I'd like to spend a little more time on the wording used by the Lord in Genesis 18:20 which reads "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great…" as well as in Genesis 19:13 which reads "For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord."
Obviously, there was a "great cry" reaching the ears of the Lord. We have already explored that this was, at least in part, the complaints of Lot that reached God's ears, the intercessory prayer of Abraham as well, but there seems to me to be something more at work here, that we might want to explore just a bit more.
It was the words the "cry of them" that alerted me that there is something I was missing here. I now think that the "them" being referred to here, is actually the inhabitants of the city; and that it might signify that as men do evil to men, their crying, or cries of protest or fear or pain, or whatever that cry contains, reaches God's ear as well.
It might be like a parent hearing two young siblings in conflict with each other in the other room. The parent had nothing to do with the fight, but suddenly hears a fight ensuing and goes to investigate. These folks are God's creation; even though they have turned from Him, He has not yet turned from them and is going to investigate. Sadly, God sees that the only cure that will stop the cry is to destroy them completely, as He once did the entire earth for its wickedness.
One reader of this blog [GW] has suggested that this cry could come from "the innocent (children) prior to becoming corrupt and violated/abused by the adults in town, could it be travelers who inadvertently stop for food and shelter and are violated (much like the men of the town wished to do to the Angels they thought were mere men) or maybe even God's creation, crying out as it witnesses the despicable acts of Man?" These are all three excellent thoughts and exhibits the thing I like best about a "discussion" (even on a blog) between Christians about the Word of God. What does not occur to one, occurs to another, and all of us benefit from the discussion.
I agree that most definitely travelers through the town would have been affected and cried out to God. Men bent on their own pleasures seldom seek to satisfy the needs of travelers such as Lot did to the angels with his hospitality. Certainly, a cry must have come from them.
Then there is the fact that the earth itself could have been "groaning" under the weight of the gross sins that were taking place in Sodom and Gomorrah, and that cry could have reached the ears of God. There are many examples in the bible about the earth and all that it contains (such as rocks and mountains and trees and animal life) "crying out" to God in praise, certainly also in pain. We have already discussed earlier in Genesis the extremely close tie that exists between the earth and mankind, after all man is created from the very dust of the earth. The results of man's sin affects not only man but also the earth. The homosexuality of this mob at Lot's door gives clear evidence of how even the earth is affected by their behavior (we will get into that further in today's discussion.)
And I'm sure it was the innocent crying out prior to being corrupted and following as perhaps their parents did; the sin that visits following generations and shapes them into what their parents were before them. However, there is one point that needs to be considered regarding children here in Sodom and Gomorrah.
If most the men of the town were homosexual, and their desires did not turn towards women at all, then how could there have been a lot of childbirth in the town? Thus, how could there have been a lot of children? We have not heard how the women in the town were, we have not been given any details about the women. Were there women? Were the women homosexual as well? We just don't know. What we do know is that the entire town of Sodom was full of evil, and only one man who has been deemed "righteous" escapes with his family.
The mob at Lot's door were homosexuals. Even though Lot offers up his daughters in his efforts to protect the angels, the daughters are rejected. Obviously, they would be. These men had perverted the use that God had designed for their bodies, and changed it to unnatural uses.
I have always thought that if folks could just understand why it is that God hates the sin of homosexuality (so much so that He was willing to destroy a town (or five) on account of it) and how He has provided a way of escape from that lifestyle, they would not be so angry at God (and Christians) and would perhaps choose to be obedient to God rather than disobedient (and the Bible tells us it is a choice no matter what else is said by society and science.) The reason homosexuality is considered a sin by the Word of God (the Bible) is because it stops the creation of God through mankind. If every man and every woman were homosexual, let's say back in the days of Lot here, then at this time, none of us would exist. Mankind would have come to an end. We would ourselves become extinct creations of God.
God designed the bodies of man and woman, male and female, to fit perfectly together for HIS purposes of Creation. Sex was not designed just for the pleasure of it; there was a purpose God had in pro-creating the world through mankind and He gracefully allowed that act of pro-creation to be one that we could also derive pleasure from so that we would not abhor doing so. To give pleasure only was not the primary purpose of the sexual act which God ordained to be between husband and wife alone; and sex outside of marriage, known as sexual immorality, His Word declares to be sin.
God is THE Creator and has put in us to pro-create as well. Men (and women) who choose the lifestyle of homosexuals, subvert God's plan for Creation and become enemies of God (as we all are who blatantly sin and continue to sin without repentance, whether those sins are of ANY form of sexual immorality, any form of gluttony – and most sins that are addictions are rooted in the sin of gluttony which can be identified by folks who are self-centered, stubborn and rebellious towards God - any form of idol worship – such as the men of Sodom were in that their gods were their own desires, not Almighty God, and so forth.) There is not one person born, other than Jesus Christ, who has not sinned in some way or another against God. Thankfully, God knew that we were capable of sin, He designed us to have free will. But He also provided a Savior to deliver us from the rebellion that would want to turn us away from our Creator.
There are so many resources available that show that homosexuals who encountered Jesus Christ, suddenly overnight became: non-homosexuals. They made a decision NOT to to be homosexual any longer. They went on to marry and to have children and chose to work WITH God's plan of creation, rather than AGAINST it. No matter what extra DNA they might have been born with, they are living fruitful and happy lives because of their commitment to GOD through Jesus Christ.
As we said, earlier, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
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