Abraham was walking with them to send them off (Gen. 18:16).

Transcription

1 16 Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off (Gen. 18:16). 18:16 The wickedness of the men of Sodom against the Lord (13:13) cried out to heaven for punishment (18:20). The Angel of Yahweh and the other two angels looked down toward Sodom in anticipation of its coming judgment. At this point Abraham was unaware that God s judgment of Sodom was imminent. God was about to reveal to Abraham that Sodom would be judged for the exceeding wickedness of its men (13:13). There was a double motivation for this revelation: 1. Abraham was going to be a blessing to the nations, so an account should be given to him when one nation was to be removed from that opportunity. 2. Abraham would be better equipped to teach justice and righteousness to his descendants. 297

2 17 The LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him (Gen. 18:17 19). After God reviewed with Abraham the reasons for sharing His plans for the destruction of Sodom, He told the patriarch that He was about to investigate the wicked condition of that city. This news moved Abraham to ask God to be just in His dealings with the righteous there. In 18:17 33 Moses recounts Abraham's intercession for the righteous in Sodom, especially Abraham s nephew Lot. A rhetorical question in each section of this chapter Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? (v. 14); Shall not the Judge of all the earth give right judgment? (v. 25) sounds the major motif of each unit (vv and vv ). In both units it is some kind of noise that provokes Yahweh Sarah's laugh (v. 12) and Sodom's outcry (v. 20). 18:17 19 God chose to reveal to Abraham His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He did so because of His plans for Abraham. He wanted to challenge Abraham to act wisely and nobly for justice. "Righteousness and justice" (v. 19) may be a hendiadys meaning "genuine righteousness" (cf. Mic. 3:1; 4:8). 298

3 20 And the LORD said, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know (Gen. 18:20 21). 18:20 21 In this section (vv. 1 21) we have an illustration of fellowship with God and some of its essential features. Fellowship is the crowning purpose of God's revelation (1 John 1:3). There is nothing higher than this, for man's life finds its complete fulfillment in union and communion with God. Notice the following elements: 1. Sacred Intimacy 2. Genuine Humility 3. Special Revelation Fellowship with God is always associated with the knowledge of His will. Servants do not know their master's purposes, but friends and intimates do. 4. Unique Association The man who is in fellowship with God does not merely know the Divine will, but becomes associated with God in the carrying out of that will. "I will go down" (v. 21) is another anthropomorphism emphasizing God's omniscience (cf. Ps. 113:4 6). God always thoroughly investigates a situation before passing judgment and sending calamity. The Lord would not arbitrarily destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. As a fair and just judge, He would examine the evidence and then reward their deeds appropriately. The anthropomorphic language veils the ontological reality of God's omniscience, but the Lord seems to have been more concerned in this context with revealing Himself as a fair judge, emphasizing the importance of human responsibility and inviting Abraham to assume the role of an intercessor. 299

4 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD (Gen. 18:22). 18:22 Only the two angels went to Sodom. The Angel of Yahweh (the LORD) remained with Abraham. This gave Abraham an opportunity to express his concern for others. Earlier Abram had been courteous and considerate with Lot regarding division of the land (13:8 9). Now he would demonstrate similar concern for Lot s welfare. 300

5 23 Abraham came near and said, Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly? (Gen. 18:23 25) 18:23 25 This is the first time in Scripture that a man initiated a conversation with God. Abraham was magnanimous: he prayed for all the righteous people of Sodom, not just Lot. Abraham s question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly? suggests that it would be unjust to destroy the righteous with the wicked, presumably because such action would punish righteous people for the sins of others. Abraham was asking Yahweh for clarification regarding judgment of wickedness. In addition to justice, Abraham was concerned about God s mercy: would the presence of righteous people within a city cause God to defer punishment of that city? 301

6 26 So the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account (Gen. 18:26). 18:26 The Lord declared that the presence in Sodom of fifty righteous people would cause Him to spare the whole city. The Lord s quantification ( fifty ) led Abraham to wonder, How small a minority of righteous people in a city would lead Yahweh to spare the city from judgment? 302

7 27 And Abraham replied, Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the LORD, although I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five? And He said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose forty are found there? And He said, I will not do it on account of the forty (Gen. 18:27 29). 18:27 29a In humility ( I am but dust and ashes ) Abraham asked the Lord if the presence in Sodom of forty-five righteous people would prevent the city s destruction. The Lord assured Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom if He found forty-five righteous people there. Abraham asked the same question with the number of righteous people reduced to forty. 303

8 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose forty are found there? And He said, I will not do it on account of the forty (Gen. 18:29). 18:29b Yahweh assured Abraham that He would not destroy the city if He found forty righteous people there. 304

9 30 Then he said, Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there? And He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there (Gen. 18:30). 18:30 Abraham repeated his question with the number reduced to thirty. The answer remained the same: I will not do it if I find thirty there. 305

10 31 And he said, Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there? And He said, I will not destroy it on account of the twenty (Gen. 18:31). 18:31 In humility Abraham repeated his question with the number reduced to twenty. The answer remained the same: I will not destroy it on account of the twenty. 306

11 32 Then he said, Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there? And He said, I will not destroy it on account of the ten (Gen. 18:32). 18:32 Abraham repeated his question with the number reduced to ten. The answer remained the same: I will not destroy it on account of the ten. The presence of righteous people in the world benefits the wicked because the justice of the LORD will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. The mystery of lawlessness (cf. 2 Thess. 2:7) is not that there is so much of it in the world, but that there is not more of it. What would happen if all of the righteous people (those who have been declared righteous on the basis of their faith in God s promises) were to be taken out of the world? Lawlessness would then be unrestrained, and the judgment of God would be imminent. 307

12 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place (Gen. 18:33). 18:33 After that the Angel of Yahweh departed, Abraham returned to his tent, and the other two angels continued on toward Sodom, where they would arrive in the evening (19:1). Abraham's intercession raises several questions in the minds of thoughtful Bible students. Did Abraham succeed in his intercession, since God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? Some interpreters believe he did not because he quit too soon. One writes: Abraham ceased asking before God ceased giving. But notice that it was the Angel of Yahweh, not Abraham, who terminated the conversation. This conclusion assumes that Abraham's primary purpose was to get God to demonstrate mercy and to spare the cities for the sake of their few righteous inhabitants (v. 24). While this idea was obviously in Abraham's mind, his primary purpose seems rather to have been to secure justice (i.e., deliverance) for the righteous minority in their wicked cities (vv. 23, 24). Secondarily, he wanted God to spare the cities. This interpretation finds support in Abraham's appeal to the justice of God rather than to His mercy (v. 25). This appeal was the basis of his intercession. Abraham was jealous for the reputation of Yahweh among his neighbors. If this was indeed his primary purpose, Abraham succeeded in obtaining justice for the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. A second question arises from Abraham's method of interceding. Is his haggling with God an example we should follow? Evidently Abraham was not trying to wear God down by pressuring Him. Instead he was seeking clarification from God as to the extent of His mercy. He wanted to find out how merciful God would be in judging these cities. Why did Abraham stop with ten righteous people (v. 32)? Perhaps he had learned that the Lord would be merciful regardless of the number. Perhaps he thought there would be at least ten righteous in those two cities. If so, he underestimated the wickedness of the Sodomites, and, perhaps, he overestimated righteous Lot's influence over his neighbors. 308

13 Will God spare a city or nation today because of the Christians in it? This passage is helpful in answering this question because in it we can see that a godly minority does play a role in influencing God's judgment. It can delay judgment by promoting godliness. However a godly minority may not prevent God's judgment if "sin is exceedingly grave" (v. 20). God does not always choose to remove the righteous from the wicked (as He did in Lot's case) before He judges the wicked. Nevertheless the Judge of all the earth does deal justly. We can see this when we take the long view. People alive now have yet to receive their final judgment from the divine Judge. Abraham's shameless, bold persistence with God illustrates what Jesus had in mind when he taught the importance of these qualities in prayer (e.g., Luke 11:5 10; 18:1 8). Threefold repetition is common in Scripture, but Abraham's doubling of it (to a six-fold repetition) gives his request even more solemnity and weight. Chapter 18 illustrates a progression in Abraham's relationship with God that is normal for those who have a relationship with Him. 1. God revealed Himself to Abraham (v. 1). 2. Abraham welcomed God's revelation (vv. 2 3). 3. Fellowship resulted (vv. 4 8). They ate together. 4. This fellowship led to further revelation and greater understanding of God's will (vv. 9 22). 5. Having learned of God's purpose to judge the sinners, Abraham's response was to intercede for those under God's judgment (vv ). It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pray effectively for lost souls if one is not convinced that lostness will ultimately result in literal, eternal punishment. The outstanding lesson of this section is probably that since God is a righteous Judge He will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. 309

14 There are several life lessons (applications) that derive from a study of Genesis 18:16 33: 1. A teacher of righteousness helps others know the mind and character of God. Such teachers demonstrate God s righteousness, especially in times of judgment. 2. A nation may be preserved because of a righteous remnant. Sometimes God is willing to spare the wicked for the sake of the righteous. 3. To live in conformity with the will of God (righteousness) and to make right decisions based on His will (justice) are conditions for inheriting the full blessings of God s promises. 4. Those who would enjoy God s blessing will promote righteousness and justice; in so doing they may appeal to God for just judgment to preserve the righteous. 5. The Lord s judgment is always based on full and accurate information. He is fully aware of both righteousness and wickedness. 6. The righteous may be confident that the righteous Judge of the earth will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. 7. God is not an indifferent or tyrannical distributor of rewards and punishments. Rather, God actively seeks a way out of death for us all. 8. The God of justice is also a God of mercy. 9. The presence of the righteous in the world benefits the wicked because the justice of the Lord will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. 310