Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you come unto Zoar.
For years, God’s blessings fell upon Sodom, and the people enjoyed the bounties of heaven, yet, in the account of their history, most people usually tend to focus on their demise, and almost nothing is ever mentioned of the many years God had poured out His rich gifts upon the cities. The phrase: “Even as the garden of The Lord” means that it was compared to Eden; that is how much the place was blessed by the bounties of heaven. Yet, it is almost never mentioned in the narrative of their history.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 156] Fairest among the cities of the Jordan Valley was Sodom, set in a plain which was “as the garden of the Lord” in its fertility and beauty. Here the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics flourished. Here was the home of the palm tree, the olive, and the vine. And flowers shed their fragrance throughout the year. Rich harvests clothed the fields, and flocks and herds covered the encircling hills.
Art and commerce contributed to enrich the proud city of the plain. The treasures of the East adorned her palaces, and the caravans of the desert brought their stores of precious things to supply her marts of trade. With little thought or labor, every want of life could be supplied, and the whole year seemed one round of festivity. The profusion reigning everywhere gave birth to luxury and pride.
Psalms 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night and God bless!