“Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” – Genesis 18:20-21
Reading this story again last week it made me wonder where the outcry against these cities came from. It doesn’t seem to have come from Abraham because God has to inform him of the outcry. It doesn’t seem to have come from Lot or his family as he saw fit to be in the city gates (probably doing business with the people in the city – Gen 19:1. It is also possible that Lot could have been established as an elder of the city as that is where they tended to do the business of overseeing the people like we see in the book of Ruth.). Who else would it have come from? Could it have come from the victims of the ruthlessness, inhospitality and perverseness of those in the city? Or did it come to God in a more symbolic was as did the cry of Abel from the ground (Gen 4:10-12). We don’t know the answer to that question. The Bible doesn’t give us that information but I think it is an interesting question and has implications for us today.
It really makes me wonder about the times the righteous stand silent while the wicked are the ones crying out for justice! I am not sure that is what is happening here but it seems like Lot was spending his time doing business as usual rather than crying out for justice. He certainly knew how wicked the city had become. He wouldn’t let the visitors sleep in the city square because he knew what would happen to them when the people of the city found them.
What happens when the righteous stop crying out for justice? How out of place are we when people in the world recognize the need for change more than we do? Are there times we have found ourselves sitting in the city gate, doing business with the devil and profiting from it rather than raising the outcry to God for justice? I can’t help but think of slavery and civil rights being in that category…issues many churches and Christians condoned or kept silent about. What issues do you think we face today that the church or Christians sit silent over because we benefit from or are at least indifferent to the injustices around us? What are some issues today the church or individual Christians should be in constant prayer over asking God to come and make a difference.
We don’t know if Lot ever cried out for the city to change but I wonder if he had, if God would have had less difficulty finding 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, or even 10 righteous people in the city for God to have spared it (Gen 18:16-33).
9 Responses
Agree little involvemement by COC in civil rights movement. Much prejudice was alive and well among “Christians” in South, where COC is densest. Even today we still have “black” and “white” congregations, although I believe it has less to do with racial prejudice and hatred and more to do with worship preferences and sub-culture differences.
I think many believe Christians should refrain from political involvement, some may even reference Gal. 5:20 “factions”, others are politically unmotivated or don’t want to be bothered; they’re comfortable. It’s leaderships’ respoinsibility to instruct and motivate as to the gospel’s and Christian ethics relevance to cultural issues..
Paul put it this way:
16They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good Titus 1
14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2
to be ready to do whatever is good, Titus 3:1
8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3
14Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
Titus 3 One could argue from Eph 4:28 that these “daily necessities” are not just personal or familial.
Teddy Kennedy was famous for his liberal concern for those less fortunate, and rightly so. He was equally infamous among political conservatives for his belief such concern is the purview and responsibility of the federal gov’t. And rightly so. If only he had directed his energies to bear on getting believers to pour money and effort into Catholic or Christian charitable works, old and new, and elitist unbelievers to put their compassion into greater old and great new charities and foundations rather than telling them to elect officials who will confiscate taxes from the willing compassionate and unwilling citizenry and get one-size-fits-all, inefficient, bureaucratic, unconstitutional gov’t to do it. then he would be lionized by all and have done far more good with his life.
Wow! What a convicting post. You have been good on crying out for justice in protecting the lives of pre-born children (and I really appreciate it).
One other issue for which I would like to see more outcry among Christians would be in the area of human trafficking (or the sex slave trade), especially of young girls. One can see the problem if he does an Internet search of “sex slavery, human trafficking, and Craigslist” (or similar terms). Thousands of American (not to mention international) girls have been victims, but very few people have paid attention to the abuse, rape, and injustices committed against innocent girls.
It seems very hard for the Christian church to cry out for much justice because so many of its members seem to be more aligned to the secular left and right, believing those ideologies to the means to the desired end. It is hard to cry out against something we are part of.
I am not trying to self-promote here but see my most recent post for a quote from eary post-apostolic Christianity for a description on how one generation of Christian “cried out” through the way they identified themselves among a foreign land and employed good works. Here is the link: https://kingdomseeking.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/on-being-disciples-in-a-foreign-land/
Grace and peace,
Rex
I could not understated until I read your review thanks so much.
I found a lot more information about Sodom at a place called sacred texts.com. Specifically a book called Jasher Chapter 19 spoke of ‘the cry from Sodom’ and who’s it was. Worth a look… Very Interesting…
In a script written by Rabbi Mendy Kaminker … THE OUTCRY refer to Lots daughter’s outcry . https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2017931/jewish/Sodom-and-Gomorrah-Cities-Destroyed-by-G-d.htm
Hey Matt, I was reading Mike O’Neal’s book Angels View of God and it got me to wondering who had made the outcry and a Google search led me here. Interesting thoughts.
Great hearing from you! Glad you found this article and I hope it was helpful! Blessings.
Don’t forget that St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:7 calls Lot a preacher of righteousness. This would seem to indicate that it was indeed his cry.