Numb to Sin

Dear Wake Up Family:

Have you noticed that we never hear sin called by its plain old-fashioned name anymore? These days, a drunk is not a sinner, he’s just a sick man in need of treatment. Liars aren’t liars and thieves aren’t thieves, they’re simply embellishing their social media profiles or made mistakes while tallying their invoices. In today’s world, promiscuity isn’t sexual immorality, it’s just having a bit of fun. Likewise, a pervert is not degenerate, he’s only giving expression to his innermost feelings. The same kinds of excuses are made for rioting and even murder.

Feelings, these days, are evidently more important than either morality or ethics. And to make matters worse, the shame, if any is to be recognized, is not placed squarely on the culprit, it is instead transferred onto the ever nebulous SOCIETY. Today, someone else, someway, somehow, is to blame for the social ills that plague the world—it’s never the guilty. It is instead those that audaciously refuse to embrace the despicable, who are hated and punished. This condoning and excusing of guilt simply encourages even more bad behavior, perpetuating the spiral of apostasy. How much more backward can mankind be than to call evil good, and good evil? Yet here we are.

The Bible says, “When a crime [evil] is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do [even more] wrong.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11) It also says, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7) These two verses taken together should be sobering, causing consideration, caution, and fear. By fear, I mean reverence for the Lord and His commands.

Job 28 says, “The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.” Luke then goes on to say in Acts 9 that “The church…became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.” How do we do that? By getting back into the Bible—back to the Ten Commandments—and start recognizing sin, calling it by its right name.

Many years ago, I attended several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with a relative. It’s the only way I could encourage him to go. In that meeting, as I remember it, each person had to introduce himself and acknowledge the hold alcohol had over his life. The rationale being that to address and overcome a problem, we first must admit it exists. I believe that’s why the Bible says, “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9) It’s the first step to restoration.

Because the United States still has one of the highest living standards in the world, the temptation of decadence is ever present. Luxury and leisure are generally associated with security and happiness, yet, just the opposite seems to be true in the West. It’s rather easy to see that alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual perversion, homelessness, suicide, and an economy bulging with debt, are serious problems in the United States. And it’s getting worse as we progress. The rest of the world, I’m sure, wonders why this beautiful and free country is ladened with so many troubles.

The following video excerpt of a serving US (sinister) senator gives a clue, I think, as to how and why the fabric of this country is crumbling. You may suspect I made this up. I didn’t. Contemplate the gist of what she said:

To obscure a problem, you have people look elsewhere. It’s a diversionary, self-serving tactic and it works this way. To demonize someone, you smear them with falsehoods and then propagate it. For example, let’s say I want someone to appear as an aggressive madman. I simply write a piece and leak it to the press for publication. It is then reported as fact. Of course, these made-up facts are always verified by the illusive “anonymous high level source”. Afterward, using the news article as proof, the target can then be smeared with even more falsehoods. At this point, whatever is claimed will be accepted as fact. This self-seeking maneuver actually has a name in politics, it’s called the wrap-up smear.

As I listened, I was amazed by her lack of shame. The senator instead seemed to be bragging. What she described is more than shameful—it is a sin. God commanded, “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) Even so, many will overlook her admission without a second thought because the abhorrence to sin has largely been lost. We’ve become numb to it. How far this country has fallen in 250 years.

God had Jeremiah give Israel’s leaders a message. I think it’s just as applicable today. “If you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.” (Jeremiah 4:1–2) Wouldn’t it be lovely to live in such a place?

Now, let’s switch gears to see why I mentioned the “being numb” problem.

What do you make of this very short verse? “Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32) What was the context in which Jesus stated this? It sounds very much like a solemn warning, to me. The preceding verses indicate that Jesus was talking to his disciples about the last days—the end of the world. It stands to reason then, that what happened to Lot’s wife is well worth a study. Read the tragic story in your own Bible from Genesis 13:1–Genesis 19:29. It’s much too long to include in this short article.

According to Genesis 13, Sodom was already a wicked city when Lot decided to settle there. I’m sure from a secular standpoint life looked easy down on those plains, although disaster was hiding in plain sight.

Look closely now at Genesis 18:17–20. “ ‘Should I hide my plan from Abraham?’ the Lord asked. ‘For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.’ So the Lord told Abraham, ‘I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.’ ” What a testimony of how personally interested Jesus is in mankind.

Well after haggling with the Lord, Abraham soon learned that Sodom didn’t have that many believers. Genesis 19:14–15. “So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking. At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. ‘Hurry,’ they said to Lot. ‘Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!’ ”

Can you imagine how startled Lot must have been as the angels told him the plan to annihilate the city? I can’t imagine the fear he must have felt running to his married-daughter’s homes, nor the agony as he left to return to his own home without them.

I conclude from the math in the story that Lot had four daughters—two married, two still at home—and no sons; also that Lot’s wife only reluctantly left the city. It seems her love for the daughters, who remained there, was stronger than her love for God. This assumption reminds me of Adam’s love for Eve. Perhaps this is why Jesus warned the disciples, “Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!”

Now Genesis 19:17. “When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, ‘Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ ” Did you notice the explicit warning, “Don’t look back”?

I’ve often wondered, what was so terrible about looking back? Isn’t that a normal reaction to losing everything you know? I’ve come to the conclusion, though, that there’s more to the story. First of all, the angel had plainly warned them not to look back. But Luke is clear that Lot’s wife did more than that. See if you see what I see.

“When the Son of Man returns…the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” (Luke 17:26–33)

According to Jesus’ words, clinging to her past life was the fatal mistake she made. After God had miraculously spared her, she still, it seems, wanted to return to her old life. Once she made her last and final decision, her fate was instantly sealed. If her story sounds familiar, some in Israel had made their final decision dancing around the golden calf while Moses visited with God on the mountain.

Although it isn’t necessary to describe Sodom’s reprehensible sins, suffice it to say that that night was no different than many a night before. The normalizing of sin, and indifference to it, had numbed the people living there to their true condition. The difference this night was, their cup of iniquity was finally full. I fear the United States is quickly filling its cup too.

In Revelation 3, Jesus, as a reminder and an encouragement, says, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”

The full-cup principle is, to me, one of the most sobering concepts in the Bible. God’s Word makes it abundantly clear that a city or nation or individual has only a certain amount of rope, and when the end of it is reached, God’s wrath falls like a hammer. And once the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, it’s completely over.

The Bible says that the end of the world is drawing near. If we sincerely hold this expectation, we too should, as Paul instructed the early Christians, “Live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.” May God help each of us do that.

Rex