Day 18: Sulfur and Fire, Mercy and Hope

Sometimes we want to not think about all the aspects of who God is. For instance, thinking of God as wrathful or just doesn't always settle nice and pretty in our finite minds.

I was reminded of God's righteousness and His wrath today when I read the account of how He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). Abraham pleaded with God to save the town is there was just ten righteous men in the whole area, and God promised that He would spare the cities for just ten. Guess what? Not even ten people who feared the Most High God could be found in all of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Wow.

It was better for the earth for the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah to be wiped off the face of the earth than for them to live one more day in that sin. Only Lot's family was preserved, and to do so they had to be mercifully whisked away! (Gen. 19:16) And even they weren't the greatest bunch. Lot's wife, just had to look back (v.26), and later, his two daughters got their father drunk on consecutive nights (v.31-38) so that he could be tricked into impregnating them- which was a success, marking the creation of the Moabites and the Ammonites (The Moabites, interestingly enough, were used by God to  bring about a righteous young woman named Ruth, who became the great grandmother to King David, through whose line came Jesus, thankyouverymuch. Talk about a post-opportunity about that little tidbit!). So yeah, not exactly a great family tree there!

This isn't one of the prettier narratives of Scripture. In fact, it still has me thinking tonight. I hardly know all that I would like to write about it.

Except, I know that I am a wretch, and I have sinned against God; and I have violated His perfect standard of holiness. My sins are no less a blot against holiness than those of the corrupted people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Just like Lot and his family, God plucked me out of destruction, and undeservedly gave me mercy and grace and hope for a better future.