This summer I spent a month taking a 5,000 mile road trip!

As I drove alone for 5,000 miles, a number of ideas popped into my head. Now that I’m back home in San Jose, I’m turning them into blogs.

When I was in the Northeast, the view was hazy. The rising and setting sun was red.

Why?

Even from more than 2,000 miles away, the smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California darkened the sky and turned the sun red!

It got worse.

By the time I was driving through North Dakota, I could smell the smoke. My eyes burned. I sneezed. I coughed.

I thought of the ways that distant evils—distant fires—hurt us.

It reminded me of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, who lived in Sodom. He “was a righteous man” who was tormented by the evil deeds he heard, saw and felt. (2 Peter 7-8).

What were these evil deeds that tormented him?

According to the Prophet Ezekiel, the people of Sodom were “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things . . ..” (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

The Prophet Ezekiel’s description of evil people sounds as if he was writing about many of the people in the United States today!

Such evil actions hurt righteous people as well as the evil people who are arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; who do not help the poor and needy; and who are haughty and do detestable things.

The Prophet Ezekiel himself agonized over how “distant smoke”—distant evil—ruined his own life and family.

The Babylonians sent him into exile, far from Jerusalem and its Temple. (Ezekiel 1:1-3).

His wife died. (Ezekiel 24:18).

Like Jerusalem and its Temple that the Babylonians destroyed, his wife was the delight of his eyes, the object of his affections, and his heart’s desire. (Ezekiel 24:15-27).

Why did these disasters come?

Because people had eyes that didn’t see and ears that didn’t hear. (Ezekiel 12:1).

Because their leaders lied, leading people astray by “saying ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Ezekiel 13:10).

Once again, the Prophet Ezekiel’s description of evil people and evil leaders sounds as if he was writing about many of the people and leaders in the United States today.

And so, the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel:

[I]f a country sins against me . . . and I stretch out my hand against it to send famine and kill people and their animals, even if these three [righteous people]—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness. . . . .

Or if I bring a sword against that country . . . , as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

Or if I send a plague into that land, . . ., as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.

(Ezekiel 14:12-21).

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For additional thoughts arising from my 5,000 mile road trip in my car nicknamed White Lightning, please read my blogs “Lightning from East to West”, “Directions Along the Way”, “Delays Along the Way”, “Dangers Along the Way—Narrow Roads”, “Dangers Along the Way—Heavy Traffic”, and “Hiding in Plain Sight”.