When Abraham had reduced to ten the number in whose behalf he would plead with the Lord to spare Sodom, and the Lord had said He would not destroy it for ten's sake, Abraham ceased to plead any further. It has been supposed that ten was just the number of Lot's family and connections. And this seems probable from close attention to the narrative. We find Lot and his wife, and his two daughters that escaped, making four. Then we read of "his sons-in-law, which married his daughters," (Genesis 19:14) and that these daughters were two, which seems to be implied in the words of the angels to Lot, "Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters," (Genesis 19:15) which are here.
This would seem to imply that there were two daughters who were not there. Then besides these we read of his "sons" (verse 12), which would require at least two. Thus we have Lot and his wife, and his two daughters unmarried, two sons, and his two daughters and their husbands, his sons-in-law, making just ten.
It is, therefore, most probable that when Abraham ceased pleading at the number ten, he had in view Lot and his whole family. And when the Lord agreed that if these were righteous, the city should stand, it seems that Abraham considered that sufficient, for if these should not be found righteous, it would be unreasonable to ask anything more.
"And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." (Genesis 18:33)
The two angels that had departed from Abraham and the Lord went on toward Sodom, and came to Sodom at evening. Lot, sitting at the gate of the city, arose to meet them and invited them into his house to stay overnight. The angels proposed to stay in the street all night, but Lot, not knowing but that they were only men, and knowing the dreadful wickedness of the place, "pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat." (Genesis 19:3)
The men of Sodom, however, knew of their coming, and before very long a great crowd gathered from every quarter and surrounded the house, demanding that the angels whom they thought men, should be delivered up to them. Lot attempted to remonstrate with them, but it only made them worse and they attempted to break the door. Then the angels drew Lot into the house and shut the door, and smote the mob with blindness, "both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the door." (Genesis 19:11)
Then the angels made known to Lot who they were, and said to him: "Have you here any besides? son-in-law, and your sons and your daughters, and whatsoever you have 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; and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters, which are here; lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for your life; look not behind you, neither stay in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed." (Genesis 19:12-17)
Here the personal pronoun changes from "they" to "he," and from "we" to "I," showing that the Lord, with whom Abraham had talked, had come to Sodom, and that he was the One in whose power the destruction lay. Lot pleaded to be allowed to stop in the little city--Zoar--and the Lord granted that, and "the sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 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." (Genesis 19:23-25)
"As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17:28-30)
The people of those cities arose that bright, beautiful morning, as they had arisen morning by morning, year after year, always. One went about this business, another that; one to his merchandise, another to his building; one to his eating and drinking, another to his planting. To them all things were as they always had been. They knew of nothing unusual that was about to occur; and, worse than that, they would not be convinced that there was.
When Lot spoke to them of the destruction that hung over the place, to them it was only foolish mockery. And when they saw Lot and his two daughters--and his wife as far as she went--running swiftly across the plain, we have no doubt but they sent after them many a ribald shout. They knew nothing, they believed nothing, they feared nothing, of any destruction coming. But it came. Their unbelief did not delay it a moment, nor did it temper the terror when it came.
"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17:30)
The Lord sends a message to the world that He is coming again. He gives line upon line, precept upon precept, prophecy upon prophecy, and sign upon sign, that His coming is at the doors, and that men must be ready to meet Him in peace without spot and blameless. But His messengers are despised, His word is slighted, and all His tokens are set at naught. Men will not believe that He is coming. To them all things go on as usual, and as they always have gone. But one of these days will be the last, as it was with Sodom.
Christ has declared that the end of the world shall be. He points to a certain generation and says that that generation shall not pass away before He himself appears. And in that generation He will appear as surely as destruction came upon Sodom. Men may not believe it, as those of Sodom did not; these may treat the message as mockery, as did those; these may scoff at the messengers, as did those; but none of these things will nullify the promise of Christ, nor delay His coming, nor deliver those who are not prepared to meet Him when He does come.
When now in preparing to meet the Lord, men separate themselves from the world and from everything in the world, they will be counted as foolish as was Lot when he left Sodom and hurried across the plain. But there, those who left all were the ones who escaped, while those who remained to scoff remained to perish.
"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17:30)
"Arise, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction." (Micah 2:10)
And as you depart, "remember Lot's wife." (Luke 17:32)--Signs of the Times, February 10, 1887--Notes on the International Lesson, February 27--Genesis 19:3-25.
A.T. Jones