Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 19, 20
Rape, Deceit, and God's Anger
I believe that today's passage could easily have numerous Bible Devotions
related to it. It is why I encourage folks to read the passage for themselves
and see what they get out of it, of course with a bit of understanding and
openness would be beneficial.
I believe that especially chapter 19 of Genesis is one of the most misused,
abused passages in all of scripture, especially when it comes to the misinterpretation
and way many have taken it regarding the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and their
destruction.
We see the continuation of the story after Abraham has been visited by the
Lord and two angels. He and the Lord are on a hill conversing as the two angels
go to the cities of Sodom and Gommorah to try
and see what is going on and then ultimately deliver Lot
and his families to safety as God decides to destroy the cities.
What we see is a group of men in the cities who try to take the angels captive,
to rape them. Many over the years have said this is specifically related to
homosexuality. Let me be emphatic, it is about rape, and much more not
homosexuality. In fact, in the book of Ezekiel Chapter 16 we see God give the
specific reason as to why the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. In
Ezekiel 16:49, we read from the NIV - "'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." You can look
at other translations, all say the same thing. It was not homosexuality, it was
a perversion of focusing on self more than others, and not caring for those in
need, especially the poor and needy. While there can be debate as to how to
care for the poor and needy, God's desire to care for the poor and needy, to
not be arrogant and prideful, are not up for debate. I will also say, if one
wants to address the area of homosexuality, there are other passages to discuss
and study, this is not one of them. I would however, even on this subject,
encourage a detailed study using the Hebrew and the Greek.
I challenge, it is easy to misinterpret and misuse scripture because it makes it easier for us to get away from examining ourselves. Do we care for the poor and needy? Do we engage in sins to bring self pleasure, even when done inappropriately and outside the will of God. Are we perverts in seeking sexual gratification, I'm not talking about with a loved one you are committed to, I'm talking to the point that the sex you are engaged in is for the wrong purposes and solely to bring self gratification without the love God intended. When doing a self examinations, this passage becomes rather difficult because I still maintain, while we have Christ as a redeemer in our lives that forgives sin, the nature of God does not change.
Of course the passage is about much more. Do we laugh at those trying to give us advice that would save us such as the potential husbands and families of Lot's daughters did? Do we make excuses to delay the things God would have for us? Think about it, the arguing and persuasion the angels had to do for Lot and his family? If we look at the world around us today, is it really that much different than what we see in these passages?
I could go on, in chapter 20 is a continuation of a story we read about
earlier in Genesis. It shows how God intervenes at times to save us and to
protect our relationships, such as between Abraham and Sarah. It also shows a
measure of deceit of where we have to be careful, even among family who would
try to do the wrong things to obtain the things they want. It is all about if
you will, in a way, selfishness, a concept where we ignore the aspect of loving
our neighbors, to care for our fellow human being.
All in all, we see that while God is a God who will go out of his way to show
love, mercy and forgiveness, we need to also remember that God is also a God who
exercises justice and vengeance. Just because we think God will never do harm,
or have His way, doesn't make it so. God is God and God will not be mocked, nor
will God be made light of. He has aspects that He holds true. Us not liking
them or putting God in a place where we don't agree with what we read does not
change God no matter how much we try. Of course in this I can also say,
misquoting scripture and making it say things it does not say, especially in
situations like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah does not make it so either. We
will know this if we study scripture. Today's passage is one that can take days
and days to reflect and chew on. Yet, it is also one that shows the lack of
study that we sometimes engage in. We can't just take the word of the one doing
the teaching, we have to be prepared to do the study ourselves. The Holy Spirit
is fully capable of giving us understanding.
To see Genesis Chapter 19 and 20 Click the following link:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+19%2C+20&version=CEV
Click here to follow The Virtual Pew on
Twitter
Mike Furches on Faceboook.
Click to subscribe to my blog
You can also check out Mike's Musical ventures by searching for Mike Furches
and Pastor Mike and the Demon Slayer Blues Band. Mary Jane's album will
be out in September of 2020 and the Pastor Mike and Demon Slayer Blues Band
album will be released in October of 2020
There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can
also contact me for a free audio book link of The Keystone Kid at
mike@furches.org You can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/.
Hopefully, you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.
You can donate via paypal at mike@furches.org or cash app at $MichaelFurches
Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The
short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means,
spread the word. Here is our contact information
The Virtual Pew
1249 N. St. Francis
Wichita Kansas,
67214
Email: mike@furches.org
Click on the following links to learn more about The Virtual Pew
To follow Mike's Band, Pastor Mike and the Demon Slayer Blues Band, click
the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/TheDemonSlayers
The Movie Guys
Donations to The Virtual Pew
The Virtual Pew Blog
Reviews With Mike
The Virtual Pew Sermons
The Virtual Pew News
No comments:
Post a Comment