There is one last hyperlink in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the connection to the Flood. It’s essential to examine these hyperlinks and connections to previous stories, as each story is intended to be interpreted in light of the others. In this article, we are going to compare the plot of the Flood to that of the story of Sodom. There are 9 ways these narratives overlap.
1. The Righteous Find Favor.
In the book of Genesis, there are only two people called “righteous” by God, Noah and Abraham (Genesis 6:9 and 15:6). It also happens that the first two people to find “favor” in the eyes of God are also Noah and Abraham (Genesis 6:8 and 18:3). These two things are the first hint that we are meant to read these two stories in parallel, seeing how they interpret one another.
2. God “Saw” the Wickedness.
In Genesis 6:5, God “saw” how great the wickedness of man had become. The wickedness was so great that He could no longer allow it and had to intervene by sending the flood.
Likewise, in Genesis 18:20-21, the outcry against Sodom reached God, and He decided to go “see” if it was as bad as the outcry. In both stories, the wickedness is solidified by God’s sight in recognizing it.
3. The Righteous are Warned.
Before the Flood, God warns Noah that He is going to “put an end to all people” (Genesis 6:13).
In the Sodom story, God appeared to Abraham and warned him of the coming destruction of the city (Genesis 18:20-21).
4. The Righteous Prepare.
After God warned Noah about the coming flood, He gave him instructions on how to build the Ark in preparation for the coming destruction.
Abraham, on the other hand, doesn’t prepare by building something. Instead, he begins to haggle with God about how many “righteous people” God would destroy. Abraham knows his nephew Lot is in Sodom and prepares by trying to save him and his family.
5. Destruction.
After the Ark is built and Abraham is done haggling with God, the imminent destruction happens. The flood fills the earth, and fire and brimstone descend on Sodom. Both scenes involve things “raining” down. In the story of Sodom, the author is careful to note that the people would be “swept” away, using flood language to describe the judgment.
6. Salvation of the Righteous Persons’ Family.
Noah, his wife, their sons, and their wives are all closed up in the Ark and saved from the destruction of the land. Noah’s preparation and righteousness resulted in their salvation.
Likewise, Abraham’s family, Lot, his wife, and his daughters are saved from the fiery brimstone because he pleaded with God.
7. Salvation on the Mountain.
In both stories, after the destruction, those saved find themselves on a mountain. Noah builds a garden as the water continues to descend.
Lot and his daughters hide in a cave on a mountain, seeing the destruction of the city.
8. Children abuse the drunk.
After Noah plants his garden, he takes the grapes from the vine, and turns them into wine. He then drinks too much and becomes drunk. In his drunken stupor, Ham, his son, violates Noah’s wife.
Lot, while hiding in the cave, is given wine by his daughters and gets drunk on two separate occasions. Each time his daughters sleep with him during his drunkenness.
9. Repopulation.
Noah and his sons are called to “multiply and fill the earth” by having children.
Lot’s daughters sleep with him to bear children, thinking that all humanity has been destroyed and they are the only hope for repopulating the earth.
These story lines are important because they will be repeated, at least parts of them, for the majority of the characters in the Old Testament. Each time we see parts of this pattern emerge, we should be asking if this person is the one who will redeem the world from its brokenness. Is there someone who will be called “Righteous” in the midst of a wicked world, prepare for the coming destruction, and endure through it, carrying with him his family (or followers), and find himself on the mountain? Is there a person who will be on that mountain and not fail, like Noah or Lot, and instead create a new humanity unstained by evil? Is there a Snake Crusher?
The answer is in the Gospels.
Wow, loved this!