“…But the men of Sodom were wicked and
exceedingly great sinners against the Lord…” Gen. 13:13 (AMP) “ … And the Lord
said, Because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their
sin is exceedingly grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done
altogether [as vilely and wickedly] as is the cry of it which has come to Me;
and if not, I will know…”Gen. 18:20-21 (AMP) “…Then the Lord rained on Sodom and on
Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of the heavens…” Gen. 19:24 (AMP)…
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities in
the time of old, which God destroyed completely by fire because of their sins
and wickedness against God… The cities were also particularly noted for the sin
of homosexuality and all sorts of immorality; therefore, the names of the
cities are often associated with a place known for reckless sexual immorality,
depravity, promiscuity and moral corruption…
Be that as it may, we have to
take cognizance of the fact that those cities were not that way from its inception
neither was it God’s initial plan to destroy them, as we notice that Abraham
made intercession on their behalf before God though unsuccessful, because there
were not enough righteous people in the lands to spare them from God’s wrath
and destruction… However, the sins of Sodom definitely had a root and a
beginning and it definitely did not turn into a land full of widespread
wickedness overnight; their sins only aggravated in the process of time and not
without an underlying cause…
It is also worthy to note that
Sodom was a very prosperous land which prompted Lot choosing it as his place of
residence; and we also know that a good and prosperous land is a blessing from
God and God would often not let a wicked people dwell in such land rather He
would give it to His own people, though not without giving the rebellious
inhabitants of the land enough time and chances to repent…
The true root of the sins of
Sodom is revealed in God’s Word through Ezekiel the Prophet speaking about Israel’s
sin of Idolatry which God considered worse than Sodom’s sins and which God likened
to adultery and harlotry against Him their One and only true God… The Word says
in Ezek. 16:48-50 (AMP) “…As I live, says the Lord God, Sodom your sister has
not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. Behold,
this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, overabundance of food,
prosperous ease, and idleness were hers and her daughters'; neither did she
strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed
abominable offenses before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it and I saw
fit…”…
The above scripture clearly
states the true sins of Sodom in God’s eyes… We discover that pride is named
first as their worst sin while their abominable sins (homosexuality and others)
were named last… We also discover that the same prosperity and abundance which
was God’s blessing to them turned out to become more than a curse which lead to
their destruction; therefore that which was supposed to be named as a blessing (prosperity
without stress and more than enough food) was rather called a sin by God; all
for one ultimate reason: the pride of life!...
Pride; the same sin that turned
the Angel Lucifer to Satan the Devil is of a truth a grievous sin in God’s eyes
because as we know, the Most High God is a Jealous God who never shares His
glory with any man or any other of His creations… We can infer, that the people
of Sodom at some point in time became overly proud of themselves and of their
rich land without acknowledging God as the provider of all the good things they
possessed, therefore they deserted and forgot God, enjoying all His gifts but disregarding
the Giver, keeping God’s glory to themselves, doing only that which pleased themselves;
consequently giving in to their own insatiable lusts which led to all forms of
wickedness, and ultimately incurring God’s anger against them…
The truth remains; that any place
where God is not acknowledged and His Words not heeded to; rebellion and all sorts
of wickedness will surely thrive and will keep increasing with time… As long as
Satan remains the god of this world system, the natural order and tendency is
that evil and wickedness will be on the rise, in any place where God’s order is
being rejected… It is not unexpected or unusual for things to keep going wrong
and getting worse when man is fully in control of all his decisions without
recognition for God’s view on a matter… God’s mercy keeps prevailing and His
anger and judgment is delayed often because of His own righteous people present
in a rebelling land or nation; as it was with Sodom and Gomorrah which would
have been spared if only there were enough righteous people in the land…
God may have considered humbling
the people of Sodom with famine and hunger, or saving their children or sparing
the good land and destroying only the wicked people in it; but the magnitude of
their evils must have gotten deep into the very sands and its stench very thick
in the atmosphere of the land beyond that which their future generations could have
been able to undo… God never wiped them out together with their land and all in
it because He enjoyed destroying His own creations, but rather because they
remained unrepentant and if left to exist, they would probably end up
corrupting more lands and their peoples with their wickedness, just as Lot,
Abraham’s good relation was already getting corrupted; and God would rather wipe
them out than allow that happen…
In essence, Sodom & Gomorrah’s
homosexuality was not their major sin against God, rather their pride and
rejection of God was… All the immorality and wickedness prevalent in the land
was only as a result of their long-term rebellion against God’s orders… As God’s
Word clearly states in Rom. 1:28-30 (NLT) “…When they refused to acknowledge
God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should
never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed,
hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They
are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are
forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.”…
Also notice that idleness was
also listed as one of their sins; they were probably too prosperous to have to
work much, and as its said ‘an idle mind is the Devil’s workshop’, so they
likely had more than enough time to seek and satisfy their selfish lusts… They
were also said to have shown no mercy or love towards the poor and needy in the
other lands, pointing to the same sin of pride, not recognizing that they were
only blessed to be a blessing to others not as blessed as they were… They
prided themselves in themselves rather than in God; and most certainly, the
hearts of the poor and needy kept crying out to God, even in their silence, yet
Sodom & Gomorrah had more than enough to meet their needs…
God’s Word says: “…Everyone proud
and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, and exceedingly offensive to the
Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished…” Prov. 16:5 (AMP) “…God
sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble…" Jam.
4:6 (NLT) “…Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall...” Prov.
16:18 (NLT)…
Yes! God’s blessing could become
a curse to the blessed, if one does not use it as God instructed… Beware of
pride! Beware of the rejection of God’s order! The destructive root of pride
could spring up bearing all manners of evil fruits of wickedness, if one’s ways
are not constantly kept in check to be in accordance with God’s Word… Beware! Never
forget to always acknowledge God in all things and in all situations… Be watchful
and always ask His grace and strength by His Spirit, to always overcome the
Enemy’s greatest temptation of the pride of life… And in Christ Jesus, you are
an Overcomer!
Nice Day Friends!
#GodIsStillInCharge
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