Woe to you who make your neighbors
drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drink so as to look on
their nakedness. You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
Now you yourself drink and exposed your own nakedness. The cup in the
Lord's right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will
come upon your glory. Habakkuk 2:15-16
Sounds like the bar scene, doesn't it?
How many guys urge gals to have another drink, and then slip them a
mickey? It happened to a gal I knew in college, and probably to
someone you know who went off with someone they did not know and
drank with them. It is a sad story for many gals, but all too common.
Even a cell phone company is using this scenario as a commercial, the
gal waking up in bed to the sounds of an electric toothbrush,
grabbing the contract in the bed next to her, and finding out she had
signed it. You could tell she barely remembered the night before due
to a drink or two.
But it is the ones who use these drinks
to take advantage of others that Habakkuk was speaking to. There is
nothing new under the sun, people. Wicked folks were using strong
drink to take sexual advantage of others since the beginning of time.
There are prurient interests in seeing people naked all over. Even the
prime-time tv shows are showing more and more skin, pushing the
limits of soft-core porn. Colleges are publishing magazines with it.
Newsstands carry Cosmo and other things more revealing for wandering
eyes.
So those who entice people to shed the
covering get one of two responses. The editors of Playboy get
accollades and are called artists, while those who post encounters on
Facebook get blasted. But both those who take advantage, whether by
paying someone to strip down or by force or deception, both will be
exposed for what they are sooner or later. Both are lechers, and God
will make them drink of the cup that they force on others. They will
be put to shame.
Never has that been more sadly true
than in the media right now. A Christian family, good, God-fearing
people, had a son use women long ago. But the cup has come around to
this son. He has been exposed and disgraced. Unfortunately, it has
taken the testimony of the whole family down with him. That is how it
works. Sadly, the scripture, “Be sure your sin will find you out,”
has come to pass. I do not condemn them. Every family has their
skeletons in the closet to some degree. We have influence, but not
control, over members of our family. We have our own. Drunkenness,
abuse, adultery, divorce, debt, suicide, mental illness,
illegitimacy...they hang on limbs of our family tree. And I'll bet
they hang on most of yours. If not, be eternally grateful! Some of
God's closest relationships here on earth were with people who
exhibited many of those traits. Noah drank himself naked, David took
someone's wife, abused her, and committed adultery. Elijah was
suicidal after being chased by Jezebel. Lot committed incest...you get
the point. It doesn't mean that there were not consequences.
Certainly just reading these things makes your opinions of them
diminish...tarnish coats the knights in shining armor. It in no way
excuses their behavior. IN NO WAY! But God has the ultimate
perspective. He knows we are but dust, and in case you don't know it,
there is no good use for dust. We throw it out. It is dirty and
destructive and can ultimately lead to damage to the surfaces or
crevices to which it attaches itself. The very computer you are
reading can be brought to an abrupt end by dust in the works. But the
question is, are we grieving with this family or relishing the
scandal? Are we glad that this son renounced these things years ago and
that they were dealt with, or are we feeling pious that no such thing
has happened in our home? Are we getting all comfortable with the
idea that they didn't bring this to light so they deserve this
horror? What if everything that has gone wrong in your family was
exposed to the world? How embarrassed would you be if the times you
screwed up were put on public display? Every call from the principal?
Every scream? Every thought? Every relative? The good news is that repentant people are forgiven even these vices. Jesus took the penalty. But it cost Him plenty.
There will be consequences. There were
in Habakkuk's day, and there still are in ours. But God doesn't leave
us there. For those who cling to the Lord, He will be their strength
and salvation. He will secure their footings once again. Those who
continue to sin and not repent, those will be thoroughly destroyed.
So we have a choice. Will we be humbled and repent or will we
continue to be blind-drunk, placing ourselves in the hands of those
who would only use and abuse us? Will we use and abuse others,
tricking them into doing things they would not do if they were in
control of themselves? Are there sins we need to repent of and renounce before we are humbled publicly?
The cup God hands you, that of
destruction and humbling, or of rejoicing, will depend on it.
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