Biblican References & Me

Biblical References & Me

            I am blessed that God pursues us, for some of us, pursuit into our secret selves.  I love the fact that God’s curiosity about us allows us as humans the freedom of our will thereby for some the freedom of choice, for others an acceptance of who we are born to be. 

            For instance, from the very beginning of sexuality in the bible, I mean beyond Adam and Eve, we have been taught that Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed because of homosexual behavior.  When studying more closely, I find there is a discrepancy of a people who were without worship and were irreverent towards God and a people who were supposedly destroyed because of homosexual behavior.  How could one anomalous sexual behavior be any different than another?  Or how could a just God treat one sexual peculiarity any differently than another?   In Genesis 19:7-8 Lot is speaking to his friends, “…and said, No, my friends.  Don’t do this wicked thing.  Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man.  Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them.  But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”  In II Peter 2:6 “…if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example what is going to happen to the ungodly.  The word for ungodly in the New Testament Greek is asebes; worship irreverent.  The word could be translated; they were without worship, making Sodom and Gomorrah an example to others.    Herein lies the problem, these people (mortals – gender was never written) Genesis 19:4 “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house.  The word men does not mean men as in male human, the word is ‘enowsh or (en-oshe’) which means a mortal, a person in general.  As stated above, there was no gender given, so does it mean that the women, girls, young boys and the elderly that were there were all homosexual? And if so, wouldn’t that mean that the women would have wanted other women, since they at that point did not know the gender of the angels?  II Peter 2:6 “…if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men … if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”     

            A similar situation is found in Judges 19-20:22.  Judges 20:5 states, “During the night the men (Lord, Baal, Master) came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me.  They raped my concubine, and she died.”  Then in Judges 19 it states, “While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house so we may know him ’.”  “The owner of the house went outside and said to them, don’t do this disgraceful thing.  Look here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish.  But to this man, don’t do such a disgraceful thing.”  They raped and abused his concubine throughout the night and at dawn they let her go.  She bakes it to where her master was staying, and falls down dead at the door.   The man takes his dead wife home then divides her body into 12 parts to the 12 tribes of Israel as a witness against the men of Gibeah then Gibeah is destroyed.  Gibeah is destroyed for idol worship, people who were without worship.  Deut.32:17 says, “They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.”    Ezekiel 16:49-50 says,  …”Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things (tow’ebah or commit idol worship) before me.  Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. “

            I believe that my relationship with God is just that MY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.  If I were to look at places in scripture where people were treated unfairly, women, I would be up-in-arms constantly.  But there is a place in me who trusts God and God’s integrity.  I must believe that status and gender are not what matters with God, but love and believe in God accordingly, otherwise, I would find too many excuses not to worship God.  I must be authentic as the Word of God has admonished me to be, I must worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  If I fix myself as a Sunday worshipper only and live Monday through Saturday as an intersexed lesbian I would be guilty of the same debauchery as Sodom and Gomorrah – worshipping the idol god status, compliance, condescension, and etc.  Instead I hope to become transformed by the renewing of my mind and trust that God is who God says He/She really is .  I believe scripture is given to us to help us to live decent lives, to give us a hope fresh and new each day.  To set us apart from unlovely things, Scripture is a place to set my dreams on, a place where I am free.