Someday you’ll be an imminint theologian, my friend. We’ll all say we knew you when. You’re first tome had better include a CD… or a DVD… or whatever is in vogue at the time.

God’s judgment IS coming… sometimes earlier than expected.

I confess, though, that I’ve always been suspicious of taking a single, very brief reference from a different millenium to radically change the lense through which we view a particular scripture that seems reasonably complete in situ.

The Ezekiel passage is part of a larger work pursuing the “Israel as harlot or adulterer” theme for its idolatry and covenant breaking.

Gotta admit… most of us, as individuals, ( except ME, of course ) practice some kind of idolatry, and should be granted doctorates in covenant breaking… Well, I suppose I do worship Diet Cherry Pepsi on occasion.

But Sodom had no such covenant to begin with, as far as I know… they were just flat evil, apparently in multiple ways. And, it appears to have been a corporate evil, requiring the cooperation and active participation of individuals, of course, but when groups of people turn their minds to it, they can do some really ugly things out of the reach of mere individuals. Hitler didn’t manage the holocaust all by his lonesome.

Mike, start a church out here in the high desert/low mountains… I’ll come. Relax… I promise not to sing in the choir.

I agree, the sins of Sodom were sins of commission - I tried to emphasize that there were people being victimized by their actions. Clearly there is some unnamed group crying out for justice - it’s a response to that outcry that provokes God’s visitation on Sodom.

What I was trying to do was draw the horrific acts of Sodom down to root causes, which I think Ezekiel gives us grounds for doing, in an effort to make them more universal. I do think that Sodom was the extreme case that provoked imminant judgement, but I also think that the root of the sin was an arrogant, sensual selfishness, selfishness to the point of abuse and violence.

Even if we are not in immanent (i’m going to spell this word in lots of different ways, in hopes that at least one will be correct) danger of God’s judgement, I think Sodom instructs us that those root sins still raise his wrath.

Cerise

1. You spoke directly about a subject that no one wants to hear about, i.e., God’s judgment and the circumstances under which it may be unleashed.
2. You didn’t gloat in it, revel in it, wave it around like a kid with a weapon. I have heard people talk about God’s judgment as if they’d be happy to see it deployed (especially against those they don’t care for) without grasping what a terrifying prospect such an event actually represents. You sounded genuinely alarmed about it – not gleeful about anyone’s suffering, like the sorry lot that runs the GHF website.

You should preach more often.

By the way, did people come forward?

Like Cliff, I gotta agree it’s not an “us and them” story. We’ve all compromised, sometime.

Two comments, though:

Every single city that has ever existed has committed the sins mentioned in the Ezekiel passage. I have to believe that if the writers/compilers of Genesis had found that fact central, they would have mentioned it.

Sodom’s sins (that led to God’s immediate wrath) weren’t sins of omission, they were sins of commission, and very immediate, unprovoked, unjustified violence and domination. Not metaphoric violence, but the real, completely ugly deal.

By a curious coincidence, I happened to reread this passage today, before logging on, not knowing it was your sermon topic… which is why it’s so fresh in my mind, I suppose.

I have always been fascinated that God chose Lot and family to rescue. Why? Not because of Lot’s wonderful character, apparently….

It’s enough to make me a determinist. Not quite….

“Not an us and them story” - right on. Thanks for sharing the process.

Cliff

Thanks for sharing your heart so nakedly.