Tag Archives: Gay Marriage

The Destruction of Sodom and the Tragic Consequences of a Father’s Sinful Choices (Genesis 19)

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(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading – Genesis 19

Abraham interceded with God and prayed that the city of Sodom might be spared, “peradventure ten [righteous souls] shall be found there” (18:32a). The LORD honored Abraham’s request saying, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake” (18:32b).

Genesis 19 – The Tragic Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities in the Plain

On the same day, the LORD assured Abraham He would be merciful should he find ten righteous souls residing in Sodom, the angels who appeared before Abraham arrived at the gate of Sodom (18:2, 16). Sadly, they were greeted by Lot, who had progressed from pitching his tent toward Sodom to becoming one of the leaders and judges of the city. We read, “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom” (19:1), where government and commercial business was transacted.

Seeing the “two angels” and perceiving they were strangers, Lot “rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground” (19:1). Calling them “lords,” for he knew the “men” were not of the character as those of that wicked city, Lot urged them to accept refuge in his home (19:2-3). At first, the “two angels” refused his accommodations, but Lot “pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house” (19:2). That evening, Lot made his guest “a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat” (19:3).

The Gross Wickedness and Depravity of Sodom (19:4-11)

“Before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: ⁵And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them” (19:4-5).

Tragically, the wickedness and depravity of the city were displayed that night as sodomites (homosexuals)encircled Lot’s house. They demanded he would turn his visitors into the street to be violently and sexually assaulted (19:4-6). Instead, Lot defined their lusts as wicked (19:7) and offered his virgin daughters to satisfy their cravings (19:8-9).

Though he was a citizen and a leader of Sodom, his righteous judgment of their wicked passions infuriated the men. They mocked and ridiculed his hypocrisy as a sojourner (an alien, an outsider). Those men would have attacked Lot and broken into his house had the angels not rescued him, for they “put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door” (19:10). Although they struck the sodomites with blindness, those men of that city continued, “both small and great…[and] wearied themselves to find the door” of Lot’s house (19:10-11).

An Offer of Salvation (19:12-14)

Displaying God’s grace, the angels pressed Lot to go to his sons, daughters, and spouses and urge them to flee Sodom before the LORD destroyed the city for its wickedness (19:12-13). Yet, Lot’s children and their spouses refused his pleas and despised him, for he appeared “as one that mocked unto his sons in law” (19:14).

A Display of Mercy (19:15-22)

As the morning light crested the plain, “the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city” (19:15). Though knowing the judgment of God was imminent, Lot “lingered,” and the angels mercifully took hold of him, his wife, and daughters and “brought him forth, and set him without the city” (19:16).

Though admonished to “escape for [his] life; [and] look not behind…escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed” (19:17), Lot foolishly protested God’s place of safety and pleaded that a nearby city, “a little one” (19:20), might be spared as his refuge (19:19-20). The LORD heeded Lot’s request (19:21) and spared the city called Zoar (19:22).

God’s Fiery Judgment (19:24-26)

With the sun risen and Lot safely removed from Sodom, “the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; ²⁵And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground” (19:24-25). The scene was utter destruction, a burning inferno, as though hell rained from heaven upon the wicked. Tragically, Lot’s “wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (19:26).

Abraham’s Vision from a Summit (19:27-28)

Abraham arose early that morning, perhaps anxious that Sodom might have been spared. So he went “to the place where he stood before the LORD” (19:27). There he “looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah…and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace” (19:28). Abraham saw the severity of God’s judgment upon that wicked city and its inhabitants. Yet, in answer to Abraham’s intercession and a reminder that the LORD will spare the righteous in His judgment, “God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt” (19:29).

Lot: An Object of Grace (19:29-38)

Why were Lot and his daughters spared judgment? First, scripture says, “God remembered Abraham” (19:29). What a blessed thought to realize that God never forgets His promise. Surely, we would hope Lot’s straying from the LORD would end with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but that was not the case. Lot, a man whom the Scriptures declare was righteous (though he chose to dwell among the wicked, 2 Peter 2:8), became drunk with wine. Then, succumbing to his daughters’ enticement, tragically, Lot committed the morally depraved sin of incest (19:30-36).

The eldest daughter conceived a son she named Moab. He became the father of the Moabites (19:37). The youngest daughter conceived a son named Ammon, of whom would be born the Ammonites (19:38). Both nations, the Moabites and Ammonites, would become a curse and perpetual trouble for the nation of Israel.

Closing thoughts – Genesis 19 portrays man’s sinful depravity and God’s inevitable judgment of the wicked. We have been reminded of the shadow and influence of parental character and how today’s choices will have consequences for our children and grandchildren. Yes, Lot’s spirit was vexed by the sinful, “unlawful deeds” of the wicked, but he failed to separate from them. The consequences of his failure were innumerable, for he lost his wife, children, possessions, and neighbors.

Are you ready for God’s judgment?

Romans 14:11–12 – ¹¹For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹²So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

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A Nagging Wife, a Hen-pecked Husband, and the Birth of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Genesis 16)

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Today’s Bible reading brings us to a crisis of faith and a spiritual crossroads in Abram’s (Abraham) life (Genesis 16). Sadly, this passage reveals evidence of how one man’s failure to trust God carried consequences that shadow our world today, 4,000 years after Abram’s sojourn.

Years passed, and Abram’s longing for a son was unmet (Genesis 12:2-3). So he complained to the LORD, “I go childless…to me thou hast given no seed” (15:2-3). God responded to Abram’s complaint and graciously assured him that the offspring of his lineage would one day be in number as the stars of heaven (15:5).

Genesis 16 – “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children.” (16:1)

Childlessness in Abram and Sarai’s culture was a matter of shame and considered a judgment of God. Children were essential to a family, and their presence in the home was viewed as a testament to God’s love and blessing. If a wife were childless and unable to bear a son, it was the practice in ancient cultures for her to present her maid to bear children to her husband.

Yet, despite God’s promises and assurances, a crisis of faith took hold of Abram’s heart, as his wife Sarai murmured, “Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (16:2).

Abram was eighty-six years old (16:16), and Sarai seventy-six, when his faith waned under the pressure of her grumbling (the word “voice” indicates a loud, thundering sound, like the bleating of a flock of sheep, 16:2). Sarai was barren and despondent; contrary to God’s will, she pressed Abram to abandon his faith in God’s promise. Instead, she sought to fulfill God’s promise through the methods of the culture and have a son by proxy through Hagar, her Egyptian maid (16:3).

Foolishly, Abram yielded to Sarai’s plea and went in unto her servant. When Hagar conceived (16:4), instead of the expected joy for which she yearned, both women were at odds with the other provoking jealousy and a perpetual division in the household (16:4). Eventually, Sarai’s unhappy spirit affected every part of her life, until finally she “said unto Abram, My wrong [sin] be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised [cursed; contemptible] in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee” (16:5).

Sarai’s reasoning reflected an easy escape from taking responsibility for her faithless cultural judgment: she blamed her husband, who was ultimately accountable for family decisions. Sarai even determined that God would see things her way because Abram had taken them to Egypt in the first place. Lacking faith in God’s covenant promise, Abram and Sarai sinned. They failed to trust God, defiled the sanctity of their marriage, and entangled Hagar in an intimate area of their relationship, resulting in a dilemma they could never reverse (16:5).

Refusing to accept any further blame, Abram sought to remove himself from the trouble altogether and allowed Sarai to mistreat Hagar (16:6b). Seeking to escape Sarai’s harshness, Hagar fled south into the desert (16:6b), and stopped at “Shur,” a region on the border of northeastern Egypt (16:7). There, we read, “the angel of the LORD found [Hagar]” and said to her, “Return to thy mistress, and submit [humble; be the lesser] thyself under her hands” (16:9), and “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered [counted] for multitude [abundance; i.e., too great to be counted]” (16:10).

“And the angel of the LORD said [commanded] unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael [lit, God will hear]; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction” (16:10-11). (Note, Genesis 16:7 is the first mention of the “angel of the LORD” in Scripture, and I believe it was a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.)

Ishmael was the forefather of the Ishmaelites and a branch of today’s Arabic people. His ancestors have been nomads of the desert for four millennia.

Closing thoughts – The nature and character of Ishmael and his progeny were described as “a wild man [lit. “wild donkey”]; his hand [power; strength] will be against every man [i.e., a man of hostility], and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (16:12).

In that statement, we find the nature and cause of today’s conflict in the Middle East. The Jews and those identifying Abraham and Ishmael as their forefathers are perpetual enemies.

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The Character and Moral Depravity of the Last Days (2 Timothy 3; 2 Timothy 4)

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Scripture reading – 2 Timothy 3; 2 Timothy 4

Our Scripture reading brings us to the close of Paul’s final epistle. Addressed to Timothy, his “dearly beloved son” in the faith (1:2), one can sense the power and passion of that great apostle whose life was a testimony of God’s grace and humility. 2 Timothy 3 served as a powerful warning and exhortation to not only Timothy, but to all believers. 2 Timothy 4 recorded Paul’s final salute, his farewell address to Timothy and all who would read this epistle.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (3:16-17), Paul wrote with the passion of a man who knew his earthly ministry and days were ending. For our devotion, I will limit my focus to 2 Timothy 3, with the hope I might return to this powerful passage in the future.

2 Timothy 3 – Preaching to the Church of the Last Days

After urging Timothy to be faithful, and reminding him of his spiritual heritage (2:14-15), Paul admonished the young preacher with a prophetic portrait of “the last days,” warning, “perilous times shall come” (3:1).

The Character of the Last Days (3:1)

The “last days” are the days that followed Christ’s ascension to heaven (Acts 1-2), and precede the Second Coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-19). Paul warned: “This know” (meaning be sure, don’t be surprised), “in the last days” (the final time, the end of the ages), “perilous times shall come” (difficult, violent, dangerous times of wickedness and depravity).

Paul warned, the latter days of the earth will be marked by wickedness and apostasy like the world had not seen since the days of Noah. The apostle John would later write concerning the apostate church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-20), the church of the last days: “Thou art neither cold nor hot… thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:15-17). Tragically, the 21^st century church is everything John warned the apostate church would become!

The Moral Depravity of the Church in the Last Days (3:2-9)

In amazing, prophetic detail, Paul described not only the world, but in particular the congregations of professing believers in the last days. For our study, I suggest four vivid portraits that are an apt depiction of the 21^st century church and its moral depravity. (Please note that words in brackets are from the author and meant to amplify or illuminate your study.)

A Heresy of Self-love (3:2-4)

“²For men shall be lovers of their own selves [self-centered; self-serving], covetous [lovers of silver], boasters, proud, blasphemers [cursing, reviling God’s name], disobedient to parents (Exodus 20:12), unthankful, unholy [having no regard for God],

³Without natural affection [indifferent; unloving], trucebreakers [hostile; divisive], false accusers [slanderers], incontinent [immoral], fierce [cruel; savage], despisers of those that are good, [hate the righteous] ⁴Traitors [betrayers], heady [heady], highminded [puffed up], lovers of pleasures [narcissistic] more than lovers of God” (3:2-4)

A Prevalence of Hypocrisy (3:5)

The second trait of the church in the last days is hypocrisy. Professing believers are described as displaying an outward piety, but their lives show no effect of the conviction and power of God’s Word. Paul warned, “turn away” from them (3:5). In other words, do not be a member of a fellowship that is guilty of a pattern of sin and ungodliness (1 Corinthians 5:9-11, 13; 2 Corinthians 6:17).

The Presence of Apostates Leading Astray the Spiritually Weak (3:6-7)

In the last days, the church will be afflicted with false teachers and their doctrines (3:6-7). With the introduction of mass publishing, radio and television in the 20^th century, and the internet in the 21^st century, apostate teaching has become epidemic. False teachers “creep into houses,” and “silly,” foolish women often fall victim, taking their families with them into all manner of evil (3:6). Interestingly, they are described as “ever learning,” always seeking some new doctrine, but tragically, they are blinded by sin and “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (3:7).

The Exposure and Punishment of False Teachers (3:8-9)

Apostate teachers were compared with men who were believed to have been part of Pharoah’s court (Exodus 7:11). We read, Jannes and Jambres had “withstood Moses” (3:8), and perhaps counterfeited the signs (miracles) performed by him. Paul warned, false teachers were like Jannes and Jambres. They are dangerous, often skilled orators, and at first their deviation from the Truth is subtle. Only those with spiritual discernment are able to avoid being carried away with their false doctrine. As Jannes and Jambres were eventually exposed as frauds, and counterfeiters, so false teachers should be exposed, and allowed to “proceed no further” (3:9a).

Question – How might believers avoid false teachers?

Two closing principles (3:10-12; 15-17)

1) Know who you are following (3:10-12).

2) Study and know the Scriptures: They “are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith…[for] ¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (3:15-17).

I urge you to examine not only your church fellowship, but those you follow for spiritual direction.

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Can A Believer Sue a Fellow-believer? (1 Corinthians 6; 1 Corinthians 7)

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Scripture reading – 1 Corinthians 6; 1 Corinthians 7

We continue our study of 1 Corinthians, and come to a passage that is extremely relevant to our day. The focus of the devotional is 1 Corinthians 6, and I begin with a brief overview of that chapter, before tackling the subject of today’s devotional: Is it right to sue a fellow believer in a secular court of law? (6:1-8)

1 Corinthians 6

The Believer’s Call to Purity (6:9-11)

The matter of one’s behavior or lifestyle is the subject Paul addressed in verses 9-11. Paul asked, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (6:9). With that question, Paul then admonished: “Be not deceived” (6:9). Don’t believe a lie or be misled by the culture; “fornicators [sexually immoral], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [homosexuals], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [sodomites]” will not inherit eternal life (6:9). Sexual sins are not only a violation of God’s law and commandments, they are a violation of our relationship with Christ.

Moving from the sins of sexual depravity, Paul warned, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (6:10). Paul reminded believers they were saved out of their sinful lifestyles, and “washed [forgiven]…sanctified [set apart to be holy]…[and] justified [declared righteous] in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (6:11)

The Believer’s Liberty in Christ (6:12-20)

While all sin is wrong and a violation of God’s Law, sexual sins were revealed to be especially egregious to God, and detrimental to the believer. Corinth was a wicked, immoral culture, and some professed to be followers of Christ, who continued in immoral conduct. Paul warned, “the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord” (6:13). The apostle taught, because a believer’s body is a “member of Christ” (6:15), we are not to defile our body with sexual sins (6:15-17).

Paul exhorted, “flee fornication” and warned: “Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (6:18). While all sins are wrong, sexual sins are destructive to body, soul, and spirit. Because a believer’s body is the “temple of the Holy Ghost” (6:19), we are to keep our bodies holy and sexually pure. We have been redeemed, and “bought with a price” (the precious blood of Christ, 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Therefore, we are under obligation to glorify God in our body, and spirit (6:20).

Paul proposed five questions to address how legal disputes between believers are to be resolved. (6:1-8)

The first question was an insinuation: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?” (6:1) In other words, when a believer comes before an “unjust” (unsaved) judge with a lawsuit of any kind, the unjust cannot rule justly, because he rules from an unjust or “Lawless” position.

The next question was a prophetic revelation: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (6:2a) When Christ comes and sits in judgment of the world, believers will not only witness His judgment, but will sit in judgment of the world (Revelation 3:21; Daniel 7:22). Paul continued, “if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge [i.e., among yourselves] the smallest matters?” (6:2b). Paul revealed how believers will sit in judgment of the fallen angels (6:3a; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Once again, the apostle asked, how is it you cannot pass judgment on matters in this life? (6:3b)

The implication was: Because believers will judge the world and the fallen angels in eternity, surely, we should find believers who are spiritually discerning, and humble enough to seek God’s guidance in judging matters between believers (6:4). Paul then declared, “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (6:5)

Paul was jealous for the reputation of Christ and the Gospel, and condemned those who took disagreements before secular, unbelieving judges (6:6-7a). In doing so, believers not only hurt the testimony of Christ, but proved they lacked faith to trust God to intercede, and render justice in His way and time. In other words, it is better to suffer wrong, than be bitter and vindictive (6:7b-8).

Closing thought – While believers should not take another believer before a secular judge, we should expect the church will address a sinning believer. Should they not repent and make whole the hurt or damage they caused, the church has the responsibility to discipline, and declare the unrepentant believer “a heathen man and a publican” (Matthew 18:17). Tragically, the failure of the church and its leadership to intercede, often precipitates lawsuits between believers.

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The Character of a Dying Culture (Lamentations 4) – part 1 of 2 devotionals.

Scripture reading – Lamentations 4; Lamentations 5

Our study of “The Lamentations of Jeremiah” will conclude with today’s Scripture reading. My devotional study will be presented in two parts. This is the first, with the focus upon Lamentations 4.

Lamentations 4 – The Consequences of Judah’s Sins and God’s Judgment

Stretched before Jeremiah were the ruins of Jerusalem, with its streets strewn with rubble, and in the midst the bodies of the dead. Jeremiah had spent his life calling upon the people to repent of their sins and turn to the Lord. Yet, as he surveyed the scene before him, he saw everywhere the reminders of God’s wrath.

Jerusalem’s Faded Glory (4:1-5)

Jeremiah recorded in graphic detail the afflictions suffered by his people because of their sins. As you read this passage, understand we are studying a description of a rebellious, dying culture. It was the sin and wickedness of the people that brought Jerusalem to this sad state. Once a city that shone bright as gold, she was tarnished by sin, and her sons, once the pride of the nation, were no better than “earthen [clay] pitchers” (1:1-2).

Adding to the moral decline of the city was the wantonness of the women. The virtue of womanhood, and the nurturing nature of mothers is always the last vestige of civility in a culture. Yet, the women of Jerusalem had become worse than brute beasts. Whereas it is in the nature of beasts to “give suck to their young ones,” the daughters of Jerusalem were become cruel (4:3). Caring only for themselves, the women neglected their children, and left them athirst and starving (4:4).

The wealthy and powerful, once consumers of delicacies, were now found roaming the streets of the city, homeless and destitute (4:5).

Jerusalem’s Sins Demanded a Judgment that Exceeded Sodom (4:6-11)

The judgment of Jerusalem surpassed the judgment of Sodom (Genesis 19). What sin was committed in Zion, the city of David, that demanded a greater judgment than ancient Sodom which was known for its moral depravity?

Because Jerusalem was chosen by the LORD to be the home of His sanctuary, it was that privilege that incited the wrath of God. The people had broken covenant with the LORD, and defiled His Temple. For that wickedness, the wrath of God lingered. Sodom was mercifully destroyed “in a moment” (4:6), but the sufferings in Jerusalem appeared to have no end.

The “Nazarites” (believed to be the nobility of Jerusalem) had enjoyed a favored life of ease (4:7). Unlike the general population who labored under the sun, these were the privileged few whose skin was described as “whiter than milk,” but now were reduced to starvation, and their skin blackened by the sun (4:8). Jeremiah observed, those who died by the sword were “better than” those dying of hunger (4:9). The horror of want and depravity was surmised in this, for the women who once nurtured their children, were cannibalizing them (4:10). All this was a testament to the wrath of God (4:11).

The Leaders Had Failed the People (4:12-22)

The prophets had warned the judgment of the LORD was imminent, but the kings of other nations and the people of Judah believed the great walled city was unassailable (4:12).

Who was to blame for the fall of Jerusalem? The answer may surprise you. Though the kings of Judah had committed great wickedness, it was “the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, That [had] shed the blood of the just in the midst of her” (4:12). Lying prophets and sinful priests of Jerusalem had failed the nation (4:13). Judah’s spiritual leaders despised the righteous, and persecuted them (4:14). Their guilt was so great, they were become like a spiritually leprous people (4:15). They had despised faithful priests, and rejected the elders (among them was Zechariah and Jeremiah, 4:16).

Rather than heed the warnings of judgment, the nation looked to men and allies to save them (4:17). When king Zedekiah and his family fled the city, the soldiers of Babylon hunted them down (4:18; 2 Chronicles 36:5-6; 2 Kings 25:1-7), and pursued them like eagles through the mountains and into the wilderness (4:19-20). Yet, the LORD did not forget those who persecuted His people, and the Edomites were warned they too would drink from the cup of God’s judgment (4:21). The sins of Edom would not be forgotten (4:22).

Closing thoughts – Have you considered the sins committed by Judah, and the sinful character of her people tragically resemble the world of our day?

My own nation, once the envy of the world, is like tarnished gold (4:1). The American dollar, once the currency of the world, is fallen into disgrace. Politicians continue to transform our military into a showcase of social depravity (4:2), rather than strength and honor. Motherhood is despised by brazen women demanding the liberty to quench the lives of the unborn. Our leaders have betrayed us, and preachers and churches have become hollow shells of sin and depravity. The righteous are despised, and the faithful calling for repentance are scorned.

Like Jeremiah of old, do we not find ourselves praying, “God save America”?

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“Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4; Amos 5)

Scripture reading – Amos 4; Amos 5

We have seen that Amos was a shepherd (herdsman) when God called Him out of obscurity (1:1) to serve as His prophet to Israel (the northern ten tribes). Israel and Judah were enjoying a season of peace and prosperity, making Amos’ message of doom all the more unpopular with the leaders and common people of both nations.

Amos 4-6 records a series of forewarnings the prophet delivered to Israel, calling that nation to repent of its wickedness. If not, Amos warned the judgment of God was imminent.

Amos 4 – The Chastisement of Israel and a Prophecy of That Nation’s Fall

Male or Female: The Kine (Cows) of Bashan (4:1-3)

Amos 4 is rich in detail, and a point of interest that is timely for our day concerns the “kine of Bashan” (1:1). Bashan was part of the rich pasture lands located on the east side of the Jordan River. Bashan was known for its well-fed cattle, and thus the people of that region were addressed metaphorically in Amos 4:1-3 as the “kine of Bashan.”

While the word “kine” is female in gender (4:1), the pronoun “you” is masculine in the Hebrew (4:2). Thus, the warning of God’s judgment for oppressing the poor and crushing the needy was addressed to either strong females, or emasculated male leaders. Knowing homosexuality is the pinnacle of wickedness for a dying nation and people (Romans 1:26-27), I believe that sin represented a fullness of man’s departure from the Law, thereby naturally receiving God’s judgment. Amos warned the LORD had determined to send the people away (“take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks”), and no place in Samaria would be a refuge (1:3).

A Series of Judgments (4:4-11)

The LORD scorned the hypocrisy of the people who brought sacrifices to Bethel and Gilgal. They had maintained an outward form of worship, while continuing in their wickedness.

The LORD had sent a series of judgments upon the nation, but each time the people had refused to repent and return to the LORD (4:6-11). They had suffered famine (4:6), and drought (4:7-8), but would not repent. He sent plagues and mildew upon the crops, and the nation suffered plagues comparable to those experienced in Egypt, yet Israel would not turn to the LORD (4:10). Cities in Israel were destroyed by fire, reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah, but the people still would not turn from their sin to the LORD (4:11).

An Ominous Warning (4:12-13)

Obstinate, rebellious, and hypocritical, Amos warned the people, “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (4:12). Amos urged the people to prepare to face the Creator’s judgment, warning that (4:13b) He knows every thought of man. He is everywhere, and “treadeth upon the high places of the earth” (4:13c).

Who is the LORD? He is “the God of hosts” (4:13d).

Amos 5 – A Lamentation for Israel

Though Amos was charged with the non-enviable task of warning Israel of pending judgment, he was nevertheless moved to sorrow and compassion for that rebellious people. That prophet’s lament for the “house of Israel” is recorded in Amos 5:1-3.

Amos foretold how Israel would be overthrown and suffer utter devastation. No longer pure, Amos writes, “the virgin of Israel is fallen,” and she would never rise from the ashes of her ruin (5:2a). The prophet foretold, the people would be removed from their land, and no one will come to her aid (5:2). One-tenth of the people would be all that remained in the land (5:3).

God’s Longsuffering (5:4-9)

In spite of their sins, the LORD longed to show compassion to Israel, and He invited the people, “Seek ye me, and ye shall live” (5:4). Amos admonished the people to forsake Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba, for those sacred places would “come to nought” (5:5). Again, Amos exhorted the people, “⁶Seek the Lord, and ye shall live” (5:6a).

The prophet reminded Israel how the LORD was the Creator of the constellations (5:8a). Their God was sovereign, and the sustainer of creation (causing the sun to rise dispelling the darkness, and He controls the waters of the sea, 5:8b). Amos warned, no stronghold would be safe from His judgment (5:9).

Israel’s Sins Invited God’s Judgment (5:10-15)

Israel had rejected God’s Truth, and had no tolerance for preachers of God’s Word. They “[hated] him that rebuketh in the gate, and they [abhorred] him that speaketh uprightly” (5:10). The wealthy were guilty of taxing the “poor,” and they flaunted their wealth, building great stone cut houses (5:11a). They had planted vineyards, but Amos warned they would not live to enjoy their ill-gotten gains (5:11b).

Closing thoughts – Speaking for the LORD, Amos condemned Israel for the same sins we observe in our day: The righteous were oppressed, bribes perverted justice, and judges favored the rich, and denied the poor justice, fairness and impartiality (5:12). Amos declared, the prudent would keep silent on that day of judgment (5:13). Why? Most likely because they would accept the suffering of the nation as the fate it was due, and therefore God’s plan and purpose (5:13).

With the passion of a faithful preacher, Amos called upon Israel to “seek good, and not evil, that ye may live…Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate” (5:14-15).

Pronouncements of “Woe!” close the chapter (5:18-27). The people had continued making a pretense of worship (5:21-22), but God knew their hearts (5:23), and Amos warned:

God’s judgment would soon run over the nation like flood waters.

Moral Depravity Demands the Judgment of God (1 Kings 14, 2 Chronicles 10)

Scripture reading – 1 Kings 14, 2 Chronicles 10

You will notice 2 Chronicles 10 is a parallel record of the events that were recorded in 1 Kings 12. There, Rehoboam had been crowned king of Israel (1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 10:1). When the ten northern tribes petitioned Rehoboam to lighten the burdens imposed on them by Solomon, he refused the counsel of his elders, and followed the advice of his peers, provoking an insurrection in Israel (1 Kings 12:2-15; 2 Chronicles 10:2-15). The ten northern tribes became known as Israel, and made Jeroboam king (1 Kings 12:16-19; 2 Chronicles 10:16-19).

Ahijah the prophet had prophesied that Jeroboam would one day be king of the northern ten tribes of Israel (11:29-31). The prophet had spoken the word of the LORD to Jeroboam, and entreated him: “If thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee” (11:38).

The LORD made Jeroboam king of Israel; however, he failed to obey the LORD’s commandments, and led the people into idolatry and great wickedness. The consequence of Jeroboam’s sin is revealed in 1 Kings 14.

1 Kings 14

Though warned by a prophet of Judah that his idolatry and wicked ways would not go unpunished (1 Kings 13:1-5), Jeroboam continued in his sin until his son, Abijah became deathly ill (1 Kings 14:1). Fearing his son might die, Jeroboam commanded his wife to disguise herself, and go to Shiloh in Judah, to ask Ahijah the prophet to reveal “what shall become of the child” (14:2-3). Jeroboam’s wife obeyed him, and coming to Shiloh, she entered the prophet Ahijah’s house (14:3-4).

Ahijah Condemned Jeroboam’s Sin, and Foretold His Son’s Death (14:5-20)

Ahijah was old and blind (14:5), but the LORD had revealed to him that the wife of King Jeroboam was coming and was disguised as another woman (14:5). When she arrived at the prophet’s house, he bid her enter, and questioned, “why feigned thou thyself to be another?” (14:6)

Ahijah condemned Jeroboam’s wickedness, and directed his wife to remind her husband that the LORD had made him king in Israel (14:7-8). God would have blessed him had he kept His commandments (14:8); however, the king had rejected the LORD, made himself idols, and provoked God’s wrath.

The looming consequence of Jeroboam’s wickedness was that his son would die and Israel would mourn his death (14:13). God would raise up another family dynasty to be king in Israel (14:14). The prophet also revealed how Israel would be conquered, and the people taken into captivity “because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin” (14:15-16).

Ahijah’s prophecy was fulfilled, for as Jeroboam’s wife entered the city and came to the threshold of the palace, “the child [the son of Jeroboam] died” (14:17). Israel mourned the death of the young prince, even as Ahijah had prophesied (14:18). Jeroboam, the first king of northern Israel died after reigning 22 years, and his son Nadab ruled briefly for two years before he was assassinated (1 Kings 15:25-31).

The Sin, Depravity, Humiliation, and Death of Rehoboam (14:21-31)

Our historical narrative in 1 Kings 14 concludes with the focus on life in Judah (the southern kingdom) during the reign of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon (14:21).

Rehoboam reigned 17 years, during a tumultuous, and tragic time in Israel. Fulfilling the prophecy that the kingdom would be divided after Solomon’s death, Rehoboam had failed to unite the people. When the northern ten tribes seceded under Jeroboam, the son of Solomon was left ruling two tribes, Judah and Benjamin.

While the northern tribes worshipped the golden calves made by Jeroboam, the tribes under Rehoboam were no better, for “Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done” (14:22).

Although the Temple was in Jerusalem, and an outward form of worship continued there, the nation as a whole committed all manner of wickedness. Prostitution, under the guise of religion, was present everywhere in the land (14:23). The depth of depravity to which Judah sank is summed up in this:

“There were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel” (14:24).

Closing thoughts – Judah was guilty of the very sins for which the heathen nations before them had been condemned. Sodomy (i.e., homosexuality) is the pinnacle of gross wickedness, and Judah had embraced that sin to their own demise. No longer a powerful nation shielded by God’s blessings, Israel and Judah had rejected the LORD, disobeyed His laws and commandments, and became in servitude to “Shishak king of Egypt” (14:25). Shishak “took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made” (14:26).

Defeated, and humiliated, Rehoboam disguised the poverty of the nation, having brass shields made to use in public ceremonies, and replacing the gold shields of Solomon (14:27-28).

Tragically, rather than peace, “there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days” (14:30) and Rehoboam died.

“Moral Degeneracy, and Civil War” (Judges 20) – A Bonus Father’s Day Devotional Post

Scripture reading – Judges 20

Happy Father’s Day to fathers who follow http://www.HeartofAShepherd.com. Today’s Scripture reading is Ruth 1-2; however, I decided to post a bonus devotional from Judges 20. This passage was the subject of my Father’s Day message to Hillsdale Baptist Church, Tampa, FL. A recording of that sermon will be posted on Monday on my GabTV Channel.

The Levite’s brutal actions, cutting the battered, and lifeless body of his concubine into twelve pieces, and sending them to the tribes, had the desired effect (19:29). The children of Israel were stirred and challenged to deliberate the deed that had been done, and speak to it (19:30). In the absence of a judge, ruler, or king (19:1), the elders of the tribes sent a summons for the children of Israel to gather “together as one man, from Dan [the northernmost tribe in Israel] even to Beer-sheba [the southernmost town in Canaan], with the land of Gilead[the tribes on the east side of the Jordan], unto the Lord in Mizpeh [probably a military outpost]” (20:1-2).

“Four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword,” gathered from “all the tribes of Israel, [and] presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God” (20:2). Though the tribe of Benjamin had heard how the tribes of Israel had gathered at Mizpeh, and was perhaps summoned, there was no man sent to represent the tribe in the matter.

A Plea for Justice (20:3-7)

The Levite, whose wife had been slain in Gibeah, was summoned by the tribal leaders, and questioned: “Tell us, how was this wickedness?” (20:3) The Levite then proceeded to give testimony of the horrific events that had taken place at Gibeah, and how he and his concubine had come to lodge there (20:4). He described how the house in which he sheltered was “beset…round about,” and the men of Gibeah would have slain him, and assaulted his concubine, leaving her dead (20:5).

He described how he had taken the body of his concubine, “and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country…for they [the men of Gibeah, and Benjamin] had “committed lewdness [wickedness; evil] and folly[disgrace] in Israel” (20:6). The Levite then appealed to all Israel, “give here your advice and counsel” (20:7).

A Resolution to Exact Judgment (20:8-11)

All Israel was moved by the Levite’s testimony (20:8), and it was decided that judgment should not be delayed in the matter (20:8), and the men of Gibeah would answer for their evil deeds (20:9).

Men were chosen to search out provisions for the thousands of men who were prepared to go up against Gibeah, and deal with them “according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel” (20:10). “All the men of Israel were gathered against the city [Gibeah], knit together as one man” (20:11).

Judgment, and the Punishment of the Men of Gibeah (20:12-19)

The elders of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, and they enquired, “What wickedness is this that is done among you?” (20:12). The messengers demanded, that “the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah,” (those ungodly, immoral men), be purged from their tribe, “that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel” (20:13).

In spite of the gross wickedness committed by the men of Gibeah, “the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel…[and they] gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel” (20:13-14). Benjamin made the decision to tolerate, and protect the sexual deviancy of Gibeah, and gathered “out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men” (20:15).

The children of Israel found themselves at a spiritual crossroads. (20:17-20)

Defy the law of God, and tolerate the wickedness that brought His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), or confront the sin in its midst, and go to war with “four hundred thousand men that drew sword” (20:17).

Israel chose the LORD’S side, and “went up to the house of God [not the Tabernacle, but “Bethel”], and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first” (20:18). The next day, “Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah” (20:19-20).

The men of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and won the first day’s battle, killing “twenty and two thousand men” of Israel (20:21). Although twenty-two thousand men had died, Israel’s men stirred themselves to prepare for the second battle (20:22), and wept before the LORD that same evening, “and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him” (20:23).

On the second day, the army of Israel came near Gibeah, and the men of Benjamin once again rushed upon them, and eighteen thousand soldiers of Israel were slain (20:25). Israel retreated, and went up to Bethel, “and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ²⁷And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days” (having been relocated to Bethel from Shiloh, perhaps for the battle, 20:26-27). “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron” was the high priest,” enquired of the LORD for Israel, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” (20:28) The LORD assured Israel, “Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand” (20:28).

With the assurance the LORD was with them, Israel “set liers in wait,” men who would ambush the soldiers of Benjamin when they gave chase out of Gibeah (20:29). On the third day of the battle, the men of Benjamin rushed out of the city as before, not knowing there were soldiers of Israel lying in wait to attack the city (20:29-30). Israel’s soldiers retreated, thus drawing the men of Benjamin away from the city (20:32). As Benjamin pursued Israel, ten thousand men of Israel overran the city of Gibeah (20:33-34). With the LORD on their side, Israel “destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men” (20:35).

When they saw the flames and smoke rising over Gibeah, the men of Benjamin realized “that evil was come upon them. ⁴²Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them [other citizens of Benjamin] which came out of the cities they [Israel] destroyed in the midst of them” (20:41-42).

When the day’s battle was finished, Israel had killed all the people of Benjamin, burned their cities, and killed their beasts (20:42). There remained only six hundred men of Benjamin, who had fled and found safety “in the rock Rimmon four months” (20:47).

The tribe of Benjamin had tolerated, and protected the sodomite sins of Gibeah, and the toll of that decision brought the tribe nearly to extinction. Benjamin was decimated, and only six hundred men remained alive (20:47-48).

The final chapter in our study of the Book of Judges will find Israel bewailing all that had come to pass in Israel (21:1-3).

“Lawlessness Breeds Moral Degeneracy” (Judges 19-20)

Scripture reading – Judges 19-20

A familiar refrain in the latter chapters of the Book of Judges is: “It came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel” (19:1).

Consider the question, “When was there no king [literally, no ruler or judge] in Israel?” The answer gives us a different perspective for the events recorded in today’s Scripture reading. I believe Judges 17-21 falls chronologically between the death of Joshua (Joshua 24:29-33, Judges 1:1-2:15), and the beginning of the era of the judges (Judges 2:16), when “the Spirit of the LORD came upon [Othniel], and he judged Israel” (3:8-10).

A contemporary application: The tragic events that occur in today’s Scripture reading, Judges 19-20, are a reflection of the lawlessness, and moral degeneracy of a society when men reject the Law of the LORD, and His Commandments.

Lesson: When spiritual leaders fail to preach, and teach the Word of God, they not only fail the LORD, they fail their families, community, and nation. Consider with me a time of lawlessness, much like our day, “when there was no king [no judge, no ruler] in Israel” (19:1).

Judges 19 – The Levite, and His Unfaithful Concubine

A man of the priestly tribe of Levi, passed through Mount Ephraim (near the place where the Tabernacle was located), and took to wife “a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah [Bethlehem of Judah]” (19:1). The woman was most likely a concubine, because she had come to the marriage without a dowry. She would have been considered a lesser wife, and her children would have had no right of inheritance.

Tragically, the Levite’s concubine played the harlot, and left the Levite and returned to her father’s house (19:2). Four months passed, and the Levite and his servant, determined to travel to Bethlehem, and with kind words, endeavor to “bring her again” to his home (19:3). The concubine’s father rejoiced when the Levite came to claim his daughter (19:3). The man pressed upon his son-in-law to accept his invitation to continue in his home, and “he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there” (19:4).

For four days, the Levite, his concubine, and servant continued with his father-in-law, and on the fifth day, though the father protested, the Levite set out on his journey to Shiloh (where the Tabernacle was located, 19:18). Because the hour was late, the servant pressed the Levite to stay the night near “Jebus” (ancient Jerusalem, 19:10-11). The Levite, however, refused to spend the night in Jerusalem, for it was occupied by Jebusites, and not the children of Israel. Instead, they made their way to Gibeah, a city occupied by the tribe of Benjamin, and arrived in the city as “the sun went down upon them” (19:14).

The Tragedy of Depravity in Gibeah

Contrary to the Law’s injunction to show compassion to the sojourner, no man of Gibeah offered the Levite, and his concubine provision or lodging for the night, and he settled to spend the night in the city street (19:15). An old man, however, whose birthplace was Mount Ephraim, resided in Gibeah, and spied the Levite and his company. The old man offered them lodging for the night (19:16-20), and though the Levite resisted his invitation, he pressed upon him, saying, “lodge not in the street” (19:20).

The old man was entertaining his guests, when “the men of the city, certain sons of Belial [wicked, immoral men], beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him” (19:22).

Like Lot, who found his household beset by the wicked men of Sodom (Genesis 19:4-9), the old man’s endeavor to reason with the sodomites of Gibeah proved futile (19:23). Though he defined their passions as wickedness, and folly (19:23), their immoral desire, and lust would not be assuaged. Following the manner of Lot, and to save the Levite from the violence of the mob, the old man offered his virgin daughter, and the Levite’s concubine to “do with them what seemeth good unto you” (19:24). Even that shameless attempt to pacify the lusts of the sodomites failed, and did not deter them from their debased objective (19:24).

Tragically, choosing to save himself, and his host from the degenerate mob, the Levite thrust his concubine out of the house. The men of Gibeah raped, and “abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go” (19:25), and retreated to their households (19:26).

What a hideous thought, that a man would give his wife to a mob to be abused, while he sheltered in the security of a household! Nevertheless, we read, the Levite “rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold” (19:25).

Can you picture this tragic moment? With a callousness that defies love, the Levite opened the door, not to search for his wife, but to go on his journey (19:27). He knew the violence of the Sodomite culture, and what she would have suffered, and no doubt believed she would be dead. Instead, she had made her way to the threshold of the house; battered, bruised, bleeding, and demeaned, she found the door closed to her cries, and died (19:27).

What manner of man would give his beloved to suffer, and himself be spared? The same who would fail to stoop, and caress her, and say, “Up, and let us be going” (19:28). The abused woman did not stir, and she did not answer. Her life was gone, her soul departed. She had died from the violence of the mob that had made her the object of their lusts. Taking up her lifeless body from the threshold, the Levite placed her upon his donkey, and went to his house (19:28).

Remembering there was no king, judge, or ruler in Israel, the Levite had no place to appeal for justice.

The city of Gibeah, and the tribe of Benjamin had sheltered, and tolerated a great evil in their land, and the Levite determined to appeal to all Israel for justice. He “took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her [body parts] into all the coasts [boundaries, tribes] of Israel” (19:29). The Levite’s deed left Israel shaken, and the children of Israel gathered to weigh the spiritual state of their nation, and what must be done (19:30, 20:1).

Author’s note: In a later devotional, I hope to consider the events that follow in Judges 20, and their application to our own society, and world.

The Curse of a Dying Nation: Feminine Men, and Rebellious Women (Deuteronomy 28)

Scripture reading – Deuteronomy 28

The sum of today’s Scripture reading is essentially two words: Blessings and Cursings. Deuteronomy 27concluded with the people affirming their understanding of God’s Covenant, and agreeing to both its blessings and penalties (27:15-26). Deuteronomy 28 continues the same proclamation, detailing the LORD’S promise of His blessings if the people would obey His Laws and Commandments (28:1-14), and curses should they disobey (28:15-68).

The Rewards and Blessings of Faithfulness (28:1-14)

The promise of blessings was conditional, and would be fulfilled, but only if the people would “observe and to do all His commandments.” If the people would “hearken…observe…and do all His commandments,” the LORD promised He would “set [Israel] on high above all nations of the earth” (28:1). All would be blessed, both city and field (28:3), and would be fruitful and increase. Children would be born; cattle would calve, and the flocks of sheep would increase. The fields would give forth a great harvest (28:4-6).

Israel’s enemies would fall before them, and be scattered (28:7). Her storehouses, and treasuries would overflow (28:8-14). The LORD promised He would open the treasury of heaven, send rain upon the land, and the nations of the world would become debtors to Israel (28:12). All this was promised, if Israel obeyed the LORD’s Law, and His Commandments (28:13-14).

The Penalties of God’s Judgment for Disobedience (28:15-68)

The balance of Deuteronomy 28 predicts the punishments that would befall Israel as a nation, should the people turn from the LORD, and disobey His Law, and Commandments (28:15-68). In the same way the LORD promised to bless the nation if the people obeyed Him, the opposite was true should they disobey Him. The curses are far too extensive for me to address individually; however, we should notice the sum of them in our Scripture reading.

Should Israel reject Him, the LORD warned He would abandon them to their enemies (28:45-47), and the people would become slaves to their enemies (this would come to pass during the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and be repeated in the Roman era). The fruitfulness of their lands, trees, and storehouses would be eaten by their enemies. Their cattle, and flocks would be destroyed (28:48-51).

When the cities would be besieged, the starving people would turn to cannibalism, and eat “the flesh of [their]sons and of [their] daughters (28:52-53). Their men would become effeminate, “tender among you, and very delicate” (28:54), and their women would no longer be “tender and delicate” (28:56). The eyes of a wife would “be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter” (28:56). Leaving her natural affection, Moses warned a mother “shall eat [her children] for want of all things secretly in the siege” (28:57).

Because the people had rejected the LORD, and disobeyed His Law, the LORD promised to bring upon the nation “great plagues…and sore sicknesses” (28:59). Israel would be overcome with plagues (28:58-60), and the births of the children would be few (28:62-63). The nation would be conquered, the people scattered, oppressed, and enslaved (28:64-65).

Fear, dread, and depression would haunt the nation, and the people would dread the night, and the dawn (28:66-67). Eventually, they would be taken from their land, “see it no more again…[and] be sold unto [their enemies]” as slaves (28:68). All of this did come to pass in AD 70 when Titus, the Roman General, destroyed Jerusalem, and the Jews were scattered throughout the nations.

I close, being reminded, the pattern of decline seen in today’s Scripture is a foretelling of judgment upon all nations that reject God. History records the rise and fall of nations, and no nation can long reject God without experiencing moral decay, and the judgment of God.

My own country, is following the path God promised to curse.

Everywhere I look, I see the evidences of a nation whom God has turned over to its enemies. We are enslaved, and become a debtor nation to our enemies. The women of our nation, take the lives of their unborn in grotesque abortions, as surely as if they cannibalize them from the womb (28:52-53). Effeminate men, “tender [and]delicate” (28:54) are celebrated, and rebellious women blight our society, and with an “evil eye,” look upon their husbands and children (28:56-57). We are experiencing epidemics, a failing birthrate, and a fear, and dread of the future such as I have not witnessed in my lifetime.

If America does not repent of her sins, and turn to God, she is doomed.

"From The Heart of A Shepherd" by Pastor Travis D. Smith

Daily Devotional Meditations and a Biblical Perspective on Current Events