Genesis 19: God's patience runs out
Do you have anyone else here- sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place.
This chapter shows what Abraham confronts in his efforts to found a new and godly nation. His own nephew Lot lives in the city of Sodom, a sordid place that looks on visiting strangers as prime targets for gang rape. Despite Sodom's woeful condition, God agrees to spare the city if Abraham can locate a mere ten righteous people there. When Abraham cannot find ten, God's patience finally runs out. Once more He steps in with direct punishment- not to destroy the whole world, but to wipe out two centers of evil.
Lot started out close to Abraham, but ultimately chose a very different pathway. Unlike Abraham who remained a nomad and followed God all his days, Lot preferred the cushy surroundings of the city- despite Sodom's reputation as a center of immorality. Even when God sent angels warning him to escape the coming judgment- the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah- Lot had a hard time tearing himself away. In the end, he lost everything- including his wife who turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the city- and ended up in a cave only to engage in drunken incest with his two daughters.
Life Question: What practices common to our society do you think God considers intolerable?
Without hesitation, I have to believe that God despises any act that harms children. Kids are so innocent to the evils of the world, and for any adult to rip away a child's innocence through physical or sexual abuse can only be looked upon as the most heinous of all acts. It's these types of crimes that make it awfully difficult to offer the transgressors any sort of Christian charity and compassion.
Do you have anyone else here- sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place.
This chapter shows what Abraham confronts in his efforts to found a new and godly nation. His own nephew Lot lives in the city of Sodom, a sordid place that looks on visiting strangers as prime targets for gang rape. Despite Sodom's woeful condition, God agrees to spare the city if Abraham can locate a mere ten righteous people there. When Abraham cannot find ten, God's patience finally runs out. Once more He steps in with direct punishment- not to destroy the whole world, but to wipe out two centers of evil.
Lot started out close to Abraham, but ultimately chose a very different pathway. Unlike Abraham who remained a nomad and followed God all his days, Lot preferred the cushy surroundings of the city- despite Sodom's reputation as a center of immorality. Even when God sent angels warning him to escape the coming judgment- the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah- Lot had a hard time tearing himself away. In the end, he lost everything- including his wife who turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the city- and ended up in a cave only to engage in drunken incest with his two daughters.
Life Question: What practices common to our society do you think God considers intolerable?
Without hesitation, I have to believe that God despises any act that harms children. Kids are so innocent to the evils of the world, and for any adult to rip away a child's innocence through physical or sexual abuse can only be looked upon as the most heinous of all acts. It's these types of crimes that make it awfully difficult to offer the transgressors any sort of Christian charity and compassion.
2 comments:
sometimes i think the most intolerable thing (act) to God is the leading astray of followers...innocent...even if it is discreet, i.e. laziness, movies, negative attitude, if it causes anyone to question their following of God, i think that would be intolerable....now don't get me wrong, to question WHY God has done something is not a sign of little faith, rather a sign of great faith...we know He CAN change something...sometimes He just doesn't change it....that kind of questioning is normal and I think, healthy....but making someone question if there is a God at all....that is intolerable...another thing that i think would be intolerable to God...the breaking of someone's spirit...beating one down so much that they no longer see any selfworth! what a heinous act that is
There are many individual issues that could be listed as intolerable to God. They would be various practices that war against God's Rule in His universe and would usually involve wrong actions and attitudes toward the citizens of God's world. But I believe all of these issues are a result of individuals who refuse to make themselves accountable to the Creator who made them in His likeness. There is no greater intolerable practice than ignoring God and His ability to rule, as this is the starting point of all that goes wrong in society.
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