Genesis 18C (2011) When we last met, we left Abraham and the Lord standing together on a hillside overlooking the Arabah valley below the Dead Sea

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1 Genesis 18C (2011) When we last met, we left Abraham and the Lrd standing tgether n a hillside verlking the Arabah valley belw the Dead Sea Sme 25 miles t the sutheast lie the cities f Sdm and Gmrrah These cities were amng the mst sinful, the mst depraved f any places ever knwn n earth S evil were these twns that the Lrd decided t make examples f them Mments earlier, the Lrd dispatched the tw angels wh had accmpanied Him t Abraham s tent int the cities In Abraham s presence, the Lrd instructed the angels t investigate reprts f the great wickedness in Sdm and Gmrrah And if these reprts were true, the Lrd wuld take actin against the cities This was the plan the Lrd annunced befre Abraham, but we nted in ur last lessn that the Lrd was already certain f the sin in the cities Therefre His angels were nt visiting the cities merely t cnfirm the reprts They were traveling with anther purpse entirely, ne which becmes evident later in ur stry And likewise, the Lrd s cmments in Abraham s hearing revealed His true intentins The Lrd wanted t shw Abraham what wuld happen next and why it must happen S the Lrd culd teach Abraham imprtant lessns he must understand if he is t raise a natin accrding t Gd s desires Mrever, the Lrd wants t give Abraham the pprtunity t jin in the Lrd s wrk thrugh prayer 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Genesis 18C 2 We ll begin reading tday in v.22 just as the Lrd and Abraham are left alne t cntemplate the fate f Sdm and Gmrrah Gen. 18:22 Then the men turned away frm there and went tward Sdm, while Abraham was still standing befre the LORD. Gen. 18:23 Abraham came near and said, Will Yu indeed sweep away the righteus with the wicked? Gen. 18:24 Suppse there are fifty righteus within the city; will Yu indeed sweep it away and nt spare the place fr the sake f the fifty righteus wh are in it? Gen. 18:25 Far be it frm Yu t d such a thing, t slay the righteus with the wicked, s that the righteus and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it frm Yu! Shall nt the Judge f all the earth deal justly? As this scene begins, we find the Lrd standing alne with Abraham And it s clear that the Lrd has remained here in Abraham s presence t allw pprtunity fr this cnversatin The Lrd has determined t shw Abraham what He will d in Sdm And nw cmes the cnversatin the Lrd intended t have with Abraham But the Lrd waits fr Abraham t begin the cnversatin The Lrd has revealed Himself t Abraham and He has revealed His plans And nw it falls t Abraham t respnd and jin the wrk What chices did Abraham have? Abraham culd have chsen t stand silently, effectively remaining n the sidelines, while Gd s wrk went frward But we knw Gd wants Abraham t get invlved, hence the Lrd s decisin t reveal His plans as He did Hw culd Abraham respnd? The Lrd has revealed His plans in such a way that nly ne respnse is pssible The Lrd annunced that He was prepared t bring judgment against the sin f Sdm and Gmrrah if they angels fund their depravity t be true 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Genesis 18C 3 Abraham knws f the depravity f these cities After all, if the news f their depravity has reached t Heaven, then certainly the news traveled a few miles away t Abraham He knws that these cities will be fund guilty as charged when the angels visit And he makes the crrect and bvius cnclusin: the cities wuld be destryed by Gd s wrath Earlier, these cities had cme under attack by a pwerful ruling authrity The kings f the nrth came t judge the cities fr their rebellin against the kings authrity The cities were laid waste, and everyne in the city was taken away Even Abraham s wn relative Lt and Lt s family had been caught up in the calamity But Abraham intervened t save the city Nt t save the king and peple f Sdm, fr they deserved the judgment frm the kings Rather, Abraham intervened - with Gd supprting him - t rescue Lt, wh was unfairly included in the judgment Nw here again, the city is abut the face judgment, but this time frm the ultimate authrity There is n frce r king greater than the Lrd S if Abraham is t rescue his nephew again, he can t assemble his men fr battle Instead, Abraham will have t appeal t the Lrd Himself And in ding s, Abraham nce again becmes the man intervening fr the sake f Lt and his family S as Abraham cntemplates the Lrd s wrath upn a depraved and unrepentant city, he wrries abut the fate f Lt and in v.2 he drew near t the Lrd 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Genesis 18C 4 This is essentially prayer, a petitin placed befre the Lrd Whether the Lrd is seated in Heaven r standing next t us, makes n difference We draw near t Him when we petitin Him, placing ur requests befre Him Abraham begins t speak with the Lrd in the frm f questins He asks the Lrd if He will indeed (r als) sweep away the righteus with the wicked? The city f Sdm is undubtedly filled with unrighteus And they are deserving f Gd s judgment In this case, the judgment is earthly...the destructin f the city and the lss f their earthly lives But then that will lead t their eternal judgment in a future day Nevertheless, the sweeping manner f destructin will stand as an example f hw Gd respnds t rebellin Knwing Gd s actins will create a perceived amng men, Abraham seizes n an pprtunity t rescue Lt nce again He asks the Lrd t cnsider the example He will create if He appears t treat wickedness and righteusness in the same way? What will peple say if the righteus are swept away in the same judgment with the wicked? Even thugh the righteus enter int a glrius eternity after death, nevertheless the wrld will perceive the Lrd t have been unjust Abraham appeals t Gd s perfect character and name He asks if the Lrd wuld risk His reputatin by treating bth the righteus and the unrighteus alike? Ntice in v.25 Abraham says shuldn t the Judge f the earth be seen as One Wh deals justly? 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Genesis 18C 5 Abraham is praying r petitining the Lrd in exactly the right way here Abrahams appeal t the Lrd is based n an expectatin that the Lrd will act in ways cnsistent with His character and nature This the fundatin f effective prayer - praying fr utcmes that are cnsistent with Gd s character We are tld in Scripture t seek fr His will, nt ur will The mdel Jesus gave us begins by calling t mind the hliness f Gd s name, which means His nature and very being Then Jesus says we shuld call fr the Father s kingdm and His purpse t be dne, nt ur will James eches these expectatins James 4:2 Yu lust and d nt have; s yu cmmit murder. Yu are envius and cannt btain; s yu fight and quarrel. Yu d nt have because yu d nt ask. James 4:3 Yu ask and d nt receive, because yu ask with wrng mtives, s that yu may spend it n yur pleasures. If we petitin the Lrd with wrng, wrldly mtives, we shuld expect Him t refuse ur requests Because His desire is t see us fllwing Him and His plan Mses made the right chice when he prayed t the Lrd in the desert Num. 14:11 The LORD said t Mses, Hw lng will this peple spurn Me? And hw lng will they nt believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have perfrmed in their midst? Num. 14:12 I will smite them with pestilence and dispssess them, and I will make yu int a natin greater and mightier than they. Num. 14:13 But Mses said t the LORD, Then the Egyptians will hear f it, fr by Yur strength Yu brught up this peple frm their midst, Num. 14:14 and they will tell it t the inhabitants f this land. They have heard that Yu, O LORD, are in the midst f this peple, fr Yu, O LORD, are seen eye t eye, while Yur clud stands ver them; and Yu g befre them in a pillar f clud by day and in a pillar f fire by night. Num. 14:15 Nw if Yu slay this peple as ne man, then the natins wh have heard f Yur fame will say, Num. 14:16 Because the LORD culd nt bring this peple int the land which He prmised them by ath, therefre He slaughtered them in the wilderness Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Genesis 18C 6 Num. 14:17 But nw, I pray, let the pwer f the Lrd be great, just as Yu have declared, Num. 14:18 The LORD is slw t anger and abundant in lvingkindness, frgiving iniquity and transgressin; but He will by n means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity f the fathers n the children t the third and the furth generatins. Num. 14:19 Pardn, I pray, the iniquity f this peple accrding t the greatness f Yur lvingkindness, just as Yu als have frgiven this peple, frm Egypt even until nw. Num. 14:20 S the LORD said, I have pardned them accrding t yur wrd; The Lrd gave Mses the pprtunity t becme the father f a new natin While this pssibility might have appealed t Mses pride, it wuldn t have been cnsistent with the Lrd s glry S Mses appealed t the Lrd s character and t His reputatin amng the natins, and the Lrd respnded And when we pray fr the Lrd s will and His glry and His name t be magnified, then we are praying in the right way Abraham s specific prayer request is was that if 50 righteus exist in the city, wuld the Lrd wipe the city away? We can see the wheels turning in Abraham s mind, can t we? He wants t save Lt and his family But fr sme reasn, Abraham is afraid t ask fr this specific result He desn t say please save Lt s righteus family Instead, Abraham asks fr the entire city t be saved if 50 righteus live in the city Gen. 18:26 S the LORD said, If I find in Sdm fifty righteus within the city, then I will spare the whle place n their accunt. Of curse, we can take the Lrd at His wrd Had Abraham stpped here and 50 were fund, the city wuld nt have been destryed 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Genesis 18C 7 This is exactly the wrk that the Lrd wanted t see frm His servant Abraham A prayer that petitins the Lrd t mve in ways that are cnsistent with His character And by this petitin, Abraham begins t align himself with that wrk f Gd, exhibiting the Lrd s purpses in his wn desires But remember ur stry f the father and the yung sn wrking n ld car in the garage? The father wants his sn t wrk with him, but he als expects the sn will be clumsy and unfamiliar with the prcess S when the sn grabs the wrng tl r tightens the nut when he shuld have lsened it, the father just smiles and waits fr his sn t discver his mistake And s the Lrd waits as well as Abraham discvers his errr What if there aren t 50 righteus peple in Sdm? Knwing the depravity f the city, it s entirely likely that the city may have fewer than 50 peple wh fllw the Lrd If s, Abraham will fail t save Lt as he hped S Abraham wnders if he can get the Lrd t agree t a change in terms And thus brings the mst remarkable example f bargaining with Gd in the entire Bible Gen. 18:27 And Abraham replied, Nw behld, I have ventured t speak t the Lrd, althugh I am but dust and ashes. Gen. 18:28 Suppse the fifty righteus are lacking five, will Yu destry the whle city because f five? And He said, I will nt destry it if I find frty-five there. Gen. 18:29 He spke t Him yet again and said, Suppse frty are fund there? And He said, I will nt d it n accunt f the frty. Gen. 18:30 Then he said, Oh may the Lrd nt be angry, and I shall speak; suppse thirty are fund there? And He said, I will nt d it if I find thirty there. Gen. 18:31 And he said, Nw behld, I have ventured t speak t the Lrd; suppse twenty are fund there? And He said, I will nt destry it n accunt f the twenty Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Genesis 18C 8 Gen. 18:32 Then he said, Oh may the Lrd nt be angry, and I shall speak nly this nce; suppse ten are fund there? And He said, I will nt destry it n accunt f the ten. Gen. 18:33 As sn as He had finished speaking t Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned t his place. Abraham draws near the Lrd fr a secnd time I find it interesting that the Lrd was still standing and listening thrughut this exchange He invited Abraham int this exchange and encuraged it by His presence and patience It s clear that Abraham felt nce he had set the pattern fr his petitin that he was bund t it He asked Gd t spare the entire city if a certain number f righteus culd be fund in the city And s as Abraham felt the need t imprve his dds fr Lt s sake, he mves in increments frm 50 t 45 t 40 t 30 t 20 t 10 The readers knw what Abraham is truly seeking: t save Lt And we re as struck by Abraham s persistence and bldness as we are by his btuseness Why did he just ask that the righteus in Lt s family be spared? Perhaps it was because Abraham wasn t sure hw much righteusness existed in Lt s family? In fact, what des it say abut righteus Lt that Abraham felt the need t bargain dwn s lw? Lt has been living in the city fr nearly a quarter century We knw him t be a representative f the living Gd, an ambassadr fr the Lrd living amng the reprbate Surely, Lt has managed t rescue a few alng the way? He has his wife and children and their future husbands And what abut friends, business assciates, neighbrs? 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Genesis 18C 9 Abraham seemed t understand that Lt hadn t been very persuasive He nly felt cmfrtable when he reached 10 Watching Abraham bargain in this way, we learn several valuable lessns cncerning prayer and witnessing First, when we pray we are t pray specifically Jhn tld us t pray specifically in His will 1Jhn 5:14 This is the cnfidence which we have befre Him, that, if we ask anything accrding t His will, He hears us. And as Jesus said, the Father knws what we need befre we ask S ask specifically, in the Father s will, and in accrdance with His character Abraham wanted Lt and his family saved But he asked fr the city t be spared, which really wasn t what Abraham wanted And he asked fr this t happen nly if a certain number f righteus were present in the city His request talked arund the real pint and frced him int a negtiatin when ne wasn t needed Yet still we marvel at the patience f the Lrd He entertained all f Abraham s requests withut shwing the least bit f displeasure If anything, the Lrd was pleased t see His servant wrking s hard t appeal t the Lrd This gives us ur secnd lessn: pray bldly Abraham apprached the Lrd withut fear, expecting t see his bldness rewarded, nt rebuked He appealed t Gd s character but wasn t afraid t ask and ask again But even Abraham fell shrt eventually 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Genesis 18C 10 Abraham stpped at 10, prbably because he assumed it was gd enugh Culd he have gne farther? Abraham stpped asking befre the Lrd stpped agreeing When yu pray, be bld Name yur request plainly Be sure it s inline with Gd s character and nature and purpses And dn t give up n Gd...be persistent Finally, we learn smething abut Lt He was a righteus man, but he lived a srry life f faith He has cnsistently chsen the wrld ver living a life fr the Lrd When he separated frm Abraham, he was attracted by the wellwatered valley f Sdm He traded the testimny f living in tents fr the wrldly security f the city f Sdm And he has been caught up in the trubles that cme upn the wrld Many believers ver the centuries have fllwed in Lt s ftsteps Mst make n excuses fr their chices They prefer t earn the wrld s apprval and gain a name fr themselves here Rather than earning the Lrd s apprval and earning eternal riches thrugh their earthly sacrifices But thers believer think themselves wiser than Lt They chse t unite themselves with the wrld, but as missinaries f srts A marriage t an unbeliever, a business partnership with an unbeliever, fellwship with a unbiblical church 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Genesis 18C 11 cmmunity, a friendship with a wrldly and unbelieving friend And they tell themselves that they can be the influence t bring faith and gdliness If this is truly Gd s call, then they can expect t g in His pwer and see the fruit He has intended But if Gd is nt giving this specific call, then beware Lt prbably tld himself similar lies He prbably tld himself he culd d mre fr the Lrd if he lived in the city He culd witness t the Lrd while living amng the peple f Sdm But he was simply making excuses fr his wn desires The reality is quite different The Bible makes clear that we d ur best wrk fr Gd when we stand apart frm the wrld Jesus tld us t be salt and light in the wrld, but He asked what gd is salt if it has lst it s saltiness? Yes, we are t reach ut t the wrld t bring them the Gd News But we are mst effective in bringing that message when it cmes frm a surce as distinctive as the message itself We cannt expect the wrld t take much interest in ur message when the messenger lives a life n different than their wn Sme might argue that we must identify with the ne s we are trying t reach, and that is very true But we may nly identify in ways that dn t cmprmise ur identity in Christ We can learn their languages, eat their fds, live in their twns 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Genesis 18C 12 But we cannt be mistaken fr ne f them, especially as it relates t fllwing the Lrd and His wrd Lt lived in Sdm fr 25 years but as we ll sn see, he culdn t cnvert his whle family, much less the city And because he chse t identify mre clsely with the city rather than with his Lrd, he will pay a dear price when the Lrd s angels cme calling Lt learned the lessns we all shuld remember: we can t make the wrld hly by ur assciatin But it can make us wrldly As Paul taught: 2Cr. 6:14 D nt be bund tgether with unbelievers; fr what partnership have righteusness and lawlessness, r what fellwship has light with darkness? 2Cr. 6:15 Or what harmny has Christ with Belial, r what has a believer in cmmn with an unbeliever? 2Cr. 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple f Gd with idls? Fr we are the temple f the living Gd; just as Gd said, ı I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 2Cr. 6:17 Therefre, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE, says the Lrd. ı AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcme yu Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.