Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy
What was the sin of Sodom? Many people have debated what that sin actually was. We all know that Sodom was a city full of the sin of sexual immorality; it was also a sin of pride. Sometimes people think those are two separate things. However, one was because of the other. In Ezekiel 16:49 God is speaking to His own people, and He says, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Then, He goes on to say, “And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”
So, what was the sin of Sodom? Well, it was pride. They didn’t need God. They had plenty of food. There was abundance. They were idle, haughty, and they committed abomination. We are living in a day where we are full of our own pride. Pride is the watchword of our society. God can’t even tell us what we are. So, this prophecy is not primarily about Sodom. It is actually a prophecy to God’s own people.
In verse 52 God says that God’s people were “more abominable” than Sodom and Sodom was “more righteous” than they were. God says, “Thou hast justified thy sisters.” So, God’s people knew God, but Sodom did not. Verse 56 says, “For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride.” They didn’t even mention Sodom. Sodom was some evil, wicked city, and God’s people did not see the wickedness within their own hearts.
We will never defeat pride with more pride. God says in verse 62, “Thou shalt know that I am the LORD.” We look around us and we see wickedness that comes from not allowing God to be God. The response to that is not to be proud ourselves. The answer is to let God be God.
In the first place, God is the Creator. God made us, designed us, and intended us. He is the Creator. Men make gods; God made us. So, let God be God. He is the Creator. God is the One Who made me what and who I am with the gifts that I have. What I am is first of all a result of who God intended me to be.
Second, God is sovereign. Does your god ever disagree with you? A god who would never disagree with you is probably not God. God is the Creator and He is sovereign. If God never disagrees with my decisions, my politics, my ethics, etc., then I might just have the sneaking suspicion that my so-called god is just me with a superman cape on, a grander version of me. God is not a grander version of me. God is other than me. God is sovereign.
Finally, God is provider. Back in the day there were a lot of preachers who were involved in denominations that were ceasing to preach the gospel and that Jesus is God the Son, but the preachers didn’t want to cause any waves because they were afraid they might lose their retirement and so on. That has not changed today. Sometimes we do what we do because we forget that God is the Provider. God will provide for His own.
Friend, this world is typified by various kinds of pride. There could be pride among those who don’t even know God, but more tragically there can be pride among those who know God. We will never defeat pride with pride, and God’s people should let God be God. He is Creator, sovereign, and provider.