# 153 One Hell of A Warning Shot

The Book of Genesis Day 153 Ge 18:16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." What a blessing and privilege to be known by God and considered to be His friend. But with that privilege comes responsibility. God has promised to make Abraham a mighty nation, through which all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. We know that it was through the Hebrews (Abraham’s people) that Jesus would be born and consequently all nations, Jew and Gentile alike will be blessed! But Abraham needs to see something from God that would give him a little extra incentive to urge his children to “keep the way of the Lord.” There is an ultimate price to pay for not “keeping the way of the Lord,” and God is about to demonstrate that price to Abraham and all who will follow in his shoes. He is about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone! The citizens of those two cities have rejected living in accordance with the righteousness of God. As we shall see, sexual sin was a way of life in these cities. Jude 1:7 says this about Sodom and Gomorrah: “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Further, they also lived unjustly in their treatment of the poor as we read in Eze 16:49 "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Abraham was about to get a graphic picture of what will happen to those who reject the righteousness and justice of God and live according to their flesh apart from Him. God wanted to “show” His friend Abraham what He was up to, so Abraham would not blame the destruction of the city on some chance event. God was behind the destruction of this city, and He will be behind the destruction of those who reject Him on the Last Day! Abraham was to command His children and those after them to “keep the way of the Lord.” We are commanded to do the same. The alternative must be placed before them! There is a heaven, but there is also a hell! On Judgment Day, there will be no more “second chances.” “as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (Heb 9:27) Pray: Father, help us to grasp anew the seriousness of the situation! The road to destruction is wide, help us to rescue as many as possible as we live and speak Your Word to others!