TURN FROM YOUR WAY TO THE WAY OF JESUS!
TURN FROM YOUR WAY TO THE WAY OF JESUS!
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. —Ezekiel 16:49-50
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? —Ezekiel 18:23
Though this is speaking specifically of Jerusalem, the passage seems to be paralleling the characteristics of Sodom and aligning them also with this city. What were the issues of both Sodom and Jerusalem?
- Sinful/guilty
- Arrogance/pride/self-exaltation
- Overfed— plenty of food—abundance— gluttony
- Unconcerned/careless/at ease/abundance of idleness/laziness/complacent
- Did not help the poor
- Did not help the needy
- Committed abominations (perverse sexual practices was one of these)
The downhill slide— pride… gluttony—idleness— unconcerned for the poor— unconcerned for the needy— committing perverse sexual abominations. This is not the only place in God’s Word that speaks of this downward slippery slope into deeper darkness. Romans 1:21-32…
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
The plight of man left to himself, living by his own devices is always a downward slide into darkness. When people do not want to acknowledge the Creator, when they suppress the truth by their wickedness, darkness becomes greater. But our Lord God Almighty does not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked. No, His desire is that the wicked turn from their wicked ways. That is why Jesus came! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYZw0dfLmLk&t=23s Dear Father, may those who have not now call on Jesus to save them from their sin and to a relationship with You through Him by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. Yes, may it be so! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdxIpseL-fM&list=RDUdxIpseL-fM&start_radio=1