Kids Connect - Sodom and Gomorrah

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18 and 19)

Reading to Your Kids
As soon as the Lord finished talking to Abraham and Sarah, Abraham walked with Him and the two men He was with as they prepared to leave. From where they were, the were able to look out over the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord told Abraham that the cries from the people of those towns were so great and their sin was so great that He was considering destroying both of the towns. The two men with the Lord went to visit Sodom after the Lord said this, leaving the Lord and Abraham alone.

Abraham came close to God and said, "Lord, would you destroy both the good and the bad? If there are 50 people there who do what is right would you please not destroy it? You are so right and holy that You would be too just to do something like that!"

The Lord answered Abraham and said, "If I find 50 people in Sodom who are right then I will not destroy it."

Then Abraham said, "I know I am made out of dust in talking with You Lord, but if there are 45 would you please not destroy it?" And God assured him that He would not destroy it if there were 45.

So Abraham said, "What if there are only 40? Would you please not destroy it if there are only 40?" The Lord again assured him He would not.

Again Abraham spoke. "What if there are only 30? Would you please not destroy it?" God agreed to this as well.

And again Abraham asked, "What if only 20 are right who are there?" God agreed to 20.

One final time Abraham says, "Lord, please don't destroy it if there are only 10!" And God replied to Abraham, "I will not destroy it if only 10 are found there who are right before Me." After that Abraham went back to his tent and the Lord left.

While this was happening the two men who were with the Lord and Abraham went to visit Lot, Abraham's nephew, who lived in Sodom. Lot invited them to his home and prepared a big feast for them. While they were visiting, many people surrounded Lot's house and demanded he send out the visitors so that they might hurt them. Lot told them no but the people outside were so determined that they tried to force their way into his house. The angels inside rescued Lot from the angry crowd, brought him back inside the house and shut the door and caused the men outside to be blind so they could not force their way into Lot's home. They then told Lot to get all of his family together and leave Sodom because the Lord was going to destroy it.

Lot got his family together and when the angels told him it was time to go he waited because he didn't want to leave, so the angels grabbed his hand, his wife's hand the hands of his 2 daughters and made him leave. Then the Lord caused fire and stone to fall on Sodom and Gomorrah and everything in those towns was destroyed, but the Lord remembered His promise to Abraham and saved the only righteous people who were in those towns.

Your Child's Insights....
1. Why do you think Abraham asked God so many times to save the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah?
2. What do you think of how God answered Abraham all those times?
3. What do you think the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah were like?
4. What do you think it was like for Lot and his family to live there?
5. Why did God have to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?
6. How did God fulfill His promise to Abraham?

Ideas for Prayer with Your Child.....
- Pray that your child would go to God as many times as he/she wants.
- Pray that they would have the strength to be separate from the evil in this world.
- Pray that they would never get used to the evil in this world.
- Pray that they would remember that God always keeps His promises.

Random Thoughts for Your Consideration......
As this story is being introduced in Genesis the Lord says to the 2 men, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about it." God answers His own question and explains to us the answer.

I find it difficult to read stories to my kids about the crucifixion and things like this because they are brutal, horrifying in their reality. Its important that they know these things in an age appropriate way though. I'm not going to discuss in detail exactly how brutal these events were, but that they happened. In prayerful consideration, that is why I included this kids connect. Our children need to understand the reality of God's word and we teach them stories such as this one so that they may command their children and their households some day to keep the way of the Lord and do righteousness and justice. This is the only way toward blessing them and in turn helping them to bless others.

What do you think?

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