Escape from Sodom — God’s Mercy and Judgment (Genesis 19:15–29)
Sometimes in life, we get clear warnings — and how we respond matters.
In Genesis 19, we see a powerful story where God gives Lot and his family a chance to escape disaster.
It’s a story filled with urgency, mercy, and the importance of quick obedience.
Let’s walk through what happened.
Urgent Warning to Lot
Morning came, and the two angels who had visited Lot gave him a strong warning:
“Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters and get out of here, or you will be swept away!“
Lot hesitated. Maybe he didn’t fully realize how serious the danger was.
But the angels didn’t leave him behind — they grabbed the hands of Lot, his wife, and his daughters and led them out of the city safely.
God was showing great mercy, giving them a chance to escape before judgment fell.
The angels gave clear instructions:
“Run for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere on the plain. Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”
Lot’s Request and God’s Mercy
Lot was scared.
He worried that he might not make it all the way to the mountains.
So he asked if he could flee to a small nearby town called Zoar instead.
God listened to Lot’s request and agreed.
He delayed the destruction until Lot and his family reached safety.
This shows us that even in times of judgment, God is patient and kind to those who turn to Him.
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
As Lot reached Zoar, God sent fire and burning sulfur from heaven onto Sodom and Gomorrah.
The cities were completely destroyed because of the great evil there.
But something sad happened along the way:
Lot’s wife looked back.
Even though they had been clearly told not to, she turned to look at the city behind her — and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
Her heart was still tied to the life she left behind.
It’s a strong reminder to us that when God calls us to move forward, we must trust Him fully and not look back.
Abraham Sees the Aftermath
Meanwhile, Abraham stood looking out over the land.
He saw thick smoke rising from the valley, like smoke from a great furnace.
But even in all this destruction, there was mercy:
God remembered Abraham’s prayers and saved Lot from the disaster.
God’s judgment was real and serious, but so was His kindness toward those who trusted Him.
Conclusion
The story of Sodom’s destruction is serious, but it also shows us two important things:
- God takes sin seriously — He is just and holy.
- God is also full of mercy — He rescues those who trust and obey Him.
Lot and his family were saved because they listened (even if a little slowly) and followed God’s warnings.
Lot’s wife reminds us what happens when we hold onto the past instead of fully trusting God.
Today, God still calls us to trust Him, move forward, and leave behind anything that pulls us away from Him.
And just like with Lot, God’s mercy is always ready to meet us when we turn to Him.
Genesis 19:15-29 (WEB)
19:15 When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.” 16 But he lingered; and the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and his two daughters’ hands, the LORD being merciful to him; and they took him out, and set him outside of the city. 17 It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said, “Escape for your life! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed!”18 Lot said to them, “Oh, not so, my lord. 19 See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can’t escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die. 20 See now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one. Oh let me escape there (isn’t it a little one?), and my soul will live.”21 He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there, for I can’t do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of the sky. 25 He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.27 Abraham went up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and saw that the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.29 When God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the middle of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.