We have all heard that the sin of Sodom was sodomy which the 1828 Webster Dictionary simply defines as “a crime against nature.” What led up to this sin and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?

“Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me; therefore I took the away as I saw good” (Ezekiel 16:49, 50).

The first sin that is listed is pride. It means “inordinate self-esteem, an unreasonable conceit of one’s own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, and rank.” Eve was proud. She thought she knew better than God, thus lead the world into sin. Most sins stem from pride and thinking we know better than God, “Hath God said…?” No, He must not have meant that so we easily twist the meaning of what God said to mean what we want. The Bible tells us to think no more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3). We are to know our gifts and limits and trust God at His Word. He means what He has clearly written for us.

The second sin listed is fullness of bread. Our culture struggles with this mightily. In fact, obesity is celebrated now since many cannot control their appetites so they decide to give into them and celebrate them (make others think that gluttony is not sin). We are called to not allow anything to have power over us except for Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:12). Food is not to be our master. We are to only eat our portion (Proverbs 30:8). Do whatever you have to do in order to master your appetite for food! Remember, you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you.

Lose weight for your husband. This should be all the motivation you need since men are highly visual and most husbands care more about you being in shape than finely manicure fingernails, gorgeous hair, perfect makeup, and the latest fashions. I will venture to say that probably all men would be happy to have wives that were in shape and not gluttons. We ought to want to please our husbands and this is one area you can learn to please them (1 Corinthians 7:34).

The third sin listed is an abundance of idleness. We sure struggle with this today, thus the term “couch potato.” With the advent of TVs and all of the modern appliances, we don’t have to work nearly as hard physically as our ancestors did. In fact, we have to intentionally go out and exercise since our day-to-day life doesn’t give it to us unless we have a lot of children and care for them and our home well.

We were created to work hard and be physical. We weren’t created to be lazy. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about laziness. Whatever our hands find to do, we are to do it with all of our might. When you clean and tidy your home, do it with all of your might! It takes a lot of work to have a clean home but this is what you are called to do. Have a clean and tidy home for your husband! This is a great way to learn to please him. Everyone loves coming home to a clean home because a clean home is a beautiful home. Plus, idleness leads to gluttony and obesity.

The fourth sin listed is not helping the poor and needy. We must never forget to help those who are in need. And no, this isn’t relying on the government to do this since this isn’t their job and they are extremely inefficient in it. Once the government got involved, people no longer felt they needed to help the poor and needy and this isn’t good. The poor and needy need a personal touch from those around them who love and care for them. It isn’t just giving them money but praying and caring for them. Find some way in which you are caring for the poor and needy. Yes, giving money is a huge help and should be part of this.

The fifth sin listed is that they were haughty. This word is similar to pride and means “proud and disdainful; having a high opinion of one’s self, with some contempt for others; lofty and arrogant.” We sure do see this today in our culture in the way people treat others with whom they disagree. We are called to love even our enemies. We are called to be kind, servants, and generous with others and never think that we are better than others. Never! All need Jesus Christ. All fall short without Him. We are nothing without Him. He is the One who gives us everything we need for life and godliness. We can do ALL things because of Christ working mightily within us. Nothing comes from us. All goodness comes from Him.

The final sin listed is the result of all of the others sins combined. Once a nation becomes prideful, gluttons, lazy, neglecting the poor and needy, and haughty, abominations begin to take place. This is clearly seen in Romans 1. People become wicked. They have no sense of right or wrong and begin actively participating in evil practices and defile themselves.

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed for ever. Amen. 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: And likewise 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 recompense of their error. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God game them over to a reprobate mind.
Romans 1:25-28