Noah's Flood & Sodom and Gomorrah

                                           JUDGMENTS OF GOD

          NOAH'S FLOOD, SODOM AND GOMORRAH

              WHEN THE CUP OF INIQUITY IS FULL

 When examining the Judgments of God as recorded in the Scriptures of the Bible, it is necessary to take into account certain aspects in order to cast more light on the characteristics of God’s justice.

  Beginning in the book of Genesis, there are two main instances as recorded in the Scriptures where God Himself stepped in and brought a complete destruction on peoples, which may look severe and perhaps extreme, but let’s take a closer look. These occurred in the days of Noah, and on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In both cases, extreme and out of control behavior are recorded.
 

 NOAH’S FLOOD and the Judgment against VIOLENCE - During the days of Noah the Scriptures declare, “And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, and it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.., The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth and, behold, it was corrupt; for ALL flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth…”  Genesis 6:11-12, 5-6. If we examine these Scriptures we can see that beginning with the murder of Abel by his brother Cain that violence eventually dominated life on earth as when one breaches a dam. Man was created perfect, but when Adam sinned and the relationship between God and man was breached, man became vulnerable to every form of sin and corruption, and in this case violence was the dominant iniquity. Upon examining the above Scriptures, it appears to indicate that this behavior even spilled over into the wildlife. Consequently, indiscriminate killing and murder was rampant without restraint. Suffering among the helpless would have been unbearable.

  NOTE – 1 - God gave man dominion over the earth Genesis 1:26– which means that man is not only responsible for its care, but he is also the gateway to all influences on the earth. [It is interesting that Cain violently killed his brother, and as time flowed on, violence filled the earth, hence, the open door.] "...Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" 1 Corinthians 5:6

                2 - This means that our choices and behavior may draw others into the wake of both the benefits, or the consequences of our actions. This is especially true with those in authority. 

                3 – God does not negate or override man’s choices or will, but He holds us accountable for them. Consequences and reaping what we sow is also to be expected.

                     Ecclesiastes 7:29,12:14

In response, God destroyed the surface of the earth with such a violent upheaval that every breathing thing was destroyed, except for those that were rescued on the Ark. Then the Lord started over again.

 

 SODOM AND GOMORRAH and the judgement against SEXUAL SIN  – “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Genesis 13:13, “And the Lord said, ‘Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it  which is come unto Me, and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20-21

  Now in these 3 verses, and the dialogue between Abraham and the Lord, then with the episode between the two angels, Lot, and the men of Sodom (Genesis 19), we get a glimpse of the depravity and wickedness of the cities. Where the Lord speaks of the cry that had come to Him, it is not clear from what source the cry originated, but from other scriptures such as with the Children of Israel under bondage to the Egyptians, we can deduce that likely the main source of the cry was coming from the victims. Often we wonder why God allows so many bad things to happen to people, but when He does clean it up we accuse Him of being unjust. As the Scriptures teach, and we can clearly see from the conversation between Abraham and the Lord in chapter 18, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9.

  But one might say, “So He is showing grace to the offender at the expense of the offended.”

What we forget is that the choices and deeds of man are made without the interference of God, but the consequences will be according to the justice deserved.  “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6.  From this passage we can see the severity of the pending punishments on those who do such things and who do not repent, and thus giving us a picture of the Lord’s extreme forbearance, and His judgment. In Genesis 18 where the Lord and Abraham are discussing the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, He reveals that  He would spare the cities if there were only 10 righteous people total in those cities and surrounding area (which is including the youth). That was how deep the corruption of that region was embedded. Consequently God had to, in a sense, surgically remove them, and the Dead Sea is the remaining testimony of the pending judgement of God against the ungodly. Jude 7 The sad thing is that victims will be victims unless we repent. But we can be certain, vengeance and retribution by God is pending.

CONCLUSION - In these passages of the Scriptures regarding the History of the Human race, the Lord is recounting the severity of sin and its consequences if left unchecked. He does provide testimony of His righteousness as he did for the people of those times. Noah was a preacher of righteousness 2 Peter 2:5, and Lot was a godly example that brought conviction to the sinful men of Sodom Genesis 19:9. However, there is a cut off point where the Lord Himself will step in and execute His judgments to curb our behavior if we do not repent. "And I gave her a space to repent of her fornication, and she did not repent. Behold, I will ..." Revelation 2:21-22 Again, I want to stress the severity of our sins, and not only because of the ensuing judgments, but the horrors, depravity, and wickedness of our behaviors. Can you imagine (and there are many people to this day who can relate) the terror of living in a violent and or a sexually immoral society, where everyone is either a violator and or a victim? Be assured, when we fail to repent, God will not fail to step in though He seem to tarry long.
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