Sodom: Gang of Beasts

Sodom is known as a prime example of wickedness. It was destroyed by God Himself with fire from heaven. The Old and New Testament themselves often use Sodom as an example for the end of the wicked.

In Scripture we get a little insight into what the people in Sodom were like in Genesis 19.

We will analyze what the end-road of wickedness looks like where people are basically ripe for destruction. It is this spirit we want to avoid.

Now it is human psychology. Naturally, without God’s Spirit, we would be quite similar. 

We all have somewhat of a Sodomite inside, in whatever way it may express itself.

But this was unbridled and in quite an abominable form.

In Genesis 19 two angels show up in Sodom to investigate the city and see if it was really that bad to be destroyed.

No one seems to know these were angels. Abraham thought they were weary travelers earlier and Lot thought these were men who were in danger since it was almost night. 

These angels seem to have taken the form of men to disguise themselves. Lot saw them and invited them into his house since it was evening and they took the offer.

But when they were inside the wickedness of Sodom became very apparent. 

[Gen 19:4-5 NKJV] 4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them [carnally]."

It was evening. The men of Sodom had seen the stranger. And now they show their character.

As a bunch of unbridled beasts they show up to Lot's house as a big gang. 

They surround the house and they ask for the strange men to know them carnally. This was a collective and violent rape that also included homosexuality for which the New Testament also condemns Sodom.

The response of Lot makes this even worse:

[Gen 19:6-8 NKJV] 6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof."

He says that the reason he invited them in the first place is for protection. This suggests that this wasn’t a one-time thing. The people of Sodom were simple like this. When strangers showed up they were automatically in danger since the people might have done something to do them. 

It is as if the whole city was one giant gang of homosexual rape and violence. But this wasn’t because of poverty either. Poverty did not make these men wicked nor did it even have an influence on it. Lot chose to live near Sodom because the land was known to be rich and good. 

Nor was it simply the foolishness of youth. Both young and old from every quarter came to surround the house. 

And what did they do when Lot tried to calm them down?

[Gen 19:9 NKJV] 9 And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay [here], and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.

They felt like they were being ‘judged’ even though Lot was the new-comer here. They tried to break down the door as unstoppable beasts who are simply controlled by passion and lust.

And then the angels do something miraculous:

[Gen 19:10-11 NKJV] 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who [were] at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary [trying] to find the door.

These people were so controlled by passion lust that when they were blinded in a miraculous way they simply tried to get to the door anyway. They didn’t have any fear and they didn’t try to get away, but instead they actually sought the door while being blind. They were so controlled by their own passions that they even became weary to find the door not even caring about what just happened.

These are some of the elements we see.
People who are near to destruction are fully controlled by passion, pleasure and lust, they gang up on people and the weak in the collective excitement of the moment and when they are resisted they say that this person shouldn’t ‘judge’ them so much, especially since he is a nobody. They cannot stand admonishment and they love violence and sexual depravity. And they certainly do not care about life. People who do call them out can be sure to find the worst treatment just like they were planning to do to Lot. And when God Himself actually intervenes they are blind enough by their passions to keep doing what they are doing. It is simply an unstoppable spirit.

These are the characteristics of someone from Sodom. It is this psyche we have to flee from. Whatever Sodomite might be in it, resist it by God’s powerful Spirit. 

No one can hold back this spirit besides God Himself.