Sodom and Gomorrah – Praying Pint

Behold it was corrupt

“And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”

Psalms 12:1
Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Psalms 6:4
Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psalms 54:1
O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.

Proverbs 20:6
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

Genesis 6:12
And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Isaiah 1:9
If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

Matthew 24:12
And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Isaiah 59:4
No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Job 22
They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’

At times we feel alone and like the only one who is in need of God, who trusts Him, who calls out to Him. We don’t hear many speak of the fact that they call out to God in their distress/trouble/issues. What we do hear is how they have reached out to everyone or anything but God in search of help. What would our lives look like if we continually reached out to God first and then patiently waited for Him. Would we speak of how we cried out to Him? Would others be encouraged to seek God? Would we find our path and issue more of a blessing than a curse? I am thankful for how David calls out to God and that God’s word tells us what others think and do apart from Him. They do not think God exists, or if He does He does not have any control, power, or strength over the situation. We can be the one that proclaims His love, mercy and grace to a lost world, but first we must believe it, grow in it, and obey it.

Dry Ground

Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan

Joshua 3:14
So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Jeremiah 49:17
As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, no man shall dwell there, no man shall sojourn in her. Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me.

2 Kings 2:6
Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

I wonder if we truly believe this or consider it fiction. The Jordan river in a time of over flowing it’s banks stops flowing and the people cross over on dry ground. If we were to read this outside of knowledge of God we easily would say impossible and discount anyone who is trying to say it happened. Yet this is recorded not once but multiple times where God has done this. God, the creator of heaven and earth and all that is in it, is able to do so much more than this. There is nothing impossible for Him. So why is it we limit our thinking and belief on what He can do. Scripture is clear that He can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. He can touch the heart of those we think impossible to reach. He can create a new person out of the most vilest sinner. He sends His holy spirit to indwell in those who seek Him and choose to serve and glorify Him. This is much more of a mystery to me than stopping the Jordan river or Red Sea. Take time to think about God and His awesome power and endless love for those who desire Him.

Shake the Dust

“Your blood be on your own heads!”

Nehemiah 5:13
I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Matthew 10:14
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Acts 18:6
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.

Ezekiel 33:6
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

We are given multiple examples of warning – shaking out the dust from your garment showing you wash your hands of it. You have done all you can and now it is left upon that person or group. I wonder if we do not take living in a time of God’s grace and mercy serious. Do we so caught up in busyness of life that we lose sight of what is expected of us in our daily walk with Him. Do we set our expectations well below what it means to be living for and following Him? Stop and ask yourself what would you expect to see from a life that was committed to living for and following Him. Would you see more humbleness, joy, giving, serving, hope, love, praise, study, worship, peace…….. It does not take long to come up with a list of what we would expect in a very short time. Choosing to serve and follow Him requires a desire to know Him and seeking what His purpose is for your day and life. Come to Him with a desire to serve and be used by Him.