SCRIPTURE: CHAPTER 1, VS 8-9
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
APPLICATION: CHAPTER 1, VS 8-9
v. 8– Satan’s influence will grow up until it overcomes us, as a
once neat cottage, if left unprotected and uncared for, will be
overgrown by vines and brush.
v. 9—The Church should be the remnant in the Sodom and Gomorrah of this world. There is no question that our nation, and most nations of the world, are being taken over by the demonic sin of sodomy, which carries all other lies with it. It goes so much deeper than the physical choices being made, it is a rebellion against the very plan of God….the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is what God’s plan of Sex represents. Instead of being the Remnant standing for God’s righteousness, much of the church has become a silent slave to demonic forces that are ruling our governments.
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SCRIPTURE: CHAPTER 1, VS 10-14
10 the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
APPLICATION: CHAPTER 1, VS 10-14
— He is speaking to the people of today (Christians included)who think more of the pleasure of this world than of Him.
— He doesn’t want us to go to church to simply obey the laws of the church–whatever the denomination. He wants us to come to Him first, to listen first to Him, then to other people, and not put church laws and church leaders’ opinions before His inner voice in each of us, to study the Word for ourselves. We are to make our lives a sacrifice to Him, instead of our sacrifices being denominationally-oriented and becoming in that way of a shallow nature. He hates rituals that have not the Spirit in them. He abhors cowardly people who will not stand for Him.
— Some Christians are still so bound by their church that they go simply because their leaders say so, the church rules say so, or their neighbors will wonder why they weren’t there. He’s asking, “who told you to come –Me, or someone else?”
I find it shocking and sad that in verse 10, He speaks of the “rulers of Sodom” and “People of Gomorrah”…as giving sacrifices to Him. Obviously, He is not speaking of the sodomites, the unbelievers and homosexuals, He is speaking to His church, but calling them citizens of the sinful cities! Lot chose to live among these sinners, as the only family worshiping the God of Abraham, and he nearly was annihilated with them. This is the situation in which God sees His church!!!! Living in the spiritual squalor of sinful Sodom and Gomorrah and doing NOTHING about it!!!! As time goes on, it is inevitable that the poison and filth oozes into the church rituals, words, and “sacrifices” and makes them filthy in God’s eyes and ears. They sicken Him because He knows of the compromise and complacency that are mixed in!!!!
Notice that there weren’t even 10 righteous, so, apparently, He doesn’t consider merely going to church, while compromising by closing one’s eyes to sin, righteousness.