READING: Ezekiel 16-17, James 3
“Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy.”
Ezekiel 16:49
Sodom. Gomorrah. Say the two city names, and sins of sexual perversion quickly come to mind. Indeed, Genesis 19 gives a dramatic portrayal of men so consumed with their desire for other men that they ignored God’s judgment. Struck blind as they sought to sleep with Lot’s guests, the people nevertheless continued their rebellion. Unhealthy, ungodly, sinful sexual desire simply consumed them.
That sin was not, however, the only reason God judged Sodom. Ezekiel reminds us that their sins were numerous and their rebellion against God was multi-faceted: “Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before Me, so I removed them when I saw this” (Ezek. 16:49-50). Yes, they did “detestable things” like those described in Genesis 19, but their other sins also sound uncomfortably like our nation. They were arrogant, living in the luxury of their blessings, and ignoring the poor and needy around them. They apparently had much, but they did not share their blessings with the less fortunate. Their “ease” in life and neglect of others, combined with their sexual sin, eventually brought God’s judgment on them. At the same time, Ezekiel points out that God’s people in the prophet’s day had committed even greater sin than Sodom had – a horrendous indictment in comparison.
The point is this: it’s easy to say when reading about Sodom, “Well, I don’t struggle with homosexuality, so these stories don’t relate to me. These texts were meant, it seems, for ‘others’” – but that approach misses the description of Ezekiel 16. Somewhere within the sins listed in that chapter do most of us find ourselves at some point in our journey. I confess, for example, that I have much, but too often ignore the poor and needy around me. I can be filled with pride, and I live securely in my income—while also neglecting the impoverished. Thus, Ezekiel 16 forces me to look at my own heart rather than focus only on judging others who struggle with sexual sin.
ACTION STEPS:
- Read Ezekiel 16 again, and watch for truths that speak into your own sinful choices. Learn. Confess. Receive His forgiveness.
- Thank God for His blessings while you also ask Him to keep you from turning His blessings into idols.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I let my blessings and wealth overshadow my responsibility to help the poor.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 18-19, James 4