Tag: Gomorrah

Hospitality as resistance: How to shine light into the world’s darkness (Genesis 19; Luke 17)

Post author By Jeff
Post date February 8, 2025
No Comments on Hospitality as resistance: How to shine light into the world’s darkness (Genesis 19; Luke 17)

Adobe Firefly AI oil palette knife style image of a man comforting a downcast man. Text says, "Hospitality as resistance: How To shine light into the world's darkness (Genesis 19; Luke 17.)"

This study of Genesis 19, Isaiah 17–18, and Luke 17 emphasizes the LORD’s active involvement in human affairs and the need for spiritual discernment of people’s needs around us and how to respond to those needs. It explores the parallels between the days of Noah, Lot and the coming Day of the LORD, underscoring the importance of hospitality, readiness and heeding the warnings of the prophets. We delve into the teachings of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) on inconveniencing ourselves to alleviate suffering and how the transfiguration, where Yeshua’s glory from the Kingdom of God, reminds us what our mission on Earth is.

Tags Day of the LORD, days of Noah, Genesis 19, Gomorrah, hospitality, Judges 19, Lot, Luke 17, Parashat Vayera, Sodom, Torah reading 016, Zoar

Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Open your heart to those who don’t know what time it is (Genesis 18–19; Romans 1–2)

Post author By Jeff
Post date November 12, 2022
No Comments on Open your heart to those who don’t know what time it is (Genesis 18–19; Romans 1–2)

We look on in dismay at how degenerative American culture and politics have become, fret how so many of our fellow Americans vote for politicians and laws that accelerate that decline. It’s very tempting to harden our hearts against such people.

But via the Torah reading Vayera וַיֵּרָא Vayera (“he appeared,” Genesis 18–22), God calls us to be like Abraham, who walked in faith, depending completely on God’s mercy yet acknowledging God’s justice as he watched Sodom and her neighboring cities go up in flames. Abraham’s heart was so sensitive that he implored God to save them all — even the most wicked of them — if only 10 of her citizens were righteous before God.

Tags Genesis, Genesis 18, Genesis 19, Gomorrah, hospitality, Parashat Vayera, Romans 01, Romans 02, Sodom

Discussions Torah

Oppressing others oppresses your soul (Genesis 13–14)

Post author By Jarrod
Post date October 16, 2021
No Comments on Oppressing others oppresses your soul (Genesis 13–14)

The Torah reading לֶךְ-לְךָ Lech Lecha (“go forth,” Genesis 12:1–17:27) introduces us to Abram, a descendant of Shem, who God calls to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and to emigrate to Canaan. This is the start of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob historical trilogy.

This trilogy is so important to the understanding of the Torah that God introduces Himself to future generations as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Yeshua (Jesus) taught that this name for the Almighty is a key witness of the resurrection to come.

And Lech Lecha also introduces us to the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13-14), which may have more to do with inhospitality than other offenses.

Tags Book of Jasher, Genesis 13, Genesis 14, Gomorrah, Parashat Lech Lecha, Sodom

Discussions Torah

Genesis 18–19: How to show hospitality in an hostile world

Post author By Jeff
Post date November 16, 2019
No Comments on Genesis 18–19: How to show hospitality in an hostile world

Abraham and Lot offer the world concrete examples of radical hospitality. Both of them had an overflowing love for their fellow man that was stronger than the fear and “stranger danger” that holds most of us back from helping those in need.

Many focus on illicit behavior, but Sodom’s utter lack of hospitality and its culture of fear is why God wiped them off the map, destroying them so utterly that their lush valley is now an ocean of salt.

Torah reading וַיֵּרָא Vayera (“[and] he appeared,”) is a fair warning to us in our day. We must be careful when responding to the strangers in our midst with fear rather than love.

Tags Abraham, emigration, Genesis 18, Genesis 19, Gomorrah, hospitality, immigration, judgment, Lot, Parashat Vayera, Sodom, Zoar

Discussions Torah

Genesis 18–22: Open your eyes when God ‘shows up’

Post author By Jeff
Post date November 4, 2017
No Comments on Genesis 18–22: Open your eyes when God ‘shows up’

Banner photo by Adam Jacksons/Freeimages.com.

God “shows up” all over the place in events recorded in the Bible and today, but He is not passive. Rather, the LORD is active in Earth’s affairs.

A pattern of behavior we see in the Torah reading וַיֵּרָא Vayera (“and He appeared”) is that when people are in “fight or flight” mode, they usually make very poor decisions. Lot’s “bright idea” to give his daughters to protect his guests from a vile mob, Lot’s daughter’s “bright idea” to get pregnant by their father a mere few days after they escaped from Sodom’s flames, and later Abraham and Sarah’s decision to lie to Abimelech about the extent of their kinship, all these poor decision had consequences.

We will see through the testimony of the words of God the interplay between the promised one, Yitskhak (Isaac), and the one born only through the flesh, Yishma’el (Ishmael).

Tags Genesis, Genesis 18, Genesis 19, Genesis 20, Genesis 21, Genesis 22, Gomorrah, Isaac/Yitskhak, Ishmael, Lot, Parashat Vayera, Sodom

Discussions Torah

Abraham: An example of hope and trust in God, part 2

Post author By Richard
Post date April 27, 2013
No Comments on Abraham: An example of hope and trust in God, part 2

This is a review of 11 examples of Abraham’s faith in God in Genesis 17-23. It culminates in his trusting God to resurrect the son of the promise, Yitskhak (Isaac), and in buying property in the Land to bury those also trusting in God to resurrect them.