Reading: Genesis 16-18
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy
the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be
fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and
not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the
righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be
as the wicked, that be far from Thee: Shall not the Judge of
all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom
fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place
for their sakes(Gen. 18:23-26).
Today’s reading contains a somewhat confusing and frequently
misinterpreted passage. At the conclusion of their
meal, the Lord and his traveling companions, having revealed
themselves to Abraham (Abram), prepare to take their leave.
And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah
is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will
go down now, and see whether they have done altogether
according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if
not, I will know (Gen. 18:20-21). The companions then set out
towards Sodom, but Abraham stood in front of the Lord, clearly
struggling with the concept of divine judgment. And Abraham
drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous
with the wicked? What comes next has often been interpreted as an intense
bargaining session in which Abraham pleads for the lives of
the righteous, and God acquiesces to his demands. This,
of course, is patently ridiculous. God is not a man, that He
should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent:
hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken,
and shall He not make it good (Num. 23:19)? Abraham was
neither attempting to interfere in the will of God nor questioning
the Lord’s moral integrity. Humbly, with full knowledge that he
was speaking to the Creator of all things, Abraham sought to
understand the limits of God’s grace. From fifty, to forty-five, to forty, to thirty, to twenty, to ten,
Abraham interceded with God for the lives of the righteous. At
each level, God revealed that if that number were to be found, He would spare all the place for their sakes. God already
knew what He would find when He reached Sodom. He knew
that there was no longer any means by which her people could
be saved, but He persisted in His conversation with Abraham so
that Abraham could realize the limitless nature of God’s grace. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance (II Pet. 3:9). By the end of his conversation with
God, Abraham recognized that God’s judgment was balanced
by justice, tempered with mercy, and administered with love.
Abraham’s questions sought to determine at what point God
believed that evil negated the value of good. God’s answers
made it clear that He did not administer judgment on a ‘graded
curve’ or by the balance of the scale. By the end of the conversation,
Abraham understood that faith meant trusting God
to make the ‘right’ call for everyone involved. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come(Matt. 24:12-14). Thought For Today:We need never bargain with God for our
lives; if we hand them over to Him, they will be secure. Christ Revealed:As the Seed of Isaac, Jesus . . . Which was the son of
Jacob, which was the Son of Isaac (Gen. 17:19; Luke 3:23-34; Heb. 11:18). Word Studies:16:6 hardly = harshly; 16:7 fountain = spring; 16:14 Beerlahairoi
= well of the Living One who sees me; 16:16 fourscore = 4 x 20 =
80; 17:1 be thou perfect = live to please the Lord; 17:10 be circumcised =
a physical sign of accepting the Covenant of God; 17:20 beget = be father of Pray For Staff:Gilbert Palafox • Government Official: Rep. Frank Lucas
(OK) • Country: Mozambique (24,692,144) Southeastern Africa • Major
Languages: Emakhuwa, Portuguese, Xichangana • Religious Freedom
• 28.4% Roman Catholic; 27.7% Protestant; 17.9% Muslim; 7.3% Other;
18.7% None • Prayer Suggestion: Express your gratitude for the lovingkindness
of God (Jer. 32:17-18). Optional ReadingMatthew 6