# 159 The Downward Spiral of Depravity

The Book of Genesis Day 159 Ge 19:3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 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." 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! So Lot invites the “angels unaware” into his house for the evening. But what’s this? A large crowd of men have surrounded his house and they are demanding that Lot turn his guests over to them that they may sexually assault them! Let that sink in! Get the frightening picture! This is a city not San Quenton! But these people, young and old, have become prisoners of their own ungodly lusts! To his credit, Lot goes out to face the crowd and pleads with them, “Do not do so wickedly!” The term “wickedly” here denotes any activity that is contrary to God’s will! It is an attitude that rejects the authority of God. Those who do “wickedly,” lack understanding as they deliberately plan to hurt others in a habitual and compulsive manner. In short, they have no moral restraints. You know, this casting off of moral restraint, this rejection of the authority of God was not unique to Sodom. We can read of the same kind of behavior in the Book of Judges: A Levite from Ephraim was returning from a trip to Bethlehem with his concubine when he stopped in the Benjamite city of Gibeah. He, like the angels in Sodom, was prepared to spend the night in the city square when another Ephramite had compassion on him and invited him to spend the night at his house. We pick up the story in Jg 19:22 “As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!" 23 But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage.” Isn’t that amazing! Almost word for word, the same event that took place in Sodom! Even knowing what had happened to Sodom, did not restrain these evil men! I bring this up because we need to be aware of what can happen when men, cities, and nations, turn their back on God! Man is capable of unspeakable behavior and it has been proven throughout history! This is why it is so important to pass the faith along to the next generation! The very last verse in the Book of Judges sums it up this way: Jg 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” As more and more people reject the authority of God in America, we will see a rise in these kinds of behaviors, and unless we turn back to God, our nation will slowly be turned into a San Quentin, where ordinary citizens live in a constant prison of fear. Therefore, I urge you to pray and work for revival in the land! Pray: Father, these verse today show us how depraved we can be, when we turn our back on You! Father send Your Holy Spirit! Revive our land, and let us again live as if Your authority matters.