Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. (Genesis 13:12-13 NASB)
Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom. (Genesis 14:11-12 NASB)
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself." Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share." (Genesis 14:21-24 NASB)
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. (Genesis 19:1 NASB)
But they said, "Stand aside." Furthermore, they said, "This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them." So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. (Genesis 19:9 NASB)
The problem of Sodom and Gomorrah wasn't a secret. When Lot settled there after he and Abram left Egypt, it was known what sort of place it was. In spite of that, he settled close. Very shortly thereafter, he is found living inside the city, having given up his tents (we're not sure about the flocks, herds, etc.).
Abram knows what sort of place Sodom is, how it's view by his Master, and doesn't accept anything from their king. In fact he says something rather interesting, he says that he doesn't want the king of Sodom to be able to say that he made Abram rich. The reason I find that interesting is how he ties wealth to Sodom. Lot's wealth seems to evaporate, yet the city and its king are known for wealth. There isn't a reason given, but in that time period, trade is the usual manner in which cities and people gained wealth. The reason that Lot chose that area was because, as the text says, it was lush like the garden of God. So, agriculture would likely have played an important part, both farming and herding.
On the other hand, they really weren't soldiers or at least not good ones, and one consistent thing about agrarian cultures is that they can usually wallop city-folk. They only lose because they don't have the numbers, but man-for-man bet on the farmer. That's not very..."good" deductive reasoning or even an educated guess; really it's more personal observation and prejudice. But it leaves room for another marginal hypothesis on where the wealth of Sodom came from. What if it were gambling and other "pleasure" commerce? Is it a general truth that people who work hard, also play hard? Maybe not, but it is often true, especially if they work hard remote from their homes and families. So what if Sodom were filled with distilleries, bordellos, casinos, and restaurants? Perhaps all of these were combined into an "Inn" where travelers passed the night. Who knows, but it's not as likely as trade commerce. Those sorts of things may have been present, but it is a long shot that they fueled the economy (although distilleries do burn well...).
The reason I bring up those particular business types is because they fuel the degradation of my culture and country, at least in my opinion. Those sorts of businesses make their income from the weakness of people. Both legal and illegal chemicals to loose touch with reality are available here. While prostitution is illegal (except in outlying regions of Nevada), it is a common vice in major cities. Now casinos are popping up on Native American Reservations all across the country. And restaurants feed a natural, but over indulged human appetite.
I like restaurants, and frequent them; but I'm gaining weight (not their fault, but they don't hep either). I don't drink, don't have a problem with people who do, but it's hard not to read at least one local news source without one of the articles announcing another alcohol-related death. Prostitution is wrong, most people agree with that, yet in movies, advertising, and other entertainment sex is usually a part of the "attraction". Gambling consumes peoples time, finances, and souls; my opinion, and I know it's not alone in that, but there it is. These examples of "commerce" are hurting my country and my people.
As I said, I do participate in some of these businesses, well, restaurants anyway. So, in a sense I too am "entranced" by Sodom, giving in to the attraction of what I know to be wrong, or at least dangerous. On other elements, I look on but don't address the problems, somewhat like the cities and regions around Sodom. They traded with them, contributing to their wealth and, therefore, their degradation. How far off am I from Lot and others? Not as far as I should be. I believe my Master calls it "holiness" and it gets tough really fast. Time to, once again, put on my "big boy pants" and get after it. See you tomorrow?
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