Genesis 19:23

21 And he said to him, “See, ^aI have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.

22 Hurry, escape there. For ^aI cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore ^bthe name of the city was called¹ Zoar.

23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained ^abrimstone and ^bfire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.

25 So He¹ overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and ^awhat grew on the ground.

26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became ^aa pillar of salt.

27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where ^ahe had stood before the Lord.

28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, ^athe smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God ^aremembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

The Descendants of Lot

30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and ^adwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth ^ato come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

<< Genesis 19:22

Genesis 19:24 >>

What Does Genesis 19:23 Mean?

Genesis 19:21-24

These angels had power; they say directly they were the ones who would destroy the city. That power and the authority to do that had been delegated to them by God. They had authority to get Lot and his family out of the city, and they had delegated authority to punish the cities.

Consider that God did not script everything out for them. What does that mean to us? Like men, these angels had minds, and they had to think things through. Is this in line with the charges that God gives us? In the situations we find ourselves in, we have to think, "Would this be okay? What are our alternatives here?" In other words, the angels did not just march into the city, commandeer what they needed, grab Lot by the seat of his pants, and throw him unceremoniously outside of the city. They had the authority to allow Lot choices, and they worked within the framework God had given them. This means that angels have minds with which to assemble facts, to think, and to devise alternatives.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Image and Likeness of God (Part Three)

<< Genesis 19:22

Genesis 19:24 >>

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The Descendants of Lot

What Does Genesis 19:23 Mean?

Genesis 19:21-24

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