Why the story of Sodom is important to tell!


 "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 
Genesis 19:7-8

I was reading this chapter in the Bible for my devotions today and was arrested on the verses above.  

Genesis 19 is the story of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  The narrative states that "The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it" (Gen 19:13).  Although traditionally, it is felt that it was sexual immorality that brought the wrath of God upon the cities, scripture reveals a more foundational reason:

Ezekiel 16:49-51
"'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. 

The issue of Sodom was that she was decadent, unconcerned about God or one another, and their actions, including their sexuality, showed a blatant disregard for the humanity of others.  The text that began this blog demonstrated how the decadence became a culture of pleasure and self-satisfaction.  When self-pleasure becomes a god, people are objectified.  In that culture, people simply serve our desires.  The culture is Sodom was clearly hedonistic and unrestrained.

In this text, males of the city surrounded the home of Lot, who was entertaining Angels (unknown to the city residents) and demanded to have sex with them.  Lot's response was to offer his daughters to the mob.  Although he was saved from the destruction, he was not a righteous man.  His attitude of dehumanization, particularly seeing women as objects of pleasure, to be used to appease the desires of unrestrained lust.  

I believe that God sees dehumanization and objectification as acts of injustice.  This is why he destroyed an entire city.  I have been so overwhelmed in my spirit regarding correlations today.  We have entire cultures that worship self-satisfaction, and therefore dehumanize one another.  The end of every major empire began with a period of decadence and degradation.  I listen to grammy award winning rap music which is now mainstream, and I just hear objectification and degradation.  And no one seems to care.  Many entertainers use words that see women in the same way that Lot and the Sodom society saw them.

The point is that we can make a difference by honoring God and honoring one another.  The greatest goal of a civilization can not be self or it implodes.  Are we able to speak truth and not only see injustice, but stand against it.  Can we protect those who are regularly dehumanized and objectified, such as when women are described as mere symbols of conquest and pleasure?  I think its not only possible, but it could be likely, God helping us!

Lets not be a Lot, but take a stand today.

God bless,

Pastor M Traylor




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beneath the anger

Image
  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had known every act the LORD had done for Israel . (Jos 24:31 CEB) "Mediating narratives of supremacy that originate in diseased theological and social imagination--and ultimately unresolved trauma--must be replaced by alternative, healthy theological imagination that contributes to human flourishing." -- Charles Kiser and Elaine Health in Trauma-informed Evangelism This past week, I have enjoyed watching the Olympic games in Paris.  There is something about competition, involving the world's best athletes that is awe inspiriting.  What I have been fascinated by is the massive social media reactions of self-professed Christians to an opening ceremony float, and an Algerian female boxer.  Both situations are very small portions of the Olympic games, but the attention to each situation, and the intensity of emotions behind posts and my favorite, social media argumen...
Read more

Misplaced Hope

Image
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13 NLT) "In our questions about politics and the gospel, we must be willing to ask how evangelical politics might change if we replace fear with hope, the pursuit of power with the cultivation of humility, and nostalgia with history."--Mae Elise Canon in Beyond Hashtag Activism I am writing this on November 6th, the day after election day in 2024.  I have been preparing for this day by spending more time in prayer and meditation, anticipating that regardless of the winner of the presidential election, that many leaders and members of the churches that I have the privilege of serving, will experience significant discouragement, disappointment, and disillusionment.  A number of friends have contacted me, checking in and sharing concerns about my welfare and the welfare of many of my fr...
Read more

When "Agree to disagree" is Dangerous

Image
  And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. ”  Mt 25:45–46 NLT In controversial topics, we are taught that in order to be civil in the communities in which we participate, that it is polite and respectful to "agree to disagree".  This is often used to de-escalate a disagreement that has emotion attached.  Devoted Coca-Cola drinkers will rarely agree that Pepsi products have more flavor, and so thanksgiving gatherings will often agree to disagree when a guest breaches generations of etiquette by bringing a two-liter bottle of Pepsi to a Coke family gathering. The point is that when the topic is trivial and no one has the potential of being harmed, it is appropriate to go the "lets agree to disagree" route. However, what if someone at the same thanksgiving meal made a statement...
Read more