Ezekiel 16:48-58
48 As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous. 53 “I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.
This passage is sometimes used to say that Sodom's sin was not homosexuality but instead pride and not taking care of the poor (verse 49). But I don't see an either/or dichotomy here. There is still a reference to a specific act, "did an abomination before me" (verse 50), and a reference to their "lewdness" (verse 58). It seems likely that Sodom was guilty of many sins, sexual, relational, and financial. The attempted gang-rape of visitors by the people of Sodom that is described in Genesis was a self-centered sin, and selfishness can be expressed in many ways. Our sins are rarely isolated glitches, but are rather symptoms of deeper issues. If we only focus on suppressing our sexual sins, we will just replace them with other sins. Instead we need to heal our hearts.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for my many sins. I want to be pure in all areas of my life, not just the sexual.
48 As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous. 53 “I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, 54 that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them. 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria and all those around her, and for the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you. 58 You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.
This passage is sometimes used to say that Sodom's sin was not homosexuality but instead pride and not taking care of the poor (verse 49). But I don't see an either/or dichotomy here. There is still a reference to a specific act, "did an abomination before me" (verse 50), and a reference to their "lewdness" (verse 58). It seems likely that Sodom was guilty of many sins, sexual, relational, and financial. The attempted gang-rape of visitors by the people of Sodom that is described in Genesis was a self-centered sin, and selfishness can be expressed in many ways. Our sins are rarely isolated glitches, but are rather symptoms of deeper issues. If we only focus on suppressing our sexual sins, we will just replace them with other sins. Instead we need to heal our hearts.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for my many sins. I want to be pure in all areas of my life, not just the sexual.