Bargaining with God, Week 6
Notes
Transcript
How many of us have ever questioned God? In Genesis 18, this is exactly what Abraham did. After hearing God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he questioned God. He tried to bargain with God. He was trying to negotiate a pardon for Sodom. God played along. For a while. Then, He accomplished what He intended from the beginning. But, his bargaining has a purpose. Going back into previous verses, Lot chose the valley and Abraham took the hill land of Canaan. The Jordan valley was fertile and looked good to the eye, but we are told in scripture that the land was wicked.
13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
This is what happens sometimes when we chase what looks good instead of what God has promised. We wind up thinking it is better, but in the long run we find out there is some major issues. Looks can soon fade. In this case, Lot found himself in a wicked and sinful land who did not follow God. Some time afterwards, the kings of Mesopotamia raided Sodom and Gomorrah, and took lot and his family captive, in which Abraham swiftly defeated them, and rescued his nephew, his family, and their goods.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
If we remember , the king of Sodom did not show any appreciation for what Abraham had done, and he disassociated himself from the ruler.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
Now we find Lot and his family in a difficult situation. God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of its wickedness. Abraham knew that would mean his family would be potentially killed also. While we do not know the exact location, we can get a general idea based on the cities we do know existed at the time, and their location. Since Lot escaped to the city of Zoar, the city known as Zoar south of the dead sea could be the location. The second location, that has archaeological support can be found north of the Dead Sea where the plain of the Jordan is typically referred to.
Archaeologists have uncovered several small mounds containing ruins of ancient cities with a layer of ash nearly six and one half feet deep in places. Artifacts found in these areas have been smashed and burned in an abnormal way with skeletons covered with architectural debris, limbs twisted out of normal positions, and some thrown on their faces with hyperextended joints, and surrounded by a field of human bones scattered. This may tell the catastrophic story we read of in Genesis 19. Ultimately, what we find is Abraham trying to stave off certain destruction that would potentially harm Lot and his family. When we finished last week, we find the Lord and two other men appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. The Lord reveals his intent to Abraham in these upcoming verses.
16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.
17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I have chosen him, 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 to Abraham what he has promised him.”
20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,
21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord.
23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”
31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
In looking back, how did Lot’s decision in Genesis 13 affect his life and the life of his family?
Do you think he would have chosen differently IF he had known what type of wickedness he would have encountered?
Notice why the Lord decided to speak truth to Abraham.
God repeats the promise He had made to Abraham in an effort to let him know this was part of God’s plan to see Abraham and his family become the great and mighty nation to bless all nations of the earth.
God then stated, “I have chosen [Abraham].” With this statement, the theme of divine election—implicit in the narrative thus far—becomes an explicit aspect of Abraham’s story and experience as well as that of God’s chosen people (see Deut 7:6–8). God’s individual election of Abraham would eventually develop into God’s collective election of Israel. In both Abraham’s life and the life of the Israel, election entails blessing and protection for the chosen (Deut 4:39; Isa 65:9), as well as an expectation of obedience to the One who elects (Deut 4:40; 7:9–11; Amos 3:2).
God also gave the reason why He chose Abraham: “to do righteousness and justice” (Gen 18:19b). Abraham was to instruct his children and his entire household in God’s ways, in righteousness, and in justice. Abraham was to do what was right or fair in the eyes of God.
When Abraham is told of the destruction to come, he tries to negotiate with God. Now, this could be seen as a lack of faith, or as full faith depending on how you interpret this. In my interpretation, how much better could Abraham have demonstrated the righteousness and justice of God towards others any other way?
Abraham’s first question to God demonstrates his concern for justice: “Will you also sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen 18:23). Abraham used strong language to voice his disapproval, twice repeating, “Far be it from you …” (Gen 18:25).
He began by asking God to spare the city if there were 50 righteous people in it (Gen 18:24). After God agreed to this request (Gen 18:26), Abraham started to bargain for lower numbers. Each time he spoke, Abraham asked that God spare the city for the sake of fewer righteous people. With each lower number, Abraham demonstrated greater faith in God’s mercy as he asked God to spare an entire city of wicked people for the sake of only a few righteous.
Ultimately, Sodom lacked even 10 righteous people, and God destroyed both Sodom and Gomorrah by raining down fire and brimstone (Gen 19:24–25). Even so, Abraham’s intercession was not futile. God showed His mercy in a way that exceeded Abraham’s negotiation.
Abraham was not the only character to question God directly regarding matters of righteousness and justice. Job addressed God forcefully and bluntly. He demanded to know why God had afflicted him (Job 7:20–21; 10:2–3), and he accused God of acting unjustly (Job 9:22–24). Throughout his speeches, Job asserted his own innocence (Job 6:10; 9:15, 20–21), but his main concern was understanding why God had allowed him to suffer so much when he had done nothing to deserve such punishment (Job 13:22–23). While Job’s speeches seem shockingly bold, they come from a proper understanding of God’s righteousness and justice.
Abraham knew of God’s righteousness and justice. He framed his proposal that God spare the city for the sake of a righteous remnant by highlighting the inconsistency between Sodom’s impending doom and His nature. God allowed Abraham the freedom to voice his concern, but He ultimately took just action by destroying the wicked city.
Have you ever questioned God’s actions? Have you ever appealed to His justice at times you saw injustice all around you? How does Abraham’s plea help you see and understand God’s sovereignty more clearly?
When Abraham negotiated with God, he did not do so based on what he could bring. He did not say, “God, if you spare Sodom, I’ll offer extra sacrifices.” Instead, Abraham negotiated based on who God is. He appealed to aspects of God’s character: His justice and righteousness. By doing so, Abraham showed that he understood what is important to God. God is not afraid of our questions; He wants to talk with us and hear our struggles. But when we approach God, we should “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt 6:33 esv).
Even while he was negotiating with God, Abraham did so with respect and humility, recognizing his position before God (“I am dust and ashes”; Gen 18:27), being careful not to overstep his place (“Please, let not my Lord be angry”; Gen 18:30, 32).
Grigoni, Michael R., Miles Custis, Douglas Mangum, and Matthew M. Whitehead. 2012. Abraham: Following God’s Promise: Leader’s Guide. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.