June 23
Scripture Reading: Genesis 19:1-10; 13:13; 18:25; Proverbs 4:19; 11:15; 15:26; 21:10; Compare with Romans 1:21-32
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their extreme wickedness and perversion. It is truly unthinkable how vile and wretched humanity can become when wickedness is allowed to run its course unchecked, and the only way to curb wickedness is through the working of the Holy Spirit or through Divine judgment. In Noah’s day, judgment fell upon the world because of wickedness, and we will see Divine wrath poured out upon these wicked cities of the plain. It is a sad reality when the only cure for a society’s sin is Divine judgment.
Beloved, there is a warning here in the story of Lot for all who name Christ as Savior. According to the Apostle Peter, Lot was a “righteous soul.” He wrote, “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation (manner of life) of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds....” (2 Peter 2:7-8) Lot lost all in Sodom. He lost his family, home and fortune. Evidently, the lure of prosperity in Sodom caused Lot to become accustomed to the wickedness of the place, resulting in his willingness to live in harmony alongside that wickedness rather than fleeing from it. He obviously did not “keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) Beloved, we live in an extremely wicked world and a vile time. We must not allow ourselves to be “at ease in Zion,” (Amos 6:1) or to become desensitized to the wickedness around us. Believers must continue to be the “light of the world” our Lord intends for us to be, and the “salt” that retards the spread of iniquity around us. (See Matthew 5:13-16) Don’t get used to the dark!
Pastor Steve Smith