10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!”
21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.”
Therefore the name of the city was called
Zoar.
Jesus told us not a single Word of God is meant to be ignored or forsaken.
Matthew 5:18
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.
Jesus told us not a single Word of God is meant to be ignored or forsaken. Not Abraham offering up Isaac. Not the end of the Tribe of Jacob's son Benjamin. Not the lost Tribes of Israel.
Some Lost Tribes of Israel, the original 12 Hebrew tribes, which, under the leadership of Joshua, took possession of Canaan, the Promised Land, after the death of Moses. They were named (Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.) Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun, Judah and Benjamin.—all sons or grandsons of Jacob.
In 930 BC some tribes formed the independent Kingdom of Israel in the north and other tribes, Judah and Benjamin, Naphtali and Zebulun (the land around the Sea of Galilee, Isaiah 9) set up the Kingdom of Judah in the south.
Following the conquest of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 721 BC, the Israel tribes were gradually assimilated by other peoples and thus disappeared from history.
A remnant always remains. Hezekiah knew a great revival, rivaling the strength of Solomon, Tribes would have refuge with King Hezekiah. We know Historically for a fact this to be true about tribes having a remnant, Isaiah 9 explains that the Sea of Galilee was intact for some of the tribes erroneously thought to disappear. After the Babylonian exile, this sad fact, the exiles returning could present their lineage. The Samaritans were proven in the 1960s to be true descendants of the Tribes of Israel by DNA. However, after the return of the exiles, the Samaritans were put out for not having their proof of lineage. Why should the Samaritans have kept up? They sat on the land and worshiped in the ruins of the Temple! Hezekiah did indeed have shelter for many of the tribes, but Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Zebulun were thought to be lost forever.
King Hezekiah's bulla or seal. In the Josef Chaim Kaufman Collection, Archaeological Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Found also is Hezekiah's servant seal, which hung on a cord for the honored person to wear. Archaeologically, there is no doubt of these seals. Archaeologically, Hezekiah is supremely rich of finds and many funds during their lifetimes - 2 actual seals of Hezekiah's, at least 5 bullae belonging to servants of Hezekiah, the tunnels for water, the Shiloah Inscription and the evidence of abundance in purchasing, selling and vast trade. Plus the historical knowledge of the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and the wealth and independence of the Kingdom of Hezekiah's Judah in the midst of the Assyrian Empire.
All of these bullae bear the name of Hezekiah, without doubt. The Scriptures record abundance in Hezekiah's time. It would also make sense products were purchased in abundance.
REVIVAL AND AWAKENING
IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
IS
TO BE GREATLY DESIRED
AND
PRAYED FOR!
2 Chronicles 31:5-10
5 As soon as the command was spread abroad,
the people of Israel gave in abundance
the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey,
and of all the produce of the field.
And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
6 And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps. 7 In the third month they began to pile up the heaps,
and finished them in the seventh month.
8 When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps,
they blessed the Lord
and his people Israel.
9 And Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left,
for the Lord has blessed his people,
so that we
have this large amount left.”
This bulla, and the seal on the Papyrus, are for an Egyptian order of grain for Hezekiah.
Jesus did not break down the woman at the well. Jesus did not toss aside the woman caught in Adultery. Nor did Jesus break apart from Genesis 19, nor toss this Scripture aside.
Jesus did not rush into bars and taverns, houses of ill repute or Herod Salome dances, to find something to condemn. Instead, like Genesis 19, suddenly.... the storm was upon Jesus. Usually thrust upon Jesus to smear The Lord.
This is Jesus:
Mark 7:37
And they were astonished beyond measure, saying,
“He has done all things well.
He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Now even Peter, gradually, realized, he wasn't called to walk upon water and swam to meet Jesus victorious. So. We don't walk on water. Therefore, we are going to examine the Storm upon the Godly, who had no desire for the storm to visit them - ever. Lot might have even said, not my monkeys, not my circus, no, thank you, But Genesis 19, the whole chapter, shows human life in front of him, was on the line of life or death.
What did Jesus say to explain Abraham and Isaac? (I have a late, great, my great-uncle Texan, Wm. Cary Graves, who always loved to speak of Napoleon, rather than the storm.) Jesus told us.... "Abraham is real." The Scriptures are real and the Power of God is in the Scriptures. Jesus went on with this, politically, and said, "I know Abraham."
Ok, Jesus IS before Abraham and we are going to have to go back to Lot.
Jesus has parted the Red Sea for these men about to be killed by the town. A Jesus saves the world sized miracle. The men trying to kill them go blind.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Luke 1:37
For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 18:27
But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Hebrews 6:18
So that by two unchangeable things,
in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement
to hold fast
to the hope
set before us.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Then angels arrived and wanted to do the great mission of Jesus, to save those of faith in the Lord. To create family to help provide a way of Love and Encouragement to know the Way, Truth and Life of God. Joshua prayed, The Lord heard... and the Jordan River was dry as the Red Sea.
Joshua 3:22
Tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'
23 For the Lord your God
dried up the Jordan before you
until you had crossed over.
Realistically, in great trouble, human beings tend to lean on denial.
And the family they were trying to save, denied the great trouble: End of Life. They, apparently, were blind as well. And were told by the angels, to live today and not base their decisions on the glorious, easier past. Jeremiah told the exiles to live today as well.
Jeremiah 29. The family was resisting to the point of death to understand what was around them. Is this fact? We know, factually, Sodom and Gomorrah are filled with remnants all these facts millenniums later, with bitumen. Fire starter. And the gate of the city told about in Scriptures is found in archaeology.
Ephesians 2
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy,
because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ
—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with Him
and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
So that in the coming ages
He might show the immeasurable riches
of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we
should
walk in them.
What is not included in Genesis 19?
Children.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable
If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
This ancient millstone in Capernaum does not float.
Scriptures Repeat.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable
If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
The
Meek
Will
Inherit
the
earth.
The Fullness of the earth
is the Lord's.
His Good Creation. He calls Good
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
The righteous prayers of
a loving hearted Grandparent
availeth much.
James, Brother of Jesus Christ,
5:16 ish, somewhat, Way, not exactly.
Ish in Hebrew
Complete accuracy in the Hands
One who dots every iota, Jesus the Lord.
The One who is good
and
hears Loving Prayer.
Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb
a reward.
Abba, Father,
In Jesus Christ,
we ask to Behold Your Favor
and
Help us all
Believe Your Word
and we will
Zoar!
Alleluia, Jesus Christ
Son of God
Prince of Peace
Alleluia.
Amen.
You know the analogy of sailing.
Yet Jesus could have come up with donkeys or horses
instead of His feet, so often spoken of walking.
We are a sailing family.
My Step Grandfather, Rev. Wm Tate Young of Sherman, Texas
Was the Priest of St. Stephens Episcopal Church for many, 3 or 4, decades.
He loved to Sail and did so until he passed on to Heaven.
Once getting into a storm and on a sand bar
to find Pneumonia. All Adventures have a season.
God bless us in our times.
My brother also loves sailing and had 2 sailboats on different lakes,
until he bought a double decker ATV and moved to El Paso, to
sail the desert with his family.
John's sailboat made an outrageously generous gift to my sons.
They both loved to sail and navigatedwhat to do with the sailboat
when my older son was trying to coax my younger son
to bring it to Georgetown for his college years.
Alexander became even more enthusiastic
and sailed 2,3 times a week.
Sailing isn't very difficult
when you have good teachers
and even one sailing book.
The boat was sold to a college professor Church friend
and lives locally now.
Our sons are in Denver.
Lord, we bless their journey
safely and meaningfully
in Jesus Christ. Amen
I prefer the motor boats of my father
and father-in-law's sea going fishing boats.
My husband was part of a team
winning Deep Sea Fishing in Texas
one year. Push the Throttle and have
the wind rush to meet a smiling expectation.
Jesus preferred to sail.
Why. Easily we see. The journey
is the conversation. The fellows in a ship.
Jesus is Wonderful.
We are blessed in Jesus
to see
our Father.
More conversation, more prayer.
Father,
Bless our time with each other
and our prayers in You.
Amen.