In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel God is in the middle of scolding Jerusalem for their many sins and God tells them that they are, in fact, more wicked than Sodom. Leaving no room for self-righteousness, God clarifies why he destroyed the city of Sodom:
“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” (Ezekiel 16:49).
Further on in the passage God even says that Jerusalem’s sins make Sodom look righteous.
Ouch.
So, this brings us back to Sodom—the bastion for anti-homosexual shell-bombing—it seems the destruction of this ancient city was about something more than just homosexuality, it was about greed, about pride and the failure to see humanity with grace and mercy.
In short, sodomy could also be defined as the failure to acknowledge God and to help our fellow human beings in need. Which begs the question, is pride the real sodomy?
For clarity, I do believe the act of homosexuality is a sin. That’s clear in Scripture, to me. I also believe it was a big part of Sodom’s destruction. However, I don’t believe we can use it as a scapegoat for America’s downfall unless we include our own materialism, pride and greed along with it.
So, maybe understanding Sodom and Gomorrah has less to do with finger-pointing and judgment and more to do with opening our eyes to our own penchant for materialism and greed, and our personal need for the grace of Christ.
Because whether we live in Jerusalem, Sodom or America, we’re all guilty and deserve God’s wrath—until we accept the glorious gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
And in the end, the answer isn’t found in judging others or angrily pointing out the world’s sin, but in deeply repenting ourselves.
