It was no time to trifle, when the destruction was just at the door. They had not forty days to turn them in, as the Ninevites had. Now or never, they must make their escape. At midnight this cry was made. Such as this, is our call to the unconverted, to turn and live. 2. The slight they put upon this warning, He seemed to them as one that mocked. They thought, perhaps, that the assault which the Sodomites had just now made upon his house, had disturbed his head, and put him into such a fright, that he knew not what he said; or they thought that he was not in earnest with them. They who lived a merry life, and made a jest of every thing, made a jest of that, and so they perished in the overthrow. Thus many who are warned of the misery and danger they are in by sin, make a light matter of it, and think their ministers do but jest with them; such will perish with their blood upon their own heads.
15. And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord. 19. Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. 20. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee, concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
Here is,
I. The rescue of Lot out of Sodom. Though there were not ten righteous men in Sodom, for whose sakes it might be spared, yet that one righteous man that was among them, delivered his own soul, Ezek. 14. 14. Early in the morning, his own guests, in kindness to him, turned him out of doors, and his family with him, v. 15. His daughters that were married, perished with their unbelieving husbands; but those that continued with him, were preserved with him. Observe,
1. With what a gracious violence Lot was brought out of Sodom, v. 16. It seems, though he did not make a jest of the warning given, as his sons-in-law did, yet he lingered, he trifled, he did not make so much haste as the case required. Thus many that are under some convictions about the misery of their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, yet defer that needful work, and foolishly linger. Lot did so, and it might have been fatal to him, if the angels had not laid hold on his hand and brought him forth, and saved him with fear, Jude 23. Here in it is said, The Lord was merciful to him; other wise he might have justly left him to perish, since he was so loth to depart. Note, (1.) The salvation of the most righteous men must be attributed to God's mercy, not to their own merit. We are saved by grace. (2.) God's power also must be acknowledged in the bringing of souls out of a sinful state. If God had not brought us forth, we had never come forth. (3.) If God had not been merciful to us, our lingering had been our ruin.
2. With what a gracious vehemence he was urged to make the best of his way, when he was brought forth, v. 17. (1.) He must still apprehend himself in danger of being consumed, and be quickened by the law of self-preservation to flee for his life. Note, A holy fear and trembling are found necessary to the working out of our salvation. (2.) He must therefore mind his business with the utmost care and diligence. He must not hanker after Sodom, Look not behind thee; he must not loiter by the way, Stay not in all the plain, for it would all be made one dead sea; he must not take up short of the place of refuge appointed him, Escape to the mountain. Such as these, are the commands given to those who through grace are delivered out of a sinful state and condition. [1.] Return not to sin and Satan, for that is looking back to Sodom. [2.] Rest not in self and the world, for that is staying in the plain. And, [3.] Reach toward Christ and Heaven, for that is escaping to the mountain, short of which we must not take up.
II. The fixing of a place of refuge for him. The mountain was first appointed for him to flee to, but,
1. He begged for a city of refuge, one of the five that lay together, called Bela, ch. 14. 2, 18..20. It was Lot's weakness to think a city of his own choosing safer than the mountain of God's appointing. And he argued against himself, when he pleaded, Thou hast magnified thy mercy in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain; for could not he that had plucked him out of Sodom, when he lingered, carry him safe to the mountain, though he began to tire? Could not He that had saved him from greater evils, save him from the lesser? He insists much in his petition upon the smallness of the place. It is a little one, is it not? Therefore, it was to be hoped, not so bad as the rest. This gave a new name to the place; it was called Zoar, a little one. Intercessions for little ones are worthy to be remembered.
2. God granted him his request, though there was much infirmity in it, v. 21, 22. See what favour God showed a true saint, though weak. (1.) Zoar was spared, to gratify him. Though his intercession for it was not, as Abraham's for Sodom, from a principle of generous charity, but merely from self-interest, yet God granted him his request, to show how much the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails. (2.) Sodom's ruin was suspended, till he was safe. I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Note, The very presence of good men in a place helps to keep off judgments. See what care God takes for the preservation of his people. The winds are held, till God's servants are sealed. Rev. 7. 3. Ezek. 9. 4.
Lastly, It is taken notice of, that the sun was risen when Lot entered into Zoar. For when a good man comes into a place, he brings light along with him, or should do.
