It turns out that there are not even ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah and so God unleashes his judgement upon it. Would God have spared the city for the sake of one righteous person? In any case, this story now becomes a foretaste of divine judgement. And it will be remembered from hereon as a paradigmatic judgement event. God sent his messengers to that city, they had their chance, but forfeited it. Jesus evoked this story when he sent his disciples out to preach the gospel. He made it clear that the fate of people hinges on how they treat and respond to these messengers (read Matthew 10:11-15). This is probably also the point of the way people are judged in the great judgement scene in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus said to his disciples as he was sending them out: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me…And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42) Here in Genesis 19 God rains down hell upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a warning of a greater judgement to come (Revelation 20:15). However, God is willing to forgive and spare anyone and everyone for the sake, not of ten righteous people (because there are none Romans 3:20), but one. That one righteous person is Jesus Christ who paid for the sins of the world. Those who welcome Christ into their hearts have immunity from condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Thank God for saving you. Intercede for those who haven’t accepted Christ.
Read Genesis 19
