An old posting, but still highly relevant considering the hirelings infesting so many flocks.
Serving American Beer. The sin of inhospitality. One can tell, because it fits perfectly with Lot’s reaction. (sarc.)
The Hebrew word “toebah,” here translated “abomination,” does not usually signify something intrinsically evil, like rape or theft…, but something which is ritually unclean for Jews, like eating pork or engaging in intercourse during menstruation, both of which are prohibited in these same chapters (of Leviticus). …So why would God have prescribed death for those who commit this particular toebah or “abomination”, as Leviticus 20:13 makes plain, and Ezekiel 16:50 also makes plain?
I know Greg Koukl, and he is a very thorough thinker.
More than that, he is a fantastic public speaker—amiable, interesting, and thought-provoking.
Do yourself a favor and take a look at these:
His “Columbo” talk,
https://vimeo.com/13775550
and his take on “intolerance”,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG_R9e60Wp4&t=726s
I don’t buy it ,,, inhospitality is not loving up to gays and perverts I guess .
The Bible referred to their practice as blasphemy .
I think a lot of people are shocked that the Bible was written 300 to 700 years after the events. I could not believe it during a Bible study class, the Minister said that the Gospels were written hundreds of years after they were on Earth. I was like WTH? And I wonder how it is possible to get facts correct especially when most people when they play “whisper down the alley” get the entire story incorrect.
If being blown to kingdom come is the punishment for being inhospitable, most of the northeast and coastal west would have been cinders long before now. But, then again, homosexuality tends to be more prevalent in those same places.
My opinion, Sodom and Gommorrah were destroyed because the populace was utterly reprobate in every regard, sexually and socially. They had no redeeming qualities. My opinion again, the sexual perversion comes with the other bad behaviors, so trying to separate them is pointless.
In order to illustrate why I think an attempt at making a distinction is incorrect, look to the Bible regarding Nineveh as well. They were spared. Why?
The destruction was by volcano. Our current earth will be destroyed by fire. Was this a preview perhaps?
The mistake in the Sodom discussion is in focusing on one particular sin being THAT sin which defiles and condemns. As though everything was just fine until they did THIS one sin, and that led to judgment.
In fact, sin comes in 1000 forms, both in the soul and in behaviors. Like bacteria, all people carry sin around in our hearts, since we are the children of Adam. As societal constraints are lowered over time, people look more like sinners and it gets more obvious. When all of the internal barriers to sin are eroded, sin becomes systemic, and ultimately leads to the last-straw sins, sexual perversion and human sacrifice.
It is then that God drops the hammer.
Eze 16:50
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
I’ve gotten into arguments with people who used these exact syllogisms.
"Unnatural sexual relations," such as those imputed to the inhabitants of Biblical Sodom, especially between persons of the same sex but also with beasts, from Old French sodomie, from Late Latin peccatum Sodomiticum "anal sex," literally "the sin of Sodom," from Latin Sodoma. In Middle English also synne Sodomyke (early 14c.).
Keep trying, bub. No cigar yet.
In these days of evil, it’s normal to erase warnings and lie about sin and it’s consequences.
Those doing the re-writing will share Satan’s fate in the Lake of Fire. Not much of a future to look forward to.
The Lord had destruction in mind for Sodom and Gomorrah before the angels personally visited.
Homosexuality was certainly rampant there, but, as one commentator mentions, homosexuality was rampant throughout that world and there was no violent overthrow from the Lord. “Going after strange flesh” evidently signifies something much worse than just homosexuality. It is a concept connected with like behavior by angels that caused their overthrow.
Homosexuality was only one example of the wickedness of the cities. God set His actions on the cities because the outcry of their wickedness was great-it wasn’t because of raping angels or others which happened AFTER God had decided to destroy the cities. Had God found ten righteous people he would not have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Homosexuality was only a symptom of a larger problem of wickedness and evil, something we should give pause to.
Golly; I wonder what had been going on BEFORE someone was so 'inhospitable'???
Well; it looks like GOD told Ezekiel EXACTLY what was Sodom's "problem" and 'inhospitality' ain't listed!!
Ezekiel 16:49-50
49. "`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.
50. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.