Week 31, Day 4: Sodom & Gomorrah
Today’s Reading: Genesis 19:1-38
Some thoughts from the reading…
There are several things to comment on in chapter 19. I will try to limit myself to two things.
First, I encouraged you yesterday to pay attention to what sin the two angels found who were sent into Sodom to investigate the condition of the city. Lot took the men into his home and at night fall the men, young and old, come to the house seeking to have relations with the visitors. They wanted to have sexual relations with these men, thus engaging in the sin of homosexuality. The sinfulness of the city is widespread because we are told that both young and old came and men from every quarter of the city came to do this to the visitors. Also, Lot told them to not act wickedly. Homosexual relationships were recognized as acting wickedly.
Later we see the two men tell Lot that they have been sent to destroy the city “because their outcry has become so great before the Lord”. Here is another reference to their sinful actions being very great and calling God’s attention to this city to pass judgment against it. I want to emphasize that when the two men came to the city they had come to “see if they have done entirely according to its outcry,” (Gen 18:21). They could observe in just one evening the sinfulness of the city as being “exceedingly grave” (18:20). But I want to point out that homosexuality was just a mark or tell tale sign of how bad things were. Yesterday I referenced Ezek 16:46-50 because there we are told that the guilt of Sodom was she was arrogant, had abundant food and careless ease and did not help the poor and needy. We know that Lot chose to come to Sodom because Abraham let him pick which part of the land he wanted to dwell in. Lot chose to go to Sodom because the land was well watered and like the garden of the Lord (Gen 13:10). Here was a land that was prosperous and flourishing materially. But that abundance led to their arrogance, careless ease and no desire to help the poor. Their sin grew from there. I believe that Sodom suffered from the same thing we see happen today. When a nation becomes so prosperous and rich, they begin to turn away from the things that are right and just. Paul speaks about homosexuality as being the byproduct of other problems. In Romans 1:22-27 he says that the Romans did not honor God and exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature. BECAUSE of this God gave them over to the lusts of their heart, that their bodies would be dishonored among themselves and gave them over to degrading passions. Because they rejected God and His ways they went into such lewd, immoral and unnatural actions as homosexuality. So homosexuality marked Sodom’s wickedness as being exceedingly grave. It showed just how bad things were.
The other thing that I want to point to is the question of “why did Lot not leave before?” According to 2 Peter 2:8 Lot’s soul was tormented each day by the lawless deeds he saw around him. In this account we have Lot basically begging the visitors not to stay in the city square. Was this perhaps because he already knew what tremendous dangers would befall them if they did? Lot already knew what kind of deeds the people of Sodom engaged in and appears to try to help protect these men from such evils. But my question is why did Lot not leave before now? If his soul was so troubled by what he saw each day, why not go? Consider that it might be for the same reason that brought him here to begin with, the abundance and wealth that the land offered for increasing his herds. There was a tremendous increase that could be brought by staying in a land that is like the garden of the Lord. I think it is very likely that Lot was caught up in the prosperity of the land and what he was able to gain by staying there. Even when told to depart right away, why did he linger? Could it be because he would be leaving behind all that he had gained and the wealth he had acquired? We are not told specifically by the text but I think that these might be some lessons that we can learn from today.
What are we willing to put up with to “get a little more”? What kind of job will we do to be able to be paid big dollars? Lot had a family he was raising and still was not willing to move away. He was sitting in the city gates, there was no distance that he kept. Are we so caught up in gaining more materially that we put ourselves and our family in the path of wicked people? It cost Lot everything! All he had, his wife and it appears that his daughters morals were corrupted likewise. It is not ever worth having more materially if we lose everything spiritually. Let us continue to be moved by the wickedness around us but let us also use our hatred of evil practices to help us take the actions we ought to take, even when it costs us physically.
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Week 25, Day 1: The messages to the seven churches
Today’s Reading: Revelation 3:1-4:11
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
Have you ever considered what the Lord would write to you if He sent a message addressed to you about your labors? Certainly all of God’s word is intended for our instruction and encouragement but what I am referring to is a message that analyzes and critiques your work. What would such a message say? Would it praise you for doing a good job or would it say you are lacking much? These are some of the question I think about when we come to the message to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapter 2. Here are seven groups of Christians whom the Lord is directly addressing regarding their service.
But again, if you consider why this letter was given to us; we are to learn and grow through the messages to these churches. Our times may be different but when we consider what the Lord noted about these churches, we can easily see applications for us today. Consider this brief summary of what is said to the churches in chapter 2:
Ephesus – Praised for testing what men taught them. But they had left their first love.
Smyrna – Praised for undergoing tribulation and remaining faithful. Told they will endure much tribulation, they must overcome through faith.
Pergamum – Praised for holding fast to His name even though they dwell where “Satan’s throne is”. But they also allow false teachers among themselves.
Thyatira – Praised for their love, faith, service & perseverance. Their deeds have increased more than at the beginning. But they tolerate Jezebel (immorality taught and encouraged by her).
When we look at the messages given to these churches I hope that we see warning for each one of us in our conduct and what we allow to go on within the Lord’s church. I hope when we finally do receive that the message telling us how we have done, that we recieve a good report. The time will come at judgment that we will be told how we did. But for now we have the opportunity to consider what has been said in God’s word, repent when & where needed and continue to improve in those areas where we lack.
The things the church should be doing can be seen in what the seven churches of Asia were praised for and what we should fight against is also presented here. Let us consider carefully and be on our guard.
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