Genesis 18:20-32

This passage appears in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C (recently on July 28, 2019)

Summary:  There is a lot of great material in this passage to consider regarding prayer, especially as it is paired with Jesus teaching the Lord's Prayer to the disciples in Luke's Gospel.  But I want to look at the question:  What is the sin of Sodom?



חטאת (meaning "sin", 18:19)  The sins of Sodom are "grave" (כבך meaning "to be heavy") in Hebrew).  There are a lot of potential sins in the Bible.  So what are the sins of Sodom?  

It is often assumed that Sodom was punished for its sexual sins, specifically homosexual lust.  The book of Jude in the New Testament supports this:
- "Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."  Jude 1:7 


This possibility runs into some difficulty, namely, that the story involving sex comes after God has heard the outcry against Sodom; furthermore, the story involving sex involves gang rape of two men (actually angels) visiting Lot's home and then Lot offering his virgin daughters in their place.  In addition, one must consider the culture's overwhelming value of hospitality, as displayed by Abraham earlier in chapter 18.  Sodom represents total moral depravity; there are multiple moral failures in the gang-rape scene, well beyond sex. 

In fact, in 2 Peter, Sodom (and Gomorrah) get mentioned as THE example of ungodly behavior:
 "by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly." (2 Peter 2:6)  The writer associates this ungodliness with sexual misconduct in that God:  "rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless" (2 Peter 2:7).  However, the writer/Peter concludes this section by concluding that they "They have hearts trained in greed." (2 Peter 2:14)*  It seems that for Peter, sex is a problem, but not THE problem.  Again, sexual sin goes hand in hand with other sins.

Furthermore, God declares in Genesis 18.19 that he has known/chosen/singled out Abraham so that Abraham may do "righteousness" and "justice" (צדקה and משפת).  These two concepts will be paired again and again in the Old Testament (Psalm 33.5; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 56:1, Amos 6:12).  It is fair to wonder if the problem in Sodom is about basic righteousness.

We do not have much evidence in Genesis prior to chapter 18 of what is happening in Sodom.  However, the prophet Ezekiel gives voice to the Lord's judgment against them:  "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.   They were haughty and did detestable things before me."  (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

To put it another way, the sexual sins of Sodom are not the problem in themselves, rather they are manifestation of a culture in which people put themselves first, objectify others, and justify their greed.  Sound familiar?  I've read a number of commentators who want to ignore the sexual sins, totally focusing on hospitality, likely as a reaction of those who use this passage in sexuality debates.  I think as a whole, the American church struggles with sexual sins, either obsessing over them or ignoring them.  Perhaps this story reminds us that yes, sexual immorality is a concern to God, but it likely arises alongside of other problems.

Most haunting may not be what happens to Sodom, but the words of judgment that God has in Ezekiel.  Especially when heard with the words of Peter, as he concludes his argument:  "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them."  (2 Peter 2:19) 


*  Admittedly, Peter is referencing the story of Sodom and other passages within a section in which he is critiquing the behavior of members of his church who have gone astray.  It might be difficult to ascertain when Peter is offering commentary on the Biblical characters versus his piers.  That all said, the overall impression Peter gives is that there is sexual sin, but this is more a manifestation of others sins, rather than the problem in itself.