Wait? What Did You Say Sodom’s Sin Was?
To willingly place ones head on the proverbial chopping block is not really what I intend to do with this post. However, knowing human nature, some will instantaneously misinterpret what I am about to say. He who has ears to hear, will hear Gods heart from His Word, and not words according to men’s fallacious thinking.
What exactly was Sodom and Gomorrah punished for? The reactionary with an incorrectly divided viewpoint, will bring out the boiler plate and hide the china by stating, “Sodom was punished for the sexual abominations committed therein.” Granted, I understand why we jump to this conclusion so quickly, the activity of the men in the city was so obstinately rapacious towards the very angels of God, strange flesh indeed 1! And while there is truth to this general observation, it is not the whole truth. This is a passage of scripture in dire need of commentary from God himself. Chapters eighteen and nineteen of Genesis do not offer it in spite of great want.
The word of the Lord came to that fascinating prophet Ezekiel, we read in chapter 16:49-50 the commentary from God on the scenario at Sodom. “Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” It is strikingly clear from this passage that God had a view of Sodom we do not so quickly gather from the passages in Genesis. As is so often the case with scripture, we really need to rightly divide God’s word, and not jump to the first conclusion we draw. Here we see that our first impressions are only interlaced with partial truth. The whole truth is far worse! Pride…hedonism, and lack of compassion upon the unfortunate preceded abomination. The abomination was only the tip of the iceberg. All over the media, the internet, and from pulpits Christians are decrying homosexuality as the great sin of Sodom. In no way am I saying it was not a great sin; however, I am saying that we need to pull the tree out of our own eye and realize that we have been attacking the tip of the iceberg with a machete, using the grace, precision, and tact of blind zoo-monkeys. All the while, below the placid surface dwells this lurking monstrosity of iniquity. Upon which many ships are being wrecked 2. They litter the ocean floor in a jagged watery mausoleum.
Christians, pastors, activists, radio show hosts, bloggers, and anyone who cares about this issue, I plead with you. I beg that you would hear Gods heart. We need to repent; we need to take the log out of our own eye. Judgment begins in the house of God, not outside of it. Are we hedonistic in all of our pursuits? Are we filling endless hours consuming idle mediocrity? Have we forgotten to give to the cause and plight of the poor? Do we stand in the gap through prayer as much as we attempt to legislate our morality? Is legislating our morality even what we are called to do for that matter? Daniel is a man of whom the Bible mentions no sin or iniquity yet what was his prayer filled with? Repentance! Daniel pleaded Gods forgiveness for the iniquity of his people, he begged God to turn His anger away from His children, and away from Jerusalem. He was an intercessor, a man who stood in the gap, a man whom we all could learn a lot from. And certainly he was not a man pointing fingers outside himself but rather, upon his knees he took upon himself the sins of his people. This is the attitude most like our Lord, who was silent before his accusers, cognizant of the fact there was no excuse for the sin he was about to take upon himself for the sake of all those who would call upon his name.
1. Jude 7
2. 1 Timothy 1:19
