hearing of the impending doom of the city, tries unsuccessfully to persuade his sons-in-law to join the group that is fleeing the wrath to come.
15-23: Mercifully the angels lead Lot and his wife and their two daughters out of the city, and allow Lot to choose sanctuary in the city of Zoar.
24-26: When the Lord rains fire and brimstone upon the wicked cities, Lot’s wife, contrary to the express command of the angels, looks back to see.
27-30: For Abraham’s sake, Lot is saved. Lot fears for his life in Zoar, and moves to the mountain that was first proposed by the angelic deliverers.
31-38: Lot’s daughters plot between themselves to have an incestuous relationship with their father; and the nations of Moab and Ammon are born.
Meditation Points:
- 1-3: Sitting in the gate of the city was an activity of public officials. See verse 9.
- 4-11: Who cannot see that our word "sodomy" finds its origin in this Bible passage?
- Sin entwines young and old alike
- Lot offers to sacrifice the virginity of two daughters to preserve the safety of the angelic visitors
- Judicial blindness. Not all blindness is the result of sin (John 9), but some is.
- Judgment strikes young and old alike
- 12-14: Abraham had negotiated for 10, but 10 righteous people could not be found.
- It’s not strange that Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was kidding
- 15-23: Lots longest day
- Lot lingered in the face of impending doom. Why do we procrastinate when God’s warnings are so clear?
- If the angels had not taken Lot and his family by the hand, Lot et al. would have been destroyed, too
- Lot fears for his life. How foolish! Would God who saved him from Sodom and Gomorrah lead him to his death?
- Judgment on the wicked is withheld until the righteous are saved.
- 24-26: Fire and brimstone from the Lord. This is NOT a case of permissive will; this is God’s active will at work.
- The instructions were short and plain (verse 17): "look not behind." But Lot’s wife did look back, and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).
- 27-30: Benefiting from God’s favor to others
- Foolish fears and phobias–when faith fails
- 31-38: Between Noah’s drunkenness and Lot’s and the resulting sins, we ought to learn to avoid drunkenness
- Sarah tried adultery to gain a child; Lot’s daughters chose incest. Are there no limits to the sins that women will engage in to have children?
- The nations of Moab and Ammon will be seen often in Biblical history as opponents of God’s chosen nation.
- God said that Abraham would lead his family aright; Lot’s daughters forsook whatever religious training they had received at home
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