God’s Goodness at Sodom & Gomorrah

Recently I was moved by an unlikely devotional passage – the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In our hyper-tolerant culture, it’s undoubtedly one of those portions of Scripture that has compelled some to classify the Bible as hate literature. But I see a glimpse of God in all his multi-faceted glory, flickers of the very brilliance he would disclose to Moses on Sinai centuries later.

Recently I was moved by an unlikely devotional passage – the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In our hyper-tolerant culture, it’s undoubtedly one of those portions of Scripture that has compelled some to classify the Bible as hate literature. But I see a glimpse of God in all his multi-faceted glory, flickers of the very brilliance he would disclose to Moses on Sinai centuries later. In that staggering appearance, God describes himself this way: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished….” (Exodus 34:6-7)

This same God shows up in Genesis 18 in a divine visit to Abraham. “Three men” stop by his tent and repeat a promise to the old man, assuring him that his wife will bear a son. There is incredulous laughter.

The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious

You will recall that Abraham and Sarah had been given this promise years before, grown tired of waiting, and helped God along via the maid, Hagar. God doesn’t seem angry over their lack of faith. There isn’t so much as a verbal rebuke. He is compassionate with their limited perspective and mindful they are but dust. At Abraham’s tent I see a God who enjoys humanity, not one who enjoys snuffing it out. The otherworldly visitors are in no hurry. They have their feet washed and dine under the oak tree as relaxed guests. When their business is concluded, they turn their faces toward Sodom with expressions much changed. It then becomes clear that the mission has been two-pronged. The outcry from Sodom has reached heaven and something must be done.

Slow to anger

Notice that God has not pressed the incineration button at the first whiff of something wicked in Sodom. The stench of sin has risen to him for some period of time and only now is he going to deal with it. The two angels head towards Sodom while “the LORD” stays behind to talk with Abraham about what’s to unfold. I see a Creator calm and patient, not a short-fused despot but a God who will rain judgment almost as a last result.

Abounding in lovingkindness and truth

God makes Abraham privy to the impending doom and he is aghast. Abraham pleads: “Will you not spare the city if there are fifty righteous within, Lord? How about forty? Thirty? Twenty? Surely you will not destroy ten righteous people on account of the whole?” God concedes that if there are just ten righteous the entire valley will be spared, even the lustful mob that is at that moment attempting to break down Lot’s door for some fresh flesh.

And yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished

The angels strike the depraved gang blind and warn Lot and his family to flee. Our God is a consuming fire, as Sodom will soon learn.

Who keeps lovingkindess for thousands

There are not ten righteous to be found, of course, but God protects the ones he finds. Lot and his two daughters flee to a cave out of harm’s way. Fearing that they will be barren spinsters since all the men have been destroyed, Lot’s daughters take drastic measures. Strange as their drunken, incestuous night and resulting pregnancies are, even this is not beyond God’s redemption. Genesis 19 tells us that their descendants will eventually be known as the Moabites and Ammonites. I know of a certain Moabite named Ruth, great-grandmother to King David and part of the royal lineage of Christ himself. So as the LORD waits for Lot and family to reach safety outside Sodom, he knows that one of the descendants from their unholy unions will be part of his own Son’s earthly line. God not only forgives sin but also weaves its results into his master plan of salvation. Lovingkindness seems an understatement.

Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin

Lest we think God’s wrath is reserved mostly for the outwardly deviant, let’s remember that it was the rejection of the gospel that Jesus warned against more sternly. “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matthew 11:24). Some sins are perhaps easier to spot, but many who appear to fit the moral bill will have a harder time in eternal judgment than those wretched souls of Sodom. Rejecting the gospel is the unforgivable sin.

Our God is the same from Genesis to Revelation and on every page in between. In one early visitation of judgment upon our beleaguered planet, God replanted the seed of promise for a family, a tribe, a nation – a nation that would birth a Redeemer who would make it possible for all manner of sins to be forgiven and redeemed. We must only accept him on his terms.