Is there any connection between Jerusalem and Sodom? Isaiah and Ezekiel had compared Jerusalem to Sodom in the context of God’s wrath visiting them. The sins and iniquities of Jerusalem exceeded those committed by Sodom, say the prophets. A more direct reference is available in the book of Revelation; ‘And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified’ (Rev.11:8). The metaphor of Sodom and Egypt is important because it is a warning about the great city of Jerusalem falling into apostasy in the end times. It will resemble Sodom in sexual immorality, specifically homosexuality (Gen 19:4-5) and arrogance (Isa. 1:10). Also do not forget that Jerusalem is an eternal metaphor for God’s people.
The moral fall of Jerusalem is again highlighted in Eze. 16: 46-58, where God states that when compared to Jerusalem, Sodom will be more justified. Such were the horrendous sins committed by the chosen people in the chosen city of God. John compares Jerusalem to Egypt as well, pointing to the idolatry, rebellion, and hostility towards God’s people. Egypt also symbolises a period of bondage for God’s people. This moral corruption and stubborn unbelief coupled with unparalleled enmity towards God’s people is surely the precursor to an imminent chastisement. For Egypt it was an ordeal of ten plagues culminating in the mass burial of their army under the waters of the Red Sea. For Sodom, it was a single event; fire and sulphur raining upon them at a moment when they least expected it.
Chastisement is the natural consequence of sin. But there is one way to evade it. It is the intercession of righteous people. For Sodom, it was Abraham who interceded before God, though in vain. After many rounds of bargaining, God agreed to spare the city if he could find ten righteous people there. But he could hardly find four; Lot, his wife, and two daughters! What about Jerusalem then? Jeremiah was pained to see the future of Jerusalem in a vision. No doubt, his pain was unbearable (Jer 4:19). Fortunately God was more lenient this time. He came down from his earlier demand of ten righteous people to forgive a city. Now the Lord insisted on one, just one righteous man, in the whole city of Jerusalem so that he could withdraw the proposed punishment. ‘Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note! Search its squares and see if you can find one person who acts justly and seeks truth— so that I may pardon Jerusalem (Jer 5:1).
What little prayers rose from Jerusalem was not sufficient to appease the wrath of God. The judgment against Jerusalem was proclaimed soon and executed without delay. ‘I am going to bring upon you a nation from far away, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb; all of them are mighty warriors. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; they shall destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust’ (Jer 5: 15-17). The book of Lamentations acknowledges that their punishment was more severe than Sodom’s. ‘For the chastisement of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, though no hand was laid on it’ ( Lam 4:6).
Imagine a city under siege. Imagine its hapless people. If it happened to ‘Jerusalem, the city of the Great King’ (Mt 5: 35), It could happen to any city. Imagine then the calls of prophets for righteous men and women to come out and intercede before God to spare their land from total ruin. Pause for a moment and feel the pain that Jeremiah endured for his people.
Intercession is the most powerful weapon in our hands, and it is the most essential one these days. When people around us go on as usual, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage, there must be someone who feels an urge to pray for them. Because, in the absence of intercessory prayer a nation, a people, a generation will perish. Let us redirect our prayers from self centred petitions to supplication for mercy on behalf of our brothers and sisters so that they are spared of the punishment, even while taking care not to forget about our own salvation. May the good Lord bless all of us with the grace to pray vigorously for others.
Remember that a great reward awaits those who pray for others. It is a mark on their foreheads (Eze 9:4) and it is this mark that saves them from chastisement (Rev 7:3, Rev 9:4).
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