Righteous Judgement Part 3
We Need a Miracle
I bet you're not the only one to have prayed that. I know I have. I've uttered these words in the not-so-life-or-death moments of a football game, as well as when praying over those I love for healing.
Miracles defy logic, go beyond the bounds of human intervention, and shift our understanding of possibilities. They wake us up from hopelessness, carelessness, and monotonous lives to see truths we don't know how to comprehend. Miracles are the divine work of God, pushing beyond all logic in both acts of judgment and acts of grace. When we get on our knees to pray for a miracle, we're often asking for the miracle of divine grace that lifts the feeble out of distress.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah features one of these prayers for God's grace—even when it's obvious His judgment is needed.
God speaks to Abraham and tells him about the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of it, God's plan was to pour out divine judgment—a miracle that would stand throughout history as a warning of God's power and His hatred for sin.
Abraham started praying for a miracle of grace. The miracle of grace was given, but it came by way of escape: The few righteous people in this wicked city were given a way to escape. We'll look at this miracle next week. But today, we're focused on the miracle of God's divine judgment.
When we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:16–19:29 (here), we're seeing the culmination of their sin. Genesis shows us the people of Sodom fully given over to their lust—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the lust of their urges. We see people who view others as objects of their impulses, who treat outsiders as expendable, who belittle the foreigner among them, who commit all kinds of sexual immorality, and who care only for their own pleasures.
It's a vile depiction of mass evil: young and old from every corner of the city. It seems hard to wrap our heads around.
But how did they get here? What led them to this point? The prophet Ezekiel gives a glimpse into where it all began: "...this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy..." (See Ezekiel 16:48-50)
What started with pride, gluttony, laziness, and neglect of others grew and grew and grew. These often start small: a little rest, a little slumber, a little snack here and there—until we've gone full couch potato. It seems innocent enough, laughable at the beginning. They're a little overconfident, but it seems cool. They're just enjoying all the mix of flavors God has created. They're not late; they're fashionably late. They're not lazy; they're working in a way that preserves self-care. They want to help others, but—I mean—they need to take care of themselves too!
All of these start small. But over time, they reinforce an idea that God isn't present, active, or—more honestly—isn't wanted. In this state, people need a miracle to wake up, because their whole lives are built around themselves. They see themselves as their provider, supplier, and definer of what is good, right, and true.
It starts out understandable, but its end is tragic. Yet it all could have changed with a miracle—at least, according to Jesus: "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." Matthew 11:23
To me, this is one of the craziest scriptures in the Bible. God knows that if Sodom had seen a miracle, they would have repented of their selfish indulgence. It raises a lot of questions for me that I can't really explore in a blog. The biggest answer to those questions is for us to realize that God is a just judge: When He issues a judgment, it's not irrational. Rather, He knows the details and the end from the beginning. Trust Him enough to work things out.
Back to the Needed Miracle
Sodom needed a miracle; they got one, just not the one they expected. But it is the one we needed. The miracle poured out on Sodom wasn't one that woke up the inhabitants to repentance, but it is one that can wake us up to repentance.
When we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, when we read Jesus' own words about them, and when we read the start of their fall in Ezekiel, this miracle serves as a warning to lead us to repentance.
We might pray for a miracle—and God still works them today—but we've also received every miracle we need to truly repent and trust Him. God's judgment over Sodom came because they had rejected Him for their own devices until they forgot about Him. They didn't even recognize their miracle, performed by the angels, and instead kept pursuing their own lust (Genesis 19:10–11).
The Charge for You?
Repent before you're so blind to your own indulgence that it becomes too late. God has worked miracle after miracle; in fact, if He never did another, we'd have more than enough already to be condemned for not repenting. Don't wait another day. Let the miracle of God's wrath be the reminder of the miracle of His grace. Like Lot, escape from the place you've been living in comfort. Escape from a life of revelry and self-indulgence. Come out from there—live while there's still time. Trust in God's power; trust in His ability to provide. Because the same God who worked miracles then is still working miracles today.
I bet you're not the only one to have prayed that. I know I have. I've uttered these words in the not-so-life-or-death moments of a football game, as well as when praying over those I love for healing.
Miracles defy logic, go beyond the bounds of human intervention, and shift our understanding of possibilities. They wake us up from hopelessness, carelessness, and monotonous lives to see truths we don't know how to comprehend. Miracles are the divine work of God, pushing beyond all logic in both acts of judgment and acts of grace. When we get on our knees to pray for a miracle, we're often asking for the miracle of divine grace that lifts the feeble out of distress.
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah features one of these prayers for God's grace—even when it's obvious His judgment is needed.
God speaks to Abraham and tells him about the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of it, God's plan was to pour out divine judgment—a miracle that would stand throughout history as a warning of God's power and His hatred for sin.
Abraham started praying for a miracle of grace. The miracle of grace was given, but it came by way of escape: The few righteous people in this wicked city were given a way to escape. We'll look at this miracle next week. But today, we're focused on the miracle of God's divine judgment.
When we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:16–19:29 (here), we're seeing the culmination of their sin. Genesis shows us the people of Sodom fully given over to their lust—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the lust of their urges. We see people who view others as objects of their impulses, who treat outsiders as expendable, who belittle the foreigner among them, who commit all kinds of sexual immorality, and who care only for their own pleasures.
It's a vile depiction of mass evil: young and old from every corner of the city. It seems hard to wrap our heads around.
But how did they get here? What led them to this point? The prophet Ezekiel gives a glimpse into where it all began: "...this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy..." (See Ezekiel 16:48-50)
What started with pride, gluttony, laziness, and neglect of others grew and grew and grew. These often start small: a little rest, a little slumber, a little snack here and there—until we've gone full couch potato. It seems innocent enough, laughable at the beginning. They're a little overconfident, but it seems cool. They're just enjoying all the mix of flavors God has created. They're not late; they're fashionably late. They're not lazy; they're working in a way that preserves self-care. They want to help others, but—I mean—they need to take care of themselves too!
All of these start small. But over time, they reinforce an idea that God isn't present, active, or—more honestly—isn't wanted. In this state, people need a miracle to wake up, because their whole lives are built around themselves. They see themselves as their provider, supplier, and definer of what is good, right, and true.
It starts out understandable, but its end is tragic. Yet it all could have changed with a miracle—at least, according to Jesus: "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." Matthew 11:23
To me, this is one of the craziest scriptures in the Bible. God knows that if Sodom had seen a miracle, they would have repented of their selfish indulgence. It raises a lot of questions for me that I can't really explore in a blog. The biggest answer to those questions is for us to realize that God is a just judge: When He issues a judgment, it's not irrational. Rather, He knows the details and the end from the beginning. Trust Him enough to work things out.
Back to the Needed Miracle
Sodom needed a miracle; they got one, just not the one they expected. But it is the one we needed. The miracle poured out on Sodom wasn't one that woke up the inhabitants to repentance, but it is one that can wake us up to repentance.
When we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, when we read Jesus' own words about them, and when we read the start of their fall in Ezekiel, this miracle serves as a warning to lead us to repentance.
We might pray for a miracle—and God still works them today—but we've also received every miracle we need to truly repent and trust Him. God's judgment over Sodom came because they had rejected Him for their own devices until they forgot about Him. They didn't even recognize their miracle, performed by the angels, and instead kept pursuing their own lust (Genesis 19:10–11).
The Charge for You?
Repent before you're so blind to your own indulgence that it becomes too late. God has worked miracle after miracle; in fact, if He never did another, we'd have more than enough already to be condemned for not repenting. Don't wait another day. Let the miracle of God's wrath be the reminder of the miracle of His grace. Like Lot, escape from the place you've been living in comfort. Escape from a life of revelry and self-indulgence. Come out from there—live while there's still time. Trust in God's power; trust in His ability to provide. Because the same God who worked miracles then is still working miracles today.
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