Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Appearance of the Pre-Incarnate Christ, 8 May 2015, Anno Domini

… And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.…

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.  (Gen 18:16-22)

            The high Desert of Judaea is hauntingly quiet and dry. The winds evaporate every drop of water that may have arisen with the morning dews and damps. Because of this low humidity, the winds are very cooling and cause the high temperatures to be moderated by the winds that cool a man’s body. There is even a serene beauty in the barren hills and greener valleys of the land. At night, the purple, pristine canopy of heaven is punctuated by thousands of brilliant stars that can barely been seen from the countries of Europe. The quiet solitude of the of the high desert lands of the Middle East belie the cruel and savage wars being waged in the more populated areas. But this is true of the world itself. The wickedness of the world today offers no peace, no solitude, and no communion with the heavens above. If a man wants to get close to God and His Creation, he must come apart from the discordant public converse and flee to a place of solitude. Abraham was greatly blessed to have been led by God to such a cherished place of silent peace as opposed to that choice made by Lot to pitch his tent toward that wickedly disposed city called Sodom.

            Abraham may not have known how blessed he truly was to find himself ensconced in such a haven of rest and tranquility as the deserts and plains of Canaan. He may have considered the plight of his nephew, Lot, from time to time; but his soul, untainted by the wickedness of Sodom, could never have imagined the magnitude of evil that persisted in the city where Lot had chosen to live. He may have mused about Lot and his other kindred who had moved with Lot to Sodom. He knew that his being near Sodom, by pitching his tent in that direction, would most likely lead to commercial concerns driving him all the way to living there.

            As he contemplated these things, or some others unknown to us, he sat looking out across the blurry noon-day landscape from the vantage point of his tent door. The day had been as every other up until this present moment. There is constant flux and change taking place in the cities, but not on the high desert. Each day is pretty much as the preceding day. Such a surrounding lends a settled contentment to the heart of man without the stress of worry and doubt about the safety of one’s household or possessions. The haze at noonday is caused by the heat waves rising from the desert floor much like the mirage of water standing on a roadbed as one traverses the deserts of Arizona, Southern California, and Nevada.

            As Abraham’s eye wandered aimlessly over the scene before him, they were suddenly attracted to three dots that seemed to fade in and out on the desert winds. Each time they reappeared, they grew stronger yet and more steady. 1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground. (Gen 18:1-2) These were three angels, but one was no ordinary angel – it was the Angel of the Lord (a common term to represent the pre-Incarnate Christ). If these three had been simply angels, they would not have allowed Abraham to bend the knee to them – only God is worthy to receive our worship! Later verses of this same chapter definitely reveal one of the Angels to be the Lord Himself. I bring to the bar the witness of John the Revelator: 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. (Rev 22:8-9)

            In debriefing military students in flight school after each flight period, it is good policy to begin by pointing out the good points of their performance prior to those that are not so good. Such a policy serves two purposes: 1) the student is given a hopeful disposition to believe that he can do well even if not in all ways; and 2) it evokes his close attention to the remainder of the debriefing. God uses the same approach now with Abraham! He first lays out the good news of His specific promise that Sarah shall conceive and bear a child near the advanced age of 100 years. Though this seems ridiculous and even humorous to Sarah, God insists that He will give conception to Sarah - after a mild rebuke for laughing at the promises of God. Sarah futilely denied laughing, but Christ knows our hearts without limits of distance or time much as He knew the character of the Woman at Jacob’s Well. According to the laws of nature, men and women of advanced age cannot truly bear children, but this was not an issue limited by nature, but made possible by Nature’s God. Isaac would be the child’s name. It means LAUGHTER since Sarah laughed at the prospect.

            So why was Isaac the child of promise and not Ishmael? It is because Ishmael came through the exertions of carnal man and of the a woman not the legitimate wife of Abraham. Isaac came through the miraculous working of the Holy Ghost – much like that of the conception of our LORD.  Isaac will be a type of Christ, but much inferior in the human sense. He is the child of promise.

            Now the Angels are a bit troubled and arise to go to Sodom. 16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. (Gen 18:16-19) We have a glimpse in this passage of the perfection of mind with which the Lord thinks. The LORD already knows His judgment against Sodom. He will try the patience of Abraham in revealing His purpose in going to that wicked and abominable city of sodomites and sinners. He reveals to us as much of His mind as he knows will be of benefit to us. He both encourages, and warns, us of His intentions. Please note, also, in the above verses that the blessings of the Lord are contingent upon our fidelity to Him.

            20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. (Gen 18:20-22) I pray that no reader will go away with the thought that the LORD did not already know the extent of wickedness in Sodom, for He did! This is a manner of gentle speech He employs with Abraham to hint of the possibility of mercy to those Abraham loves. Notice that, like a good man of persistent prayer, Abraham had the audacity to stand before the LORD to plead his case. Never give up in prayer regardless the hopelessness of the circumstance for all things are possible to God.

            I feel it necessary and helpful to display the entire discourse between the LORD and Abraham:  23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.  (Gen 18:23-33)

            Do you see anything amiss in Abraham’s prayerful petition? He is right that it is not the LORD’S intent to destroy the righteous with the wicked, however, Abraham is asking the Lord not only to spare the few righteous, but the city as well. God already knows there are not fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, or even ten righteous left in Sodom; but God will spare righteous Lot and his two daughters only and destroy that sewer of evil called Sodom.

            As we continue our study, we will find other appearances of the Pre-Incarnate Christ. The faith of Abraham had been built on this, and the consummation of His promised coming. We enjoy the fulfilled fact in joyful retrospect!

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Fruit of Polygamy, 7 May 2015, Anno Domini

… and they shall be one flesh …

2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. (Gen 15:2-5)

1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. (Gen 16:1-3)

            It was never in the Mind of God that any man, or any woman, should have more than one spouse; however, God is patient and long-suffering in teaching man His perfect way.  As a matter of pragmatic rule, Moses allowed a man to divorce his wife for almost no reason; but divorce, like polygamy, was never acceptable to God.  Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. (Matt 19:4-9)

            One other evidence of the veracity of Holy Scripture is God hides nothing nor does He protect the name of any man – even the called out, and elect, of God. God shows the dirty laundry of His people for a cause – He desires that we see, as if looking in a mirror, our own image and shortcomings in the lives of men and women of the Bible. In seeing their gross sins, and weaknesses, we are able to know that the forgiveness of God is as broad as the ocean and as deep as the Sea. David committed adultery which led to murder; yet, he found renewed favor in the eyes of the Lord when he repented in sackcloth and ashes. This means that you and I, regardless the severity of our sins, can find lasting forgiveness in the eyes of the Lord. We are redeemed, justified and regenerated by the sacrifice made on our behalf by the Lord Jesus Christ if we respond to His Ancient, foreordained Call (and His Love).

            I take some umbrage at this sordid little event in Abram’s and Sarai’s life. They acted independent of the will of God. You might say that they acted on their own FREE WILL which is never free but, if it is our will and not God’s, we share that will with the devil. God created ONE man and ONE woman for the union of marriage – PERIOD! God has promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations. Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.  (Gen 13:14-16)

Abram is growing old – very old – along with Sarai. It does not seem possible the two can have offspring if they delay any longer. Sarai seems beyond child-bearing age, and Abram’s biological clock is ticking away. Yet, God PROMISED Abram he would bear offspring (seed). To Sarai, it seemed unlikely that God could accomplish His purposes without her assistance, so she conceives of a sinful manner of satisfying the promise of God. This is never a good idea, and it always leads to tragic results that may endure for millennia.  

            Sarai has an innocent servant girl named Hagar whom she was probably given by Pharaoh in Egypt where Abram went contrary to the counsel of God to stay-put in Canaan where He had led him. Hagar had no say in what would happen to her. Sarai decides to allow Abram to have the offspring God has promised through Hagar as a surrogate wife. Just as Eve tempted Adam, Sarai tempts her husband, Abram. Of course, Sarai loved Abram and desired to see him happy with a child. But love can be misguided as it certainly was in this case.

            And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.  (Gen 16:2-3) This may have been an invitation for which some men may dream. But it was WRONG on two counts:

1.     When God makes us a promise, He will be able to fulfill that promise according to the His Moral Law – He does not need our feeble hands to complete His promise.

2.     Though shalt not commit adultery. I have read some commentary that defends Sarai and Abram saying that such an arrangement was acceptable in Abram’s time. Do we really believe that? Has the Mind of God drifted from one extreme to another? I think not. It may have been a social norm, but it was not a Godly one. Adultery, under any circumstance, is wrong!

            Please note that Abram raised not a single word of objection to Sarai’s proposal. Unlike many times when husbands gripe and complain at the wife’s suggestion, Abram immediately went in to the young woman, Hagar. Sinful desire may override a Godly disposition unless we are on our constant guard against it.

            Hagar did, indeed, conceive and bear a child. When she realized that she had conceived, she was harshly treated by Sarai, so much so that she fled into the wilderness where the Angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water.  10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.  (Gen 16:10-14) Hagar called the place where she was comforted by the Angel of the Lord, Beerlahoiroi (Fountain of Living Waters).

            God told Hagar the name of the boy, which was in her womb, would be called Ishmael (God will hear)! Though Sarai had sinned in marring the virginity of an innocent girl, God dealt kindly with Hagar. God gives some very important prophecy to Hagar in the wilderness at Beerlahoiroi – prophecies that have tremendous bearing on our own world today. As you will remember, Ishmael is the father of all of the Arab nations (Muslim). And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Please observe the historical, as well as modern, political upheaval that exists today in the Middle Eastern countries. If they are not at war with non-Arab countries and peoples, they will be at war with each other. It has been the case since Abraham’s day, and continues now.  Ishmael and his progeny are “wild men.” They do not observe the norms of any civilized society. The answer for every refusal to follow Islam is beheading – nothing in between!  See this: his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him.  The whole world is embattled by Islam. No nation is exempt from their terrorizing approach to spreading the so-called “religion of peace.”

            A summary glance at the world globe will reveal that the Arab nations have not disseminated among the other nations of the world, but remained together and isolated from the remainder of the world’s societies. Even when they immigrate to other lands, they collect in the slums and decadent neighborhoods of their new homeland and persist in trying to recreate their miseries, brought from their own lands, in that place. This is yet another aspect of prophecy being fulfilled by the descendents of Ishmael:  and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. This is profoundly true today. The Muslim Arab refuses to assimilate in whatever land he is privileged to wander into. I say ‘privileged’ because any place on earth is better than the Hell they have created in their fatherlands.

            So even today, the world is paying a price for the ‘mistake’ of Sarai and Abram in trying to get ahead of the Lord and make good on His promises. The growing menace of Islam may be the Lord’s approach in bringing a speedy conclusion to this sinful world and its nominal Christian professors. Time will tell, for it ALWAYS does. Lesson learned – I hope!

National Day of Prayer - 7 May 2015, Anno Domini

7 May 2015, Anno Domini

National Day of Prayer

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. (Jer 6:16-17)

It causes me deep personal grief to write, year after year, words of warning to the members of our Church on the declining State of our American Republic. Duty and conscience, however, compels us to make national, as well as personal, assessments of our character and act to amend it in ways that are pleasing to God.

From the inception of our infant nation in 1776, the Lord our God has favored our industry, our religious life, and our arms, too, in battle. Wherever the Star Spangled Banner has waved in ages past, it has only evoked sentiments of respect and admiration for a people whose nation is founded upon Godly principles and Providential Guidance. Yes, it was the Hand of God that set our feet upon the solid ground of Duty (to God and our fellows), Honor (in our national and personal character), and, finally Country (not right or wrong, but always when in the right). Just as God’s Holy Spirit moved upon the face of the deep at the beginning of Creation, so did that same Spirit move upon the face of the deep faith and patriotism of the American people at our national creation. 

How sadly have we turned from the God of our fathers and gone whoring after the cheap figurines and idols of the world.  We are rapidly becoming a purveyor of every imaginable evil, and have forsaken the Holy Institution of Marriage for a perversion and an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. We have allowed our babies to (symbolically) pass thru through the fire to Molech. (Lev 18:21) It is no coincidence that this counsel is followed by yet another condemnation of our perverse ‘new moral.’  Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.  (Lev 18:22) To learn the fate of any nation that commits, or even allows the commission of these gross sins by stranger in the land, simply read the remainder of Leviticus 18, and the last half of Romans, chapter 1. 

I remember a different America than what we see today. Anyone of my age, only 72 years, will know the same America I remember. It was a nation devoted to biblical morality and which sought virtue ahead of wealth. It was an America in which the Lord’s Prayer was recited at the beginning of each school day along with the reading of a Psalm and the singing of the first verse of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” This hymn-tribute to America, by the way, was also sung in every Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States until the late fifties. 

Our Ship of State has sailed into strange and threatening waters. We have placed those of low morals and lower character in high possessions to navigate our ship. We find ourselves faced with contrary winds and a hostile sea. It is high time America resets her sails; though difficult to tack in unfriendly winds, we must do so now or perish as a nation “Of the people, for the people, by the people.” We cannot control the winds – they are sent by God; but we can adjust the sails. Perchance God will send us following winds that will carry us into calm seas and harbors. But there can be no return to America’s ancient greatness without returning to the Heavenly Benefactor who made us great in the first place, the Creator to whom our Declaration of Independence refers. 

Let us all devote this month, this year, and, if necessary, this decade to earnest and devout prayer for our beautiful homeland. Let us pray God will restore the hearts of our people to a humble and penitent dependence upon Him and His Holy Word.  Let us pray God will once again raise up from amongst us leaders who place the values of faith and righteousness ahead of the next election. I f we do not turn to God now, we surely deserve our present “leadership” and may anticipate the coming dissolution of the American Republic.

For Our Country.

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (1928 Book of Common Prayer)

In Christ,

JERRY L. OGLES

Presiding Bishop of the Worldwide Anglican Orthodox Communion

Bishop of the United States

St. Andrew’s Parish  

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Bad Choice of Lot - 6 May 2015, Anno Domini

… Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left…

8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. (Gen 13:8-13)

            You will remember that God told Abraham to depart from Ur of the Chaldees and from his kindred. Abram did not fully heed God’s advice and pays a consequent price for it. Abram was rich in cattle and other resources. So was Lot! The land could not accommodate both men’s possessions, so strife arose between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. Churches that grow too encumbered with wealth and too much vacant of love may find it necessary to split – not by the essentials of faith, but by the dark spirit of greed. This separation will not be the first affair involving Lot to aggrieve Abram. Abraham will later find it necessary to go to war in order to save Lot and his family from servitude. He will also find himself later pleading with God to save Lot from God’s Destroying Angels at Sodom.

            Rather than remaining together in the service of God, Abram and Lot decide to part ways over property considerations and not remain together over considerations of fellowship and mutual worship to God – story of the modern conglomerates that pass in our day for ‘mainline’ churches. The choice Lot makes is one of compelling interest and importance.

            Abram makes a generous offer to Lot: Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.  He will allow Lot to decide which part of Canaan he desires. Lot is far more greedy than Abram. His eyes (and heart) are attracted to the well-watered, green plains over toward Sodom. The potential wealth of that land is more important to Lot than the abject sinfulness and ungodliness of Sodom. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

            So Lot makes a very costly mistake: Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. When men and nations make choices based more upon financial expediency in complete disregard of righteousness and justice, trouble stands at the door – in fact, devastating doom!

            I love the first Psalm of David for it sets the pattern for all other of the Psalms; but it also sets the pattern for righteous living as opposed to the wicked way of mankind. This Psalm speaks directly to the attitude exercised by Lot in making his choice to pitch his tent TOWARD Sodom! This is precisely what America and the European powers are doing today! Our corrupt politicians see some political fortune in siding with the ungodly for advantage. Let us look, again, at Psalm 1. There are only six verses – three positing the way of the righteous man; and three the ways of the sinful.

The Righteous Man:

            1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  (Psalms 1:1-3) What points does the Psalm make?

1.     Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly;

2.     nor standeth in the way of sinners;

3.     nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

How do these verses apply to Lot? Did Lot not choose the land over against (in the direction of) Sodom? Did he not undertake to do commerce with them inside their gates for he moved eventually INTO the city? Lastly, did Lot not sit as a political judge within the gates of Sodom by the coming of the Holy Angels? And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.  (Gen 19:1)

Lot was not like a tree planted by the rivers of water; but more like a briar planted by the sewer canal of sewage and waste. Perhaps because of his dim faith in the God of Abraham, God considered Lot to be a righteous man in the midst of wickedness. God would utterly destroy Sodom for her sins – the major sin of which was sodomy (homosexuality); but God would spare righteous Lot. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalms 1:6)

We in America can take some counsel from the story of Lot. Surely, it has ever been the case that the righteous ones of a nation are forever in the minority; but when the righteous become so few as Lot and his family, God will send judgment. He will spare, perchance, the righteous, but their nation will be destroyed or given over to the enemy avenger, and the accumulated wealth of the righteous will be lost with the nation.

Lot’s choice, in the eyes of the realtor or investment broker, was wise and sound; but it neglected to rely upon the will of God and His righteousness. God does not want parents to place their children in the paths of temptation and wicked associations. Even when we avoid temptation with great effort, we still may be confronted with it. But when we deliberately place our souls in the way of wickedness and temptation, we are tempting the devil to take our souls along with our children.

There is a pseudopygraphal book entitled, ENOCH, which is not canonical, but relates historical facts regarding the age – much as does Josephus or Eusebius. It gives an account of Sodom of unimaginable sexual perversion and wickedness. It reads a bit like the streets of modern America. By turning to the most filthy and unimaginable perversions, America is placing herself in a greater jeopardy than was Lot.  21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:21-27) I need make no exposition of these verses – they speak very clearly for themselves.

We may say, but we are like Lot – we do not participate in such wickedness. We simply have a “live-and-let-live” approach to these perverted sinners. Really? Read Levicus 18: 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.  (Lev 18:24-30)

America has been a pleasant land under the beneficence of the Hand of God; however, God will not forever look away from the multiplying sins of our nation. When He considers that our iniquity is full, He will bring a stinging judgment.

So America, like Lot, has a choice to make: Either the fertile, sin-stained plains over against Sodom; or the City on a Hill which beckons from afar every faithful pilgrim! Remember God’s warning to us of Sodom:  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)