The Pied Piper Of Sodom
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:14 ESV
The year was 1254 and the town of Hamelin had a serious problem. It was infested with rats, or so the legend goes. An army of rodents had taken over the town, causing life to be unbearable. The rats peeped day and night, bit the children, and caused such dread that the city was slowly being abandoned. The townspeople had to do something. And so, when a man in brightly colored clothing passed through, promising to rid Hamelin of its rats by simply playing a tune on his flute, they offered him his fee. What happened next became a story that has become entrenched in the city of Hamelin, Germany to this day.
The Pied Piper lifted his flute and played such an alluring song that the rats followed him down to the riverbank and drowned. The town council, being delighted that the problem was solved, refused to pay the man his shekel. The Pied Piper lifted his flute once more dispelling a melody that so enraptured the children that they followed him out into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

Now, it seems the obvious lesson is that you should always pay a man for a job well done, but I’d like to apply it in a different direction. There is a Pied Piper afoot in this world that has been playing a deceptive tune for thousands of years. It is the Pied Piper of Sodom and Gomorrah.
When Abram gave Lot a choice of the land, he chose the valley which appealed to him for its advantages. Without seeking the Lord’s direction, this young nephew of the first Jew chose a path that destroyed his life. He pitched his tent in the direction of two very wicked, sister cities. Before long, he was living in Sodom with his family. The New Testament says that the evil lifestyle of that city vexed Lot’s righteous soul every day. He was a believer and yet he lived in a town that hated God, surrounded by debauchery. The entire emphasis of Lot’s life was what he could get for himself. Today, the lure of this world still reaches out with sticky tentacles to those who know Christ.
The Pied Piper of Sodom calls Christians to quietly accept the tenets of this world system, but not in the way of gross immorality. Satan desires the church to be respectable in the eyes of the world. His melody beckons us to project a religion that does not judge, a gospel that does not offend, and a Savior that understands how we feel. His tune demands that we do not finish our prayer using the name of the One who hung on a bloody cross. The devil is delighted with our church attendance as long as we keep our faith within the four walls of our assembly place. Ballplayers who start giving thanks to Jesus are silenced by a commercial break.
This world is not our home. Abraham wandered in tents, never joining any Canaanite village. He looked for a city with eternal foundations. Lot lost his family and his testimony by a choice multiplied repeatedly through the ages by Christians. The Pied Piper of Sodom will lead you to nothing but heartache. Reject the world and stay on the lonely road of tent dwelling with Jesus.
Thank you, Mike for your God-given wisdom and insight.