Genesis 19:1 “And there came two angels to Sodom at even”

Genesis 19:23-24 “The sun was raised upon the earth . . . Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”

As the sun began to make its descent on the plains of Sodom the spiritual truth concerning the brevity of life was about to be lived out; “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knows not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). The people there unawares of what was about to happen. With the exception of three souls, all the inhabitants of Sodom were witnessing the setting of the sun for the final time. But what is interesting is that they were not just ignorant of the present, but they were ignorant of the past. The entire metropolis of Sodom was ignorant to the patience of the Sovereign. Judgement against the wickedness of Sodom was not the result of some hasty impulse of anger; “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). It is thought that Lot had been a resident of Sodom for twenty years; what was the spiritual state of Sodom previous to that time; “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13). For over twenty years the inhabitants of Sodom had been living under the merciful grace of God.

They were ignorant to the prayers of a saint, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked” (Genesis 18:23). Having been made aware of the impending judgement that was to fall upon Sodom, Abraham immediately began to intercede in their behalf. Abraham became that man “that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it” (Ezekiel 22:30). In Abraham’s prayer of intercession, he made five recorded pleas, not for the structures of Sodom, but for the souls of Sodom! Blinded by fear in the back of a cave, David declared, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul” (Psalm 142:4). Such was not the case for the inhabitants of Sodom; Abraham, the friend of God, had entered into a face to face conversation with God on their behalf.

We do not have to flounder in the ignorance of Sodom. In consideration of the past, we can acknowledge that God has been merciful, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23), and many are interceding in my behalf; “God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you” (I Samuel 12:23). We can be enlightened to the brevity of the moment as a sinner, “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14) and as saint, the surety of His return, “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40).

While we may not know the contents of the day, we can know that the day is coming!