Origins: The Promise (Genesis 12–25)Sample

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” Genesis 19:24-25 (NKJV)

The moment of judgment had arrived. The sins of Sodom and its sister city, Gomorrah, had reached a point where God’s cleansing fire of that region was the only possible prescription.

As for what this “brimstone and fire” exactly was; theories abound. Some suggest this was the outcome of a massive volcanic explosion. Others believe it could have been caused by an earthquake that could have released flammable gasses and mineral deposits that quickly caught fire. 

Whatever means the Lord may have used, they were effective. No trace of Sodom and Gomorrah was left, which is why to this day, we don’t know the exact location of these cities. However, researchers who’ve dedicated their lives to uncovering this mystery tend to agree that they were located somewhere along the southern shore of the Dead Sea in Israel.  

If this is true, it’s an interesting fact that this is also the lowest point on the face of the earth. It’s marked to this day by geological evidences of a cataclysmic event at some point in the past, including an incredibly high concentration of sodium deposits and formations that seem to have been ejected from a subterranean furnace. The area even derives its name from the fact that so much sodium prevents life from flourishing there.

We see something remarkable recorded for us here in God’s Word. And there’s something significant to this very day in the region where this event is likely to have taken place. We also need to note the irony that Sodom and Gomorrah marked a true “low point” in man’s morality, and it’s also the lowest of points in a literal geographic sense. 

The connection for us in all of this is that God fulfills His Word to an exacting degree. He said He would judge the sin of these cities, and although He was patient and deliberate in doing so, He did what He said. 

That’s important for us to understand, as we often find ourselves in the “in between” of God saying He will do something, and Him doing it. It may not seem as dramatic or drastic as what we see here in Scripture. It might be something personal that nobody else particularly gets or cares about. Or, it could be a promise of great significance, like the promise that when we take our last breath on earth, we will live because He lives (John 14:19).

Whatever He has said, it can be completely trusted. Because it comes from the One who always does what He says He will do. We need look no further than Sodom and Gomorrah for the evidence.

DIG: What characteristic of God is seen in what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?

DISCOVER: How can their destruction translate into your assurance?

DO: Make a list of the promises God has already fulfilled in your life and thank Him!