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9. Lot (Lut) – Sodom and Gomorrah
The Tanakh and Bible introduce us to Lot as the nephew of Abraham (formerly Abram). Abraham took in his orphaned nephew and cared for him as they left Haran and journeyed to Canaan, Shechem, Egypt and eventually Bethel. When they had a disagreement over land in Bethel, Abraham graciously allowed Lot to choose his land. Lot chose to live close to evil and eventually he and his family were greatly affected by the surrounding wickedness. Despite his surroundings, Lot is described as “righteous” and was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked” (2 Peter 2:7). The Lord used Abraham to deliver Lot and his family from captivity twice: once by a heroic intervention and secondly by prayerful intercession. The Lord sent angelic rescuers from Heaven to bring Lot and his family away from the wickedness of Sodom. Unfortunately, as they were rescued and escaped Sodom, Lot’s wife disobeyed God’s command and looked back at Sodom and was transformed by God’s wrath into a pillar of salt. Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area were destroyed by “sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven” and “the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace” (Genesis 19:23-29). In the story of Lot’s rescues, we see the foretelling of Jesus’ intervention and intercession for His people as He descends from Heaven to rescue His children through His crucifixion and resurrection. We also see in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah the serious foreshadowing of God’s wrath on the demonic and lost in Hell.
· Read in The Qur’an – 6:83-86, 8:80-84, 9:70, 11:74-82,
· Read in The Tanakh and The Bible – Genesis 11:31, 12, 13, 14, 19; Deuteronomy 2:9,19; Matthew 10:15; Luke 17:28–37; Hebrews 5:5-6, 6:20, 7, 8:1–2; Romans 9:27–29; 2 Peter 2:4-10; Jude 6–7; Revelation 11:7–8
Readings from The Qur’an:
· The Qur'an 6:83-86 “And that was Our Proof which We gave Ibrahim (Abraham) against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. 84. And We bestowed upon him Ishaq (Isaac) and Ya'qub (Jacob), each of them We guided, and before him, We guided Nub (Noah), and among his progeny Dawud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ayyub (Job), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), and Harun (Aaron). Thus do We reward Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers - see the footnote of V.9:120). 85. And Zakariya (Zechariah), and Yahya (John) and 'Isa (Jesus) and Iliyas (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous. 86. And Isma'il {Ishmael) and Al-Yasa' (Elisha), and Yunus (Jonah) and Lut (Lot), and each one of them We preferred above the 'Alamin [mankind and jinn (of their times)].”
· Since the Qur’an says revelation and guidance came to Lut (Lot), and through the Torat (Torah), shouldn’t Muslims know the full story of Lut (Lot), given in the Tanakh and Bible?
· The Qur'an 8:80-84 “And (remember) Lut (Lot), when he said to his people: ‘Do you commit the worst sin such as none preceding you has committed in the 'Alamin (mankind and jinn)?’ 81. ‘Verily, you practise your lusts on men instead of women. Nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds (by committing great sins).’ 82. And the answer of his people was only that they said: ‘Drive them out of your town, these are indeed men who want to be pure (from sins)!’ 83. Then We saved him and his family, except his wife; she was of those who remained behind (in the torment). 84. And We rained down on them a rain (of stones). Then see what was the end of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and sinners).”
· While the Torah, Tanakh, and Bible describe the homosexual lust and sexual sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, how does the Qur’an speak to heterosexual sin and heterosexual lust?
· Does the Torah, Tanakh, and Bible describe varying degrees of sin? (i.e. “worst sin” and “great sins”)
· Why is the account of what happened to Lot’s wife described so differently in both the Hebrew and Christian Bible when their accounts precede the Qur’an by 2,000+ years?
· The Qur'an 9:70 “the cities overthrown [i.e. the people to whom Lut (Lot) preached]”
· The Qur'an 11:74-82 “77. And when Our messengers came to Lut (Lot), he was grieved on account of them and felt himself straitened for them (lest the town people should approach them to commit sodomy with them). He said: ‘This is a distressful day.’ 78. And his people came rushing towards him, and since aforetime they used to commit crimes (sodomy), he said: ‘O my people! Here are my daughters (i.e. the women of the nation), they are purer for you (if you marry them lawfully). So fear Allah and disgrace me not with regard to my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?’ 81. They (messengers) said: ‘O Lut (Lot)! Verily, we are the messengers from your Lord! They shall not reach you! So travel with your family in a part of the night, and let not any of you look back; but your wife (will remain behind), verily, the punishment which will afflict them, will afflict her. Indeed, morning is their appointed time. Is not the morning near?’ 82. So when Our Commandment came, We turned (the towns of Sodom in Palestine) upside down, and rained on them stones of baked clay, in a well-arranged manner one after another”
· Why is this description of Lot’s wife different than in the Bible? (remaining behind in the city instead of leaving the city & looking back, turned into a pillar of salt)
· Why is this description of Sodom’s punishment different than from the Bible? (orderly baked clay stones vs. sulfur and fire) Does the Quranic version of Allah’s punishment foreshadow Hell as well as God’s punishment does in the Tanakh and Bible?
Readings from The Tanakh and The Bible:
· Genesis 11:31 “Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.”
· Genesis 12:4–5 “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. [5] And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan”
· Abraham (formerly Abram) took in Lot, his nephew, into his care and alongside his family. In a similar way, God adopts us into His family, care, and protection in salvation.
· Genesis 13:8–9 “Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. [9] Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
· Genesis 13:17–18 “Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” [18] So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.”
· In Abraham’s generosity towards Lot, he overflows the love of God in considering Lot’s needs above his own while simultaneously trusting the Lord’s provision according to His promises. How have you experienced the love of God in your heart?
· How has He provided for you when you trusted Him? Are you expressing daily thankfulness to God for His many blessings?
· How have you overflowed His love in generosity towards others?
· Genesis 13:10 “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”
· Why did Lot desire the Jordan Valley? What is the “garden of the LORD” referring to? How does this reveal the desire within believers to be in Heaven?
· Deuteronomy 2:9 “And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’”
· Deuteronomy 2:19 “And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’”
· Despite the wickedness of the daughters of Lot, why does the Lord choose to show mercy? What does this reveal to us about the character of God? How have you seen God remain faithful to His promises?
· Genesis 14:14–16 “When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. [15] And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. [16] Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.”
· The Lord rescues Lot from Sodom twice (once through Abraham’s rescue and then again with the angelic messengers). How does this foretell Jesus’ descent from Heaven into the evil of our world in order to rescue and deliver us from evil, leading us into eternal salvation?
· Genesis 14:18–20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) [19] And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; [20] and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
· Hebrews 5:5–6 “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; [6] as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.””
· Hebrews 6:20 “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
· Hebrews 7:15–17 “This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, [16] who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
· Hebrews 7:22 “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.”
· Hebrews 8:1–2 “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, [2] a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”
· After the first rescue of Lot, we are introduced to Melchizedek (the king of Salem and priest of God Most High). According to the book of Hebrews, what connections can we see between Melchizedek and Jesus, the Messiah?
· Matthew 10:15 “Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”
· Sodom and Gomorrah are used as a lesson and reminder of God’s wrath and justice and a foreshadowing of Hell. What is the lesson and warning for us?
· Luke 17:28–37 “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, [29] but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—[30] so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. [31] On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. [32] Remember Lot’s wife. [33] Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. [34] I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. [35] There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” [37] And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.””
· What can we learn from Lot’s wife according to Luke 17:32-33? Why did Lot’s wife look back at Sodom? After salvation, what sort of temptations do we have to “look back”?
· Romans 9:27–29 “And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, [28] for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” [29] And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
· What is the focus of this reference to Sodom in Romans 9:27-29? What is it teaching us about God’s character?
· 2 Peter 2:4–10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; [5] if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; [7] and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked [8] (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); [9] then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, [10] and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones”
· What does 2 Peter 2:6 say about the example of Sodom and Gomorrah?
· How is Lot described in 2 Peter 2:7-8? What bothered Lot?
· What are some examples of the sinful conduct where you live? Does it bother you as much as it should?
· How does 2 Peter 2:9-10 summarize what we can learn about God through the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah?
· Jude 6–7 “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— [7] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
· Jude 6-7 addresses both “sexual immorality” as a whole and homosexuality (“unnatural desire", see also Romans 1:26-27). Why might it be tempting for us to prioritize someone else’s sin as “greater” or “worse” when all sin separates us from God eternally without Jesus?
· Revelation 11:7–8 “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, [8] and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”
· Why is Jerusalem later symbolically called “Sodom” and “Egypt” in the final days (“End Times”)?
See also:
· “What does the Bible say about salvation?” www.trustworthyword.com/salvation
· “What does the Bible say about Hell?” www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-hell
· “What does the Bible say about sexual sin?” www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-sexual-sin
· “What does the Bible say about homosexuality?”
www.trustworthyword.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-homosexuality
· “How to respond to the most common arguments for LGBTQ+” www.trustworthyword.com/lgbtq