I read a verse today that made me think of an old AC/DC song. Jesus warns, “The highway to hell is broad & its gate is wide for many choose that way.”
The dumb song continued to play like a movie score in my head as I read about the coming destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.
The families & flocks of Abram & his nephew Lot grew too big to reside together so Abram let Lot choose the land he’d like. When Lot took a long look at the fertile plains & saw a well watered land like the garden of the Lord, he made his choice. He moved his tents to settle near Sodom.
The land may have LOOKED like the garden of the Lord, but it was a visual counterfeit, for it was filled with extremely wicked people.
Fast forward & now you find 2 angels inside Sodom warning Lot to leave before fire & brimstone rain down to destroy the wicked city.
When the men of Sodom heard of the arrival of these new “men”, they storm Lot’s door, demanding him to bring out the men so they can have sex with them!😳
The angels blind the men & exhort Lot to hurry, but even amidst such flagrant sin right at his very doorstep, “Lot still hesitated”🙄
The angels literally seized his family by the hands & rushed them outside the city. When exhorted to head for the mountains, however, Lot begs to go to a NEARBY city for safety.
Y’all, I think the highway to hell is filled with cities like Sodom that offer bright & beautiful things that are a shiny counterfeit of the real thing.
There is great danger in settling near Sodom. We may not agree with what’s happening around us, but if we camp there long enough, sin will come knocking on our door.
Settling near Sodom can look different for everyone…but the idea is settling for less than what God intended.
Is there an area I’ve chosen to settle?
Relationships, movies, music, food, finances, taxes…the highway to hell will ALWAYS seem more appealing.
The gateway to life is narrow & the road is difficult, that’s why we need a Shepherd who knows The Way.
Father, reveal any area where we’ve settled near Sodom. Seize us by the hand & escort us to the mountain of Your Presence. Help us to trust You completely so unlike Lot’s wife, we don’t look longingly back.
GENESIS 18:16-19:38MATTHEW 6:25-7:14PSALM 8:1-9PROVERBS 2:6-15
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