Articles
The Curse of Comfort
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Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (Eze. 16:49)
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Why do great nations become corrupt and collapse? Ezekiel argues that it's not from bad luck, but from a consistent pattern of poor attitudes and behaviors.
This chapter is a scathing reprimand of Jerusalem in her last days, before the Babylonians destroyed her. Like a brazen prostitute who can't get enough of her paramours, Jerusalem's infatuation with pagan gods had destroyed her self-restraint. At least a prostitute is paid for her shamelessness; Jerusalem was paying her customers for the "privilege" of being abused (v. 33-34).
The comparison with ancient Sodom in verse 49 not only reinforces this theme of sexual perversity, but reveals additional details about the character of both cities that set them up for destruction. Ezekiel points to four factors that corrupted their character.
The first was pride, a sense of self-importance that ignored God's role in their success. Arrogance blinds people to their faults and weaknesses, exposing them to hidden threats that eat away at their security.
The second was fullness of food. The problem was not the affluence per se, but the aura of invincibility that it spawned. They had everything they needed, and more. Who could touch them? Any number of adversaries, as it turned out. But they couldn't see it.
Then there was abundance of idleness. There is nothing wrong with a little rest and relaxation, but when a nation's lifestyle is dominated by the pursuit of pleasure, they've lost sight of their purpose. They become soft, flabby, careless.
Finally, they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Their prosperity provided an opportunity to help those less fortunate--if they cared. But they did not care. There was no compassion, no mercy . . . only selfish indifference. The poor could rot for all they cared.
Pride, prosperity, pleasure, and prejudice. When a society becomes infected by these diseases, it has succumbed to the curse of comfort, and its demise cannot be far off. This pattern of corrupting opulence can be seen again and again throughout history.
These social ills are not the product of impersonal forces. They originate in the hearts of the individuals who make up that society. Friend, that's you and me. The fates of Sodom and Jerusalem should prompt all of us to do some serious self-examination of our own comfortable lives.
--David
