The radio station I listen to when I exercise already started reminding the listener how many days we have left to go Christmas shopping. An upscale London department store launched a new gift card with the slogan, “The Gift of Self-Indulgence.” Throughout the store, signs, slogans, and even nametags called attention to the cards. According to one employee, sales of the gift cards during the first weeks of the promotion had been very strong, far exceeding company expectations. Generosity may prompt a person to give a luxurious gift to someone special, but too often we find it easier to purchase what we want for ourselves
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera, God said, “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grave! I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached me.” (18:20) The prophet Ezekiel sheds light on an ancient city whose people suffered God’s judgment, in part, because they embraced a self-indulgent lifestyle. “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. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit” (Ezek. 16:49-50).
Historically, the Lord has dealt harshly with our ancestors who became arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned (v.49). The antidote to the poison of self-indulgence is the desire to please God by serving others, not ourselves.
Self-indulgence is a gift
we don’t need.
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