This passage that I highlight today is usually used as a way to cause division and justify condemnation but I use it today because I believe that man has always twisted this story from the true purpose it was supposed to be used for, to show that when you cry out to God for justice, He answers and His justice doesn't just avenge, it cleanses, restores and frees.
The story is one most are familiar with, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Often times it is preached to condemn gay people but the fact of the matter is that is not what this story is about.
It has always bothered me the way this passage is used by some preachers because if all sin and the payment for all sin is death there is no one sin that is so terrible that would cause God to destroy two whole cities. Especially when His whole goal is to draw people to Himself. That doesn't follow the character of God.
That means there was another reason that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the reason is for justice.
Sodom and Gomorrah did not burn because the people were homosexual.
I know a bunch of church folks just passed out and a bunch of jaws are hanging slack but that's ok.
Sodom and Gomorrah burned because of victims crying out to God for justice.
Why do I believe this to be true?
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah doesn't start at Genesis 19 but really starts at Genesis 18:16 and goes through chapter 19 to verse 29. I start at Genesis 18 because the first stop before the angels of the Lord went to Sodom was Abraham. And during this visit is when God tells Abraham what He plans to do to the cities. (See Genesis 18:16-19:29 for the full story)
After He tells Abraham, Abraham stops Him and says Lord, you don't mean to tell me that you are going to destroy the good people along with the bad people in those cities? What if there are 50, 40, 30, 20 or even just 10 good and righteous people in the city will you spare it from destruction?
And God said for even just 10 people, he would spare the cities. All it would have taken was for there to be 10 good, righteous people.
10!
The fact of the matter is that God's goal is not to destroy but to give life. However, if something or someone is causing death He will destroy it so that life and freedom will prevail.
I am sure that everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah was not gay.
Why do I assume this?
Because...
- Lot along with his wife and two daughters lived in Sodom.
- I assume this because there are young and old men. These young men had to be born somehow which means there are women in this city.
- I assume this because Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned more than once in the Bible so these cities have been in existence for quite sometime.
- Additionally, Lot's two daughters were promised to be married. That means there were all types of people living in Sodom and Gomorrah.
So how does this tie into #MeToo, Team USA, Deportation Abuses, and Mass Shootings?
It ties in because these two cities were destroyed because the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had been committing crimes against people who would pass through the city. Since Genesis 13:13 it was made know that these folks were evil. What caused God to intervene is that the victims were crying out to Him. These crimes were rampant; being stopped or protested by no one in power. And the cry of the victims was becoming deafeningly loud so God had to act and was going there to investigate.
Doesn't that sound familiar? Our leaders are sitting back collecting checks and not caring that people are being abused, people are dying, people and families are being destroyed and we the people, the victims and supporters, are crying out. At times it may seem like we are not being heard, but there is someone listening, our Heavenly Father. When those in power aren't listening you have to go to an even higher power and God is the highest power I know.
Its interesting that when the angels of the Lord got to Sodom, Lot was sitting at the gate to the city as if he were a gatekeeper. He was aware of what was going on and Lot knew what the people would do to visitors, that's why he insisted they stay at his house instead of sleeping outside in the town square. And Lot's decision was proved right when they all came out of their houses, young and old in order to assault these two men. And even with Lot trying to reason with them almost got assaulted himself.
To my fellow Christians: We, the people of God, are the gatekeepers and if we sit back and say and do nothing we are complicit in the wrongdoing. The Bible says, He who knows to do good and do it not to him it is sin (James 4:17). We know what is right in the sight of the Lord and because of this we will be judged more harshly when we stand before God. God gave us two commands: Love the Lord your God and Love your neighbor as yourself. Not one of those commands involves condemnation. We need to be standing in the gap for those who are being oppressed, abused and destroyed.
It is for this reason that the city was destroyed. God found that the crimes were as bad as the victims were saying. It wasn't that they just wanted to have sex with these two men but that they wanted to rape and abuse these men. And because these victims cried out for justice God had to act out of our inaction.
Why the whole city?
Because...
- When it says all the men from the city came out that includes the king, the leaders, the rich, the peasants, the heads of households. All the men. The men set the tones for their households and for society so the fact that it was all is significant. (Just like our current President and most of the men in Congress do nothing now.)
- When it says the old and the young, leader and follower came out it means that their unrighteousness was being passed down from generation to generation and no one thought it was wrong or questioned it. (Just like the uptick in hate crimes and white supremacy groups is showing us.)
- When Lot tried to reason with them they not only did not relent but turned on him, threatened to do worse to him and then tried to shove their way into the house. This showed how far away their hearts were from doing the right thing. (Just like the attacks people receive on Social Media and other platforms when they point out injustice even when presenting facts, statistics and personal, first hand knowledge. What flows out of your mouth show what is in your heart.)
- Finally, there were not even 10 good and righteous people in the land. God promised Abraham that if there were even 10 the city would be spared. That means even the women in these towns were not worth saving because they would have continued to pass on this unrighteousness. (The very reason why Trump won)
In short: God exacted His justice on the city for the crimes it had committed and the hearts of the people were so hardened and turned away from God there was no redeeming them.
What does this mean for us? God is and will bring these people down. Will there be more victims? Unfortunately, there very well might be. Not because God doesn't care but because God created us with the ability to reason and solve these issue on our own without His intervention. It is only now that we are starting to cry out for Justice (protests, marches, running for office, leaking documents, calling elected officials) more earnestly and louder because the hearts of those in authority over us are hardened toward us. Those currently in authority over us in the US care about themselves and their money. Most are not truly grieved that a child did not make it home two days ago. They will still cash their NRA checks.
But I know a God that said if you ask you shall receive and this story illustrates how God will act. People will tell me I need to pray for those in authority and I do, everyday. I pray that God will expose their unrighteousness and remove them from there place of authority if not deserved. And guess what? He is answering me prayers. He has brought down Senators, doctors, high powered execs and countless others that haven't made it to the news. And they will continue to be brought down.
And its because we have lifted our voice - like slaves singing songs, or riding buses on Freedom Tours, participating in sit-ins, risking it all to register people to vote - we have cried out for justice and God will deliver. So keep crying out. Keep marching, keep protesting, keep voting, keep resisting, keep praying. God heard Sodom and Gomorrah victims cries from their spilled blood on the ground. If He can hear that He hears us and His justice is complete, cleansing, and restorative.
Remember: God looks at our heart and He saw the hearts of these people and He knows the hearts of our current leaders who say they follow Him.
This is why Sodom and Gomorrah burned.
And to those leaders and others who think that they will get away with what they have done and plan to do, the Nazi's got their comeuppance, Sodom and Gomorrah burned and you will too.
The Unlikely Missionary
DHW
Final Thought: Truth be told if Lot had refused to leave he would have burned too because Lot was saved not because of his righteousness but because of Abraham's. (v29)
