Tuesday: The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 3rd of June 2025
There is another key Old Testament story to which Peter makes direct reference when describing last-day events: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities of the plain were legendary for their wickedness and became the first example of population centers destroyed by fire from heaven.
Read 2 Peter 2:4-11, Jude 1:5-8, and Ezekiel 16:46-50—and note all of the details. What were the moral conditions that led to the destruction of these cities, and what parallels exist today?
Image © The Classic Bible Art Collection – Formerly Standard Publishing at Goodsalt.com
The warning offered to the last-day people of this planet through the account of Sodom and Gomorrah is plain: eventually, the wicked will also be destroyed by fire, as described so clearly in Revelation 20:1-15. Sin is remarkably deceptive in that it blinds us to the state of our own hearts, veiling our transgressions under a layer of self-approval, while the wickedness perpetrated by others often remains obvious to us. In the same chapter that God talked about how much love He had poured upon His nation, He also has to warn the nation that, while it did not commit the very same sins (Ezekiel 16:47), it has actually become more wicked than Sodom.
Israel had been “playing the harlot” (Ezekiel 16:41), committing spiritual adultery. Imagine the surprise of God’s people when they heard that they were more wicked than people who were legendary for their wickedness.
This is nothing new, not just with ancient Israel but with all humanity. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul presents a long list of human evil that could have been written based off of today’s newspapers. Paul’s description of Gentile sin was not intended to create feelings of superiority among the Jews but so that God’s people finally could understand the seriousness of their own sins. Nathan did the same thing when he spoke to David: he told the story of a rich man who stole a lamb from a poor man. This story “greatly aroused” David’s anger (2 Samuel 12:5, NKJV), because the injustice seemed obvious; even then, it took Nathan’s declaration, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7, NKJV) to make David see himself in the story.
It is important to remember that the Bible is not primarily addressed to the outside world but to God’s own people. When we see the heinous sins of others described in a passage such as Revelation 13:1-18 or 17, it is a warning that we, too, can fall into the same trap.
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Jesus talking about the signs and the end time events He referred to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a warning to those who are spiritually asleep. He was simply telling His listeners that those are morally corrupt and unrepentant, the same fate will befall them as the inhabitants of these cities. This is our warning too.
“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30, NLT).
We are warned not to be spiritually asleep. We are called to be sober and live a godly life in a corrupt world. Let us flee from the enticements of this world. Let it not be business as usual. As the people in Noah’s time were eating and drinking, likewise the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were doing the same. We might not be literally “eating and drinking”, but we are equally indulged in some activities with the same consequences.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV)
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah reminds us of how costly and expensive sin is. God sent His own Son to bridge the gap between His holiness and our depravity. On the Cross, Jesus took the weight of all sin our sins so that we could be reconciled to God. Each of us falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but God made a way by sacrificing His son, Jesus (Romans 6:23), to be the propitiation or atonement for our sins. The continued rejection of Christ leads to death and destruction (Matthew 10:33, Mark 8:38, Matthew 25:31-46) as seen in Sodom and Gomorrah.
As we stand beside Abraham and look out over the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, we must approach this ancient scene of desolation in humility—and in gratitude for the redemption offered by Jesus’ sacrifice.
Through the story of these cities, we see that the mercy shown to Lot was directly linked to Abraham's petitions. Abraham's prayers mattered. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived (Genesis 19:29). Oh, the power of the praying saint (James 5:16)!
Todays teaching has really blessed me and I have connected all the verses and I have seen that God indeed shall punish the wikid Today people are sinning than ancient times but we are privileged to repent our sins and run away from evil captivity lets accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour and obey Ten command and know what is good and bad in the world of technology.
I like the emphasis in the conclusion of lesson today's lesson.
About 10 years ago when there were public enquiries into institutional sexual abuse here in Australia, there was a fair bit of finger-pointing at others, and some "I told you so!" comments, particularly about the Roman Catholic Church. It was much harder to look into our church and hearts and recognise our sins. We don't stand on some sort of high moral ground compared to others. We all stand before the judgment of God.
Something to remember in our interactions with others:
At the foot of the cross the ground is level for us all. There we see the enormous price paid for and consequence of our sin. We are all equally guilty of the death of Christ when we stand at the foot of the cross.
The fact that the sins of Sodom are found even in the church is not just an observation—it’s a call to weep, to warn, and to walk uprightly. Judgment begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), but so does revival—if we are willing.
At least two phrases in today's lesson are gold and worth repeating:
1. "Sin is remarkably deceptive in that it blinds us to the state of our own hearts, veiling our transgressions under a layer of self-approval, while the wickedness perpetrated by others often remains obvious to us."
2. "It is important to remember that the Bible is not PRIMARILY addressed to the outside world but to God's own people."
May God give us wisdom so we do not become hypocrites, but accurate, just, and Christian models. We are certainly not perfect, but may our lives point to the only One Who is.
How challenging it would be to share this Sabbath School lesson to someone close to us that doesn't believe in the story of the flood or have never learned about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra!
All of these things were preserved in Holy Scripture as examples for our learning so that we do not get so complacent that we approve of these practices and neglect the warnings. Thankfully, even "New Testament" Christians can read Jesus' OWN account of the flood and its comparison to last day events of Romans 1:18-32 describing sexual immorality such as was committed in Sodom and Gomorra. Truly all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for our learning. Are we sharing?
My two grand children and their friends would attend a vacation bible school every year at a church near their home when they were younger. About ten years ago, the bible school's theme was the story of the flood. Every year there were attractive signs outside of the church showing the theme. The hallways of the church were filled with artwork. Sadly, my grand daughter's friends, twin sisters, were not allowed to attend that year because their mother didn't believe the bible story of the flood.
There was always a program at the end of Vacation Bible School. The church was filled with families of the children that attended. The pastor had a wonderful sermon about the flood and thanked all of the people who made the program such a success. A few who had worked so hard were rewarded tickets to attend the replica of Noah's ark in Kentucky (USA)!
I thanked the pastor for the courage he had to teach about the flood when public schools do not acknowledge the bible by teaching the theory of evolution and when obviously a lot of the parents in the room may have never learned the bible account or were taught the theory of evolution. It was a wonderful experience being in a room where bible truth was being presented in this setting! However, I am still saddened that my grand daughter's twin friends weren't a part of the bible school.
"It is a warning that we, too, can fall into the same trap."
This is how I have always read the Bible (all of it), as God's Message to His people of all generations. The Bible was not written for us to judge (or look down on) the ungodly, but to help instruct God's people on how to live godly through Jesus Christ our Lord. None of us are so holy that we are exempted from "falling into the same trap", if we take our eyes off Jesus.
God's blessing to you all!!
I think I understand why the statement was made that the Bible was not primarily addressed to the outside world but to God's people. I suppose it is trying to convey that we shouldn't use the Bible as a club against the world around us. But I don't know if overall I agree with that statement. If the Bible is not addressed to the world, how would anyone learn about Jesus? It's meant to be a book that speaks to everyone; if not, go-betweens would be required. And as much as God wants us to share with others, He doesn't require any human intermediary besides Jesus.