Genesis
“In The Beginning God”
Outline:
I. 1: -2:3 The creation account
II. 2:4 – 4:26 The history of the first family
III. 5:1 –6:8 The history of early man
IV. 6:9 – 9:29 The history of Noah
V. 10:1 – 11:9 The history of the descendents of Noah
VII. 25:12 – 36:43 The history of Isaac & his family
VIII. 37:1 – 50:26 The history of Jacob & his family
VI. 11:10 – 25:11 The history of Abraham
Genesis
“In The Beginning God”
11:10 – 25:11 The history of Abraham
Genesis 17:1-27
“More of You & less of me”
I. Intro.
II. Vs. 1-14 Outward sign of an inward reality
III. Vs. 15-27 True holy laughter
I. Intro.
In the 16th chapter we saw Sarai & Abram trying to obtain the promises of God through the energy of the flesh & the tragic consequences it had on those under their ministry. Yet with that said we saw the glorious God who intervenes by His grace & runs ahead of those who would flee back to the world. The keys to understanding the 17th chapter falls upon three words repeat numerous times:
Covenant = 13 times
Circumcised = 11 times
I “will, have etc” = 15 times
So what we see is this agreement was based upon God’s promises & the evidence that they were to be the recipients of God’s grace was the cutting away of the flesh.
II. Vs. 1-14 Outward sign of an inward reality
Vs. 1 This chapter starts with a statement that tells us Abram’s age (99) before it speaks to us concerning the events that are about to take place. Why? Well Abram want’s us to realize that 13 years have come & gone since the end of chapter 16 (16:16 Abram’s age is 86). Remember the mistake of chapter 16 was trying to obtain the promises of God in the energy of the flesh. So for 13 years no special revelation of God came to Abram, Sarai or Hagar. So? Christian, much of our life will be spent waiting on God to accomplish what He said He would. Here’s my point, very little of our experience before God is a “new encounter” most of it is rather learning to appreciate Who He is moment by moment which in time causes us to come into a greater understanding of His nature.
You see the words “I am Almighty God” come after the words that 13 years have gone by. Thirteen years needed to go by in their lives for them to realize the significance of this “new revelation” of God’s character. Simply put the “The flowerbed has to be prepared, fertilized, watered & seeds planted before we will enjoy the blossoms!” There are several possibilities as far as the interpretation of this glorious name of God:
Shaddai comes from a root word that means to display power, so the idea is that of the God who displays His power & ability.
Jewish tradition saw it, as El the (God) Sa (Who), Dai is (sufficient). Thus the idea is the Eternal God is irresistible & unchangeable.
The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures) gives us perhaps what is the best translation, “The One who has His hand on everything!”
With this new revelation of the character of comes a further understanding of our responsibility in light of it. You see a persons conduct is where we will be able to see how a person sees God! Now what I appreciate about God’s call to commitment is that they are all ready things provided Abram in his relationship with the Lord.
“Walk”: Abram was to live & move with an awareness of always being in the presence of God. How glorious is this that Abram’s & our relationship with the Lord is described in terms that relates to us a continual moment by moment journey instead of a momentary emotional experience! It’s a walk with Him & not a sighting of Him! “I walked with God today just as I have every day for 22 years!” & not “I caught a glimpse of God today, hadn’t seen Him for years!”
“Before Me”: Not behind as if trying to hide something but up front in full view. This suggests to us that God desired Abram to be genuine, real & not phony. A relationship where we are free to let our hair down & let Him know where we really are at. A God who not only knows all of our secrets but desires for us to be able to comes to Him with all of our secrets.
“And be blameless”: The word “blameless” comes from a root word that means “entirely”, thus in means whole or completely. Here in context God is saying, “I’ve given you all of Myself so naturally I want all of you.” He is not asking for moral perfection that would be asking Abram to give what, though he may wish to give, is completely unable to do so. Instead the idea is that God asks Abram to “completely” give all of himself to the Him so that Abram would be able to receive all of Him.
The Lord through the prophet Micah put it this way (6:8) “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Vs. 2 In the 15th chapter God established His covenant with Abram it has now come time for Him to cause those things that were promised to come in to fruition. God had spoke to Abram in terms that of ultimate outcomes as thought they had already taken place. Why? Well because in eternity they had already taken place. The problem is that we, like Abram, often expect those precious promises to be immediately materialized. Though they are to be immediately experienced & enjoyed by faith we may not fully grasp what we already posses until we behold His glory! This is why we observe the many times that God reminds Abram of His promises, as He wants Abram & Sarai to be reassured that He has not forgotten His promises even though 25 years had lapsed. Five times in Abram’s life God described His abilities to fulfill His promises as “exceedingly”, the word is actually repeated twice in the Hebrew. We sing, “He is able, more then able” which suggests what the Lord is saying here to Abram.
Vs. 3 Notice Abram’s response to God’s promises, “fell on his face”. This was the humblest form of reverence & worship as Abram responds by demonstrating how unworthy he felt to receive such blessings. To look at this we see a pattern in the walk with God:
“He saves us, we thank Him, He blesses us, we thank Him more by bowing before Him, He blesses us exceedingly, we fall on our faces.” The out come of this is that He will change our nature seen in the change of name & we will continue to worship Him further.
Vs. 4-8 Here we see God restating His promises:
Vs. 4 The promised “seed” of 15:4 is now explained to include many nations. In chapter 12:2 Abram was told that from him would come a “great nation” now it is many nations. All this was again told to a man who at 99 years of age had only one child & that child was not the one promised.
Vs. 5 He is given a new name which in the Hebrew adds only one letter. What is interesting to note though is that breathing forms this one letter, which is equivalent to our letter “H” sound. In fact it is this letter in which the word “Spirit” is translated meaning breath. In other words God changed Abram’s name to Abraham from “father of many” to “father of a multitude” by adding the “H” that is Him!
Vs. 6 He is not only the father of many nations but also a father of many Kings. In other words these nations will accomplish the will of God.
Vs. 7 God promises Abraham that through his seed will come an everlasting covenant that will never be broken thus establishing fellowship between God & man forever. Though Abraham may not of been able to grasp the “how” of it God none the less assures Abraham of the “purposes” of it “I will be their God.”
Vs. 8 Finally God promises two things that will never end:
“All the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession”: The land will always be theirs as long as they have Him as their God.
“And I will be their God”: He promises that He will never stop being their God. In other words the break of fellowship which would mean the loss of the land would be their doing not His.
Folk’s the Giver is always greater than the gift He gives. The reality is when the gift becomes greater that the One Who gave it to us we shall not enjoy either. But when God is greater that His gifts than we shall have all of Him & all of what He has for us.
Vs. 9-10 Here we are told what God will require from Abraham which is what He had already told him in verse 1. You will recall back in 15:8 that Abram had asked, “How shall I know that I will inherit it?” The literal Hebrew translation of this verse is “This is My covenant sign which you shall keep”, thus circumcision which was already known at this was going to carry a four fold spiritual significance.
Separation unto God Vs. 10-11 “Every male child among you shall be …circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins”. It would serve as a reminder to Abram & his descendents for the need to “cut away the flesh”, thus it would forever serve as a reminder to not trust in the energy of the flesh. In light of the last chapter they could not of been any more appropriate appendage to cut away then the organ used for procreation. They had tried to obtain the promises of God in the energy of the flesh thus the flesh needed to be cut away. So Paul wrote to the Romans in 2:28-29 “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit.”
Belonged to God Vs. 11 “It shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Circumcision is only a badge & not the covenant it’s self. Simply put Abraham & his descendents after him were to do this because they already had a covenant with God & not in order to get one. Some people miss interpret “good works” in the life of the believer today as did the Jews in Jesus’ time. We don’t perform “good works” in order to be saved instead you do good works because you are saved. You see the thing that put them under the covenant was not circumcision instead circumcision was just an outward sign that they were under it. In other words circumcision revealed their designation, belonging to God!
Purity for God Vs. 10, 12 “Every male child… who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised”. This is the first time that we see children as being part of God’s covenant of grace. Thus parents are given the responsibility to train up their children in the way they should go. This was to be done the 8th day. Medical science has shown something very interesting about this in as much that it takes eight days for a baby’s immune system to be at its optimum level. You see a newborn’s blood clotting agent or vitamin K production (prothrombin) is not at its normal levels until the 8th day of life. At any rate the parents were given the responsibility to raise their children in purity & holiness staring at birth.
Possession by God: Vs. 13-14 Circumcision was to include all those joined to Abraham whether they were born into his house or purchased out side & brought into his house. The sign was all-inclusive, all who like Abraham believed by faith could become a part of God’s family. In other words the sign like the covenant is of grace not national or ethnic all are one in Christ. The sign was a way to show that they were in fellowship with God & separate from the world. Thus those who did not want to die to their flesh & live for God were too not to be apart of fellowship.
It has been noted by Dr. Mc Millen in his book called “None of these Diseases” studies done by various universities that the rate for cervical cancer among Jewish women is far lower then the rate of women where their husbands are not circumcised, so there were medical implications to this procedure as well.
III. Vs. 15-27 True holy laughter
Vs. 15 Here we see Sarai taken into the covenant as well as we see her specifically mentioned as being the mother of the child of promise. My mind goes back 13 years & all that she did in the energy of the flesh to inherit what was hers already by faith. Oh dear saints why do we find it so difficult to simply trust the One who spoke & the worlds leaped into existence? Amazing how much clearer the promises of God becomes when we look only to Him to fulfill them!
Vs. 16 There is a mystery in this verse that is uncovered only when the read the NT. We are told that God said to Abraham, “I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” Here then is the mystery Sarah had only one child & from Isaac came only one nation, Israel. Yet clearly God prophetically proclaims that Sarah was to “be a mother of nations”, how is that possible?
Matt. 1:1 We read, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:” Abram looked to his son Isaac to be the fulfillment of the promise of God, that from him there would come a nation which would be the instrument of blessing to all nations (12:3). Yet the truth is Isaac was not this child, he was week through the flesh, the nation that sprang from him never has fulfilled becoming a blessing to all other nations. In Isa. 49:6 the Lord speaks & says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” Now the nation thought that this was to be fulfilled when they would put all the nations under their feet, yet Isaiah wrote of this light being singular & not the nation. The Psalmist declared something glorious in 8:4-6 “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” In Heb. 2:9 the person the psalmist spoke about is revealed as we are told, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”
In Eph. 1:20-22 we read, “He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church”. Then in Gal. 4:30-31 we are told that “the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”
Thus the mystery of this verse is understood only in light of the incarnation of the only Son of God the divine son of Abraham & Sarah. You now what that means? It means that you & I are mentioned right here in the Bible, cool! I mean you could put a little note that says, “That’s speaking about me!” How do I know this is true? Well hear what Paul said in Gal. 3:7-9 “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Vs. 17 Is this not glorious? Abraham’s response is to laugh, oh not of unbelief, but rather of astonishment & joy. What God had just told him was so incredible all he could do was respond with joyous laughter. Hey, folks this is true “Holy Laughter” to be so overwhelmed at God’s goodness towards us that we worship Him with such joy. Now while Abraham is still on his face before the Lord he begins to ponder the truth that God has just revealed & he tries to comprehend with his mind what his heart had already rejoiced in. Now as natural as this is we will never be able in this body to comprehend the “HOW’S” of God’s grace!
Vs. 18 As Abraham is still on his face before the Lord he asks that Ishmael might also live in God’s favor. Now this is not a plea for a substitute for what God has lust spoken but rather a plea of a father that loves his son. Abraham recognized that God’s promise bypassed Ishmael & desires that God would direct him into a life of communion as well.
Vs. 19 The response rendered “NO” here is actually “most assuredly” by which the Lord goes on to confirm the fact that they will give birth to the child of promise, as verse 20 confirms. There are four things mentioned in this verse that confirms Isaac as the child to whom the godly line will come:
“Sarah your wife shall bear you a son”: The child would be of faith & not the energy of the flesh.
“You shall call his name Isaac”: His name will be “he laughs or laughter” which is what is always produced in the hearts of those who enter into by faith the covenant of grace. It’s what is behind the words of Jesus in Matt. 5:2-12 the be attitudes. The word “blessed” is “oh how happy”, laughter! You see no matter what the situation we are full of joy.
“I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant”: The fact that the covenant with him was to be everlasting meant that as to Abraham & Sarah that their son would be the heir of the promise.
“With his descendants after him”: Finally the use of these words “descendents” is connected to God’s promises to Abraham over 10 times starting in chapter 12. So Abram was assured that the blessing of this child was the same blessing spoken to him 25 years earlier.
Vs. 20 Again we note that God heard a fathers heart for a son who would not inherit the promises intended by faith. God’s fourfold blessing upon Ishmael won’t be because he deserves it or earns it. No it bestowed based upon grace & only by receiving it this way will it be enjoyed.
God affirms that He will make him fruitful.
The results of his fruitfulness will that his descendents will become exceedingly numerous.
God also predicts what we will see fulfilled in 25:12-16 that there will be 12 princes from him.
Finally together they will become a great nation.
Vs. 21-22 Even though the above blessings upon Ishmael are true they will have no effect upon the truth that Isaac is the child of promise who will be born in a year. Wow, Ishmael was the offspring of their attempt to inherit the promises of God by the work of the flesh but Isaac was to be received & brought forth in trusting Gods grace. Abram has no words as the conversation has ended just a smile upon his face as God has once again overwhelmed him.
Vs. 23-27 Here we see Abraham’s response to God’s word, obedience. Think of this Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised, spiritually he was 29, he was ready to allow God to rule over his life as he knew that nothing produced in the energy of the flesh could ever replace that which is given by grace. Ishmael was 13 as he too under went circumcision which speaks to us that even though he was not the child of promise he was not excluded from being a part of the covenant of grace by faith. Is that not great? Even though Ishmael was not the one in whom the promise was to be carried out he could none the less share in the blessings from the one in whom God would use.
So we learn three things about faith’s response to grace:
Vs. 23, 27 Abraham’s obedience was complete, as it included not only he & his son Ishmael but also all in his house.
Vs. 23, 26 Abraham’s obedience was prompt as he acted immediately upon the word of the Lord. Remember that the commandment was a painful one in that it meant cutting of the flesh in a very tender area yet there was no hesitation.
Vs. 26, 27 Abraham’s faithful obedience was daring as it left all of the men in his house incapacitated. In other words his obedience risked what others would not have done.
Paul wrote to the Romans in 8:12-13 “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” He also wrote to the Galatians saying, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Genesis
“In The Beginning God”
11:10 – 25:11 The history of Abraham
Genesis 18:1-33
“Abraham in the school of prayer”
I. Intro.
II. Vs. 1-15 Changing the heart about God
III. Vs. 16-33 Changing the heart about others
I. Intro.
The 18th chapter of Genesis is divided between two seemingly disconnected events that both happen on the same day. At first glance the only similarity is that they are both connected to the same heavenly visitation. Yet upon further study I found that verses 1-15, ”which deal with the heavenly visitation as connected with Sarah” & verses 16-33, “which deals with Abraham’s intercession for Sodom” are connected much more closely then sharing a heavenly visitation. What they reveal to us is the key to prayer! What? Yes, you see prayer is first & foremost not about changing the circumstances we are facing. No, its primary aim is to change us who are praying. Now I have discovered that there are always two areas that God seeks to change in my prayer life & they are found right here in these two divisions of chapter 18:
Vs. 1-15 The Lord is constantly getting me to change my heart about Him.
Vs. 16-33 The Lord is constantly changing my heart about others.
II. Vs. 1-15 Changing the heart about God
Vs. 1 Apparently this visitation happens with in three months after chapter 17. Here’s how we know this:
17:21 We are told that according the Lord that a year from that day that Sarah would have a child.
18:10 Based upon the Lord’s comment here Sarah had not yet conceived, in fact based upon her comments of verse 12 they were not even intimate.
So this visitation took place some time after the Word of the Lord to Abram in chapter 17. Furthermore based upon Sarah’s word’s she had either not been told by Abram the Word of the Lord or had refused to believe it.
It is also interesting to note the difference in which the Lord now speaks to Abraham. In chapter 15:1 the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision. In chapter 17:1 He speaks to him by way of a message in his heart. That is not the case here as we see that the Lord appears to Abraham bodily (verse 2 says that he saw three men, in verse 22 the two angels go towards Sodom as Abram still stays to speak with the Lord.) How do we understand in light of the incarnation? Well Paul wrote to Timothy (6:16) “no man has seen or can see”, then in John 1:18 we are told that “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” So the only conclusion is that this is a Theophany or Christophany (preincarnate appearance of Jesus).
Vs. 2-3 The use of the word “behold” tells us that what took place was something out of the ordinary. It seems as though Abraham was relaxing by his tent the “three men” appeared in front of him. Now although the text calls them three men based upon his reaction he knew that one of them was the Lord. We see three things Abraham’s hospitality reveals:
“When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them”: The fact that he reacts this way so quickly suggest genuine warmth & humility. There was no hesitation in fact the opposite is seen. Remember Abraham is 99 years old & a wealthy successful world leader. Yet it is he who initiates the action prior to any words being spoken.
“Bowed himself to the ground”: This is the same word in the Hebrew used for worship. Folk’s we ought to see in our lives the closer we become with the Lord a greater maturing in social graces as well. Humility & hospitality go hand in hand as Paul would instruct Timothy that an elder ought to be one who shows his heart by hospitality to those who are visiting. All to often the leaders in Church’s are the ones wanting to be waited on instead wanting to wait on others!
“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant”: In verse one the word for Lord is Jehovah, in verse 3 it is Adonay which speaks of God’s supreme authority. Abraham looks at his service as a privilege an act of worship. He calls himself their servant, which is how a person of faith ought to behave brokeness & humility, anxious to serve. It is almost as we get a picture of a heart that by its actions begs, “Oh let me wait on You!”
Vs. 4-5 The first offering of hospitality was that of washing the feet & allowing them to rest. Today we would say take of your shoes & stay awhile. The next thing we see is the offer to bring food as Abraham is so blessed to be in the Lord’s presence. Now here is a great time to suggest to you a point about what prayer is all about, adoration & communion. Abraham only wanted to be a blessing to the Lord & to show his appreciation towards Him. There is not grocery list of things he desired, no complaint list of things, no not even a suggestion or question box. Instead he comes before the Lord & says by his actions that all he wants is to spend time with Him.
It is obvious that the Lord & the two angels did not need to eat or rest yet they did verse 8. Is that not great as the Lord looks at the heart & not what is offered as an act of worship!
Vs. 6-8 In verse 5 Abraham said he was going to prepare a “morsel of bread” which in Hebrew means a “bit” yet his instructions to Sarah was for 6 ½ bushels of the finest flour. In Exodus 16:16 we are told that one measure was sufficient for one person for the whole day. Further more he told Sarah to make cakes & not bread which were fried in butter or fat. Here’s my point what Abraham offered to the Lord was far less then what he actually provided. All to often what we offer the Lord is what is left over all the while we are proclaiming we are given Him our best. Abraham said that what he had to give was not much but instead he offered the very best. Folk’s we ought to be far more like Abraham & less like Scrooge. Abraham is there supervising every little step & then stands by them as their personal waiter. All of this was obviously a love offering because Abraham felt so loved by the Lord.
Vs. 9-10 It is easy here to see why the Lord has come to Abraham & Sarah, to prepare her heart about how she see the Lord. The fact that the Lord asks where she is at while already knowing her name is a way of getting her attention as women were not to come out into the presence men so they instead would stay by the tent door to listen. Thirteen years earlier God had told Abraham this but now He wishes for Sarah to hear t as well. He has repeated it twice within three months but it appears as though Abraham never told Sarah.
Vs. 11 Moses interjects to explain the impossibility of procreation apart from the Lord’s intervention. The words “Sarah had passed the age of childbearing” literally mean “the manor of a woman had ceased to be with Sarah” which means that she was no longer menstruating & as such could not possibly be able to have children. Sarah’s case was irreversible, as she had already gone through the change of life.
Vs. 12 As she listens to the Word of the Lord she laughs within herself as to the impossibility of the prospect of her having a child. To show how impossible the thought is to her in her head she says, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” This statement suggests two things:
She still loves Abraham as she reverences him calling him lord.
Yet at the same time she says that she has lost her desire to be intimate.
It is interesting here that as far as Sarah was concerned her problem with this word from the Lord was physical & emotional but in reality her real problem was spiritual. Here is the truth of the matter, “What Sarah wanted the most in life (the child of promise) she could only believe could be produced in the energy of the flesh but doubted it could ever take place in the energy of the Spirit!” Let this passage ever serve as a reminder that most of our failures occur when we find it easier to believe that we can obtain the promises of God through the energy of the flesh (worldly techniques) then simply trusting God to be able to do what only He alone has promised. Here what the Lord spoke through Zechariah in 4:6 to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
Vs. 13-14 Sarah is taught four lessons about the Lord that she need to have in her prayer life:
She was taught that the Lord is all knowing: Sarah saw her limitations, but the God revealed that He was aware of them as well & that those limitations were nothing compared to her lack of trusting Him to do what He said He would.
Vs. 14a She was taught He was all-powerful: She viewed herself as being beyond nature, yet what she did not grasp was what He has promised He alone is able to perform.
Vs. 14b-15a She was taught that God is a God of grace: He had promised, she had doubted, He had revealed more, she again doubted, He confronts her doubting she denies it. Yet a year later He will still bring forth the child that He promised. Is there anything to hard for the Lord? I’m reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
Vs. 15b She was taught of His holiness: She had lied in her heart yet God clearly knew that she had lied & confronted her with the truth. The fact remains that God doesn’t wink at our sin He calls it what t is.
III. Vs. 16-33 Changing the heart about others
Vs. 16 After addressing Sarah’s need to have a changed heart in her view of God the Lord turns to dealing with Abraham’s heart towards a sinful world. Abraham tells us that he sees the heavenly group look towards sinful Sodom & walks with them several miles. Tradition has it that they stopped at place called Beni Naim which is where you can look down & see the Dead Sea which at this point of time was lush & fertile.
Vs. 17 Again like Sarah the Lord draws Abraham into a place where he will look at his own heart. Folks, here is where I’m going with this often the Lord gives us insight into situations about others in order for us to have a change of heart! I had a brother speak to me the other night about an incident concerning a now retired pastor that couldn’t control his anger at a Basketball game where he ended up challenging a security guard to a fight. Now though it wasn’t me he was speaking of the truth of the matter is it could have been me! God is not gossiping about the sins of Sodom, neither is just trying to satisfy Abraham’s curiosity. No, instead the Lord want’s to do something in Abraham’s heart through that which only He knows & now reveals!
Vs. 18-19 There are two reasons the Lord gives for including Abraham into what He is about to do in Sodom & neither of them have to do with Lot!
Vs. 18 “Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him”: He will have a great influence over multitudes of people through future generations, therefore it was necessary for him to know the reason why God would destroy two cites. Abraham would (& through this chapter did) tell future generations the truth about Sodom & Gomorrah & God’s judgment against them.
Vs. 19 “I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him”: Not only would Abraham be a great influence over multitudes, he would serve as an example to those of faith & trust in the Lord. Clearly God did not want His character to be misrepresented to the children of faith.
Vs. 20 God tells Abraham that the outcry against Sodom & Gomorrah is great because their sin was grievous. What were the sins of Sodom & Gomorrah that led to such a wicked lifestyle? Ezek 16:49-50 we are told, “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.”
Vs. 21 Now it is obvious that God knew the situation of the two cities as their sins cried out to heaven but responds the way He does in order to reveal several things:
He never judges in a hurry, as He desires mercy & not judgement. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
He is always about justice so win sins cry out they are calling out for His justice to intervene.
The investigation is for Abraham’s benefit to get him to intercede & have a compassionate heart towards those trapped into a life style of sin.
By sending two angels to investigate it reveals to us that God does nothing without full possession of all the facts. In other words the “cry” that came before one is not what alone motivated His action the facts needed to match the cry. Again obviously this was all put down for our benefit as God always does that which right concerning the affairs of men. The reality is that people may proclaim their innocence, justify their actions but their judge knows the beginning from the end. There will be none at the judgement seat who will be able to say, “God you just don’t understand the facts, here, you see I don’t deserve to be judged guilty!”
Vs. 22-26 As the two angels of the Lord move towards Sodom Abraham is left with the Lord to make intercession for the cites. As we look at this intercession we will see that Abraham reduces number of righteous six times, three times he reduces the number by 5 three times he reduces the number by ten, until he reached the number of righteous being ten. Why ten? Will Abraham thought that he knew of ten righteous people in Sodom:
Lot & his wife, two unmarried sons, two unmarried daughters, two married daughters & their husbands. Yet what Abraham would soon learn was that it was harder to get “Lot” out of Sodom then it was to get Sodom into Lot.
The first thing we will notice is eight qualities in the heart of Abram during his intercession, which is what the Lord was trying to reveal in him.
Vs. 22b. “But Abraham still stood before the LORD.” Here we see the right position of the heart of an intercessor, “in the presence of the Lord.” Things were about to happen & Abraham could of gone after the angels to see what he could do to help but if any work was going to be done in then it need to be done not in Sodom but rather at the feet of the Lord. E.M. Bounds wrote that, “It is a great thing to be willing to go to men for God but a greater thing still to be willing to go to God for men!”
Vs. 23a “And Abraham came near”: The next thing we note is that the heart of an intercessor first desires to draw near & become more intimate with the Lord. This also shows boldness as Abraham desired to be closer to the Lord before he ever offered any prayer.
Vs. 23b “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” The first words out of Abraham’s mouth are concerned not with the outcome but rather with how the Lord will look. Effective prayer always prays in line with the character of God & that His character would prevail in spite of how it may look to others. Jesus prayed in Matt. 26:42 in the garden as He faced the cross “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Vs. 24 “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city”: No where in this prayer is Lot & his family mentioned which show that Abraham’s heart was one of compassion for the lost is a city of sin. He could have well been angry at the city for its effects upon Lot instead we see a broken heart & compassion. How about it do we pray for the salvation of our enemies, the ungodly that rub us the wrong way?
Vs. 25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing as”: Abraham takes all of this difficulties to the Lord & allows Him to sort it out & do what is right. Here then is a key element in effective intercession, “Start with what you know is true about God’s character & nature & let him sort out what you don’t understand about the situation.”
Vs. 25 “to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You!” Abraham makes an urgent plea & uses prayer as the scratch paid of the heart. The application is that we can offered always to be quick to pray, slow to speak & slow to anger.
Vs. 25 “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” There is a confidence in Abraham not in the situation turning out the way he wants but rather in that the Lord will do what is right. Notice that it doesn’t say, “Lord I hope you will do what is right.”
Vs. 26 “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” With a specific prayer there is a specific response that can only be received by faith. Abraham needed to trust the Lord to do as He said He would .
Vs. 27-33 All of this dealt with the heart of Abraham & not with the elements of prayer. Now we shall notice that there are four essential elements intercessory prayer:
Vs. 27 “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes …to speak to the Lord:” His prayer was based upon humility! He approached the Lord with two important things:
A knowledge of how unworthy He was in & of himself.
A knowledge of great & Holy God is.
Vs. 27 “have taken it upon myself”: His prayer was with understanding! Not of the situation but of God is. In other words He approached God based upon His greatness & grace. Abraham approached the Lord in total dependence & absolute surrender.
Vs. 28-29 Abraham was specific in his prayer! There was none of this, “Save Sodom” stuff! Instead there was a specific plea to save Sodom if there were 50, 45 etc righteous. As the number decreased Abraham grew bolder based upon the Lords response. In other words as Abraham saw the Lord’s desire to save Abraham asked for more.
Vs. 30-33 Abraham was persistent in prayer! The more he interceded the more his heart was drawn into the heart of God for the lost of Sodom. Oh that we could not stand for the thought of any being lost. Folk’s effective evangelism begins & ends with a heart that is persistent in prayer broken with compassion over the thought of even one perishing apart from knowing God love. I want you to see something remarkable about this intercession:
It was Abraham who stopped asking not God who stopped answering!
Abraham did not receive the answer to his prayers the way he perhaps thought he would. God did not save the city for the sake of the righteous instead the four righteous were saved from the city. The fact is we may not see our prayers answered the way we thought but we shall always see them answered the way they ought!
In chapter 19: 27-29 we are told that “Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” Abraham knew not the outcome but he knew that the Lord would do right & as he watched over looking the Dead Sea God spared the four righteous that came upon the unrepentant & Lot’s preservation is tied to Abraham’s intercession. Let’s pray as we are assured that it will always change us, our hearts towards Him & our hearts towards others!
Genesis
“In The Beginning God”
11:10 – 25:11 The history of Abraham
Genesis 19:1-38
“The destruction of Sin”
I. Intro.
II. Vs. 1-11 What’s the world coming too?
III. Vs. 12-38 Getting the World out of us
I. Intro.
You are hard pressed to find a more depressing chapter in the Bible then the 19th chapter of Genesis; homosexuality, attempted rape, prostitution, incest & the love of a city in which the practice of such things was thought of as normal are all apart of this chapter. One wonders why such a chapter is included in scripture. Several things need to be mentioned up front:
Because the Bible reports such sins is in no way suggestive that God is in favor of them.
When the Bible reports events like these it does so to show us two things:
What sins lie in the flesh of unrepentive man, Paul write as much in 1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man”.
Second, the Bible mentions them in full view of what the outcome of such behaviors are both practically as well as spiritually. In others words God has seen fit to record these event in order that we might see in others the ugliness of sin & the eventual outcome of sin if we don’t repent, death & judgement.
In the world these behaviors are glorified & today even encouraged with out any thought given to the repercussions of their continual practice. Not so in the Bible, we see first hand how morally degrading & wicked people become who live life without any restraints. We see as well that it is impossible to reform those that practice behaviors to stem the tide societal decay. The world does not need reform; it does not need education on how to perform practices in ways that does not cause personal harm. No it needs to be changed, turned from behaviors that even if they are some how “reformed” as to no longer causing personal harm are far more dangerous to society as a whole.
II. Vs. 1-10 What’s the world coming too?
Vs. 1 These are the two angels that we were in 18:22 were two men that turned & went toward Sodom. Upon arriving in Sodom they quickly find Lot, “sitting in the gate” which was the place where the leaders of the city would come & handle the complaints & business of the city. Perhaps today we would call it “city hall”. Finding Lot at “city hall” reveals the steady progression of compromise in Lots life. These verses serve to answer the question we have when we see a believer whose life has become ruined by sin so suddenly.
13:10 Lot was looking toward Sodom.
13:12 Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.
14:12 Lot is living in Sodom.
19:1 Lot is a civic leader in Sodom.
All of this had taken place within a span of 30 years which shows us that a persons fall happens through a series of compromises & not all at once. Lots testimony for the Lord towards the world was destroyed by his compromise with it!
Vs. 2-3 It is interesting to me that Lot offered the same hospitality to the two angels as did Abraham yet the urgency in which he offers it is vastly different.
Abraham offered hospitality with urgency for the sake wanting to spend time with the Lord.
The words “insisted strongly” caries the idea of what we would say today as “Lot wouldn’t take NO for an answer!” Lot offered hospitality with urgency to keep them safely away form the world in which he had compromised with.
Just because someone is aware of sin & even grieved by it does not indicate that they are an influence for righteousness around it! Based upon the words of verse 9 telling us that Lot “kept acting as a judge” we know that he was vocal against the behavior of Sodom yet while he was compromising with it he was not demonstrating his conviction with the way in which he lived among them. Lots house was no doubt a pleasant place to stay at. It may have had some bible verses on the fridge, some religious art work on the walls, yet the truth of Lots conviction needed to be more then just inside the walls of his home it needed to be visible in every corner of his life! The truth is that we can’t proclaim the truth of the gospel to the lost if we ourselves are living outwardly just like them! Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 6:16-17 “I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.” Folks if we try to reform the world we will find that the world will have nothing to do with us until they see us compromise Christ & His principals then they will jump in to call us hypocrites for giving up on what we said we believed. The only message we have for the world is the same one that Paul had upon visiting Corinth “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Why? Because Jesus came into the world not to reform sinners but rather as He said in Luke 19:10 “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Vs. 4-5 One of the sins in which this city is connected is here mentioned for the first time in the Bible. Several things need to be mentioned in light of this based upon the text:
We are told that this sin included all the men of the city such as they were.
They were totally consumed with the practice of it, as they wasted no time in arriving at Lots door.
The practice of this sin had crossed all social lines of society as we are told that “old & young, as well as those from every quarter of the city” came to Lots house.
There can be no question as to the sin as we are told that it was so that they could “know them carnally”. That is they wished to have sexual intercourse with them.
Today this sin is either treated as the worst of all sins or it is treated as something a person is born with like the color of their hair; it is neither. Here is what the Bible has to say about it:
Lev. 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”
Rom. 1:26-28 “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;”
1 Cor 6:9 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites”.
There is nothing “gay”, happy or carefree about this chosen lifestyle which has these statistics:
Homosexual advocates promote their lifestyle as being exactly like everyone else except that they are attracted to people of the same sex. Yet their conduct does not bare witness of their statement.
43% of homosexuals say they have had 500 or more sexual partners in their life time compared to only 1% of homosexuals who have said they have had four & under sexual partners in their life time. The Department of Health & Human Services surveyed Homosexuals where 77% said that they regularly had sex in a public park, 62% said they regularly engaged in sex at homosexual bars, 61% said they did so regularly in a movie theater & 31% said they did so in a public bathroom. Only 28% of homosexuals when asked said they had known their sexual partners for at least a week before participating in sex.
Homosexual advocates proclaim that over 10% of the population is homosexual but the most reliable statistics show that only 2.3% of men in their 20’s & 30’s ever report to having had a homosexual experience & only 1.1 % say that they are exclusively homosexual.
Romans 1:28 again says that because man “did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Thus it is no surprise that some 2% of our society is practicing the sin of Homosexuality as it no longer retains the knowledge of God. Perhaps one finds this sin more among men then women because males wish to pursue uninhibited sex with out rejection & sex with other men offers an easier path to this?
Now the good news is that the sin of homosexuality like any other sin is one in which a person can repent of & be changed, washed, sanctified & justified in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God.
Vs. 6-8 The response of Lot to the sinful actions & suggestions of the men of the city reveals several things about Lot.
As he goes out to face a mob & shuts the door behind him show courage as well as care for the guests he had.
Yet with calling this homosexual mob “my brethren” it shows that perhaps Lot had adopted a “live & let live” attitude towards their behavior.
Vs. 8 The fact that he suggests the willingness to sacrifice his virgin daughters could be understood on several levels:
He had obviously maintained some order in the home, as they were still virgins.
It reveals how they viewed hospitality as being of greater importance then family relations.
It shows the low state that women occupied in that society.
It could be that Lot understood that these men had a bent towards homosexuality & would not want his daughters, so he was just buying time.
It also reveals that through compromise Lot had become confused on how to handle a sinful world so he suggests a wrong to correct a wrong.
Finally it could be that Lot understood who his guests were & was hoping that they would intervene.
Vs. 9-11 The words of the homosexual mob “stand back” in the Hebrew can mean “you just come near” which shows the little effect Lot had had upon the citizens of Sodom. He had been little more then the “censor” of Sodom to which they had tolerated for some time probably because of his relationship to Abraham who had saved their city. So they made him a leader in the city & even give room for his rhetoric but now push has come to shove & unless Lot gives over his angelic guests to be raped they will have their way on him. Compromise had not changed or even impacted the city. The striking of the physical blindness led them to obvious mental confusion to which they became weary in finding the door to Lots house. How appropriate is this that physical blindness matched moral & spiritual condition?
III. Vs. 12-38 Getting the World out of us
Vs. 12 The angels now enquire as to Lots family so they may be spared judgement because of their relationship with Lot. It is interesting that not only those that were related to him but those that belonged to him were included. So? Well remember back in chapter 13:6-7 that Lot had herdsmen yet none of these men leave with him.
Vs. 13 The angels announce in plain terms the plan for Sodom:
The Lord is the one that sent them to destroy Sodom & its surrounding towns.
The reason for the destruction was that the “outcry against them had grown great” in other words they had increased in wickedness. One wonders how Lot heard those words as he saw his influence had not only not stemmed the tide of wickedness it had increased under his efforts?
Vs. 14 Lot shows at once that he believed the testimony of these two angels & goes to rescue his two sons in law. The Bible forbids mixed marriages & being unequally yoked to unbelievers. As Lot moved his family closer to Sodom his daughters married Sodomite husbands, to go along with his Sodomite wife. The lesson for us is simple if we compromise with the world in order to reach the world then it is not the believer that is impacting the society in which they live it is the society impacting the believer. May this verse stand out against the practice of “missionary dating” as these two daughters along with their husbands think of Lots words of warning as a joke! Peter tells us in 2 Peter 2:7-8 that “Lot was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)”. Yet with that said his life was a wasted life having accomplished nothing. He had been in politics yet that had not reformed the habits of the city all of this had left him corrupted & a joke even to his family & friends. Yes Lot was a saved soul but the fruit of his life amounted to nothing. Far too much of Christianity has tried to be like Lot in Sodom trying to be more & more like the MTV generation in order to reach them. Yet when the testimony of our lives doesn’t match the testimony of our lips then what we become is nothing more then a joke to the world we are trying to reach.
Vs. 15 It seems as though Lot had until daybreak to convince the rest of his family & friends yet none came. In the morning it is Lot that has to be urged to leave which reveals that though he was grieved by the condition of Sodom his heart was also in it’s ways. The truth is we often hate the sins of the world at the same time we support its influences. Lot serves as a vivid picture of a man who God had a hold of but did not hold on God.
Vs. 16 Lot is in the worst of positions: “Too much of the Lord to be happy in the world & too much of world to be happy in the Lord!” The scene is all too familiar because of compromise his loyalty is confused, “Hum, the people of Sodom, or obedience to the Lord?” So he does what we all do when we know what we ought to do but for the love of the flesh don’t do it, PROCRASTINATE. We can not be sure but from the beginning we have seen Lot want material things, (he chose the fertile plain of Sodom & moved closer & closer to its economic lure), perhaps the thought of leaving behind all that he had in possessions was what caused him to procrastinate? In contrast to Lots procrastination we the Lords mercy as He through the angels exhorts them with the threat of impending doom, then has to take them by the hand like a little child to remove them from danger. It is hard for us to see how Lot could have such affection upon a place where the men were the night before were going to rape him to satisfy their lust. But just as the men of the city were blinded by their lust so too is Lot & his family as they are led out by grasping their hands. So what does this show us who live in our Sodom? Well it shows what incredible pull the flesh has against the Spirit. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” If you do not think that this can happen to you then you have miss understood your own depravity. The great & glorious truth is in spite of this God’s word through Jeremiah in Lam. 3:22-23 ring true, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
Vs. 17 The angels give four instructions to Lot & his family as they are fleeing “sin city”. These are good instructions for anyone that has to deal with the temptation of compromise with the flesh & the world:
“Escape for your life”: Folks the only thing to do with temptation is to flee for your life! Hesitation will often mean personal destruction so we need to recognize that to linger will cost us.
“Do not look behind you”: The word “look” means to &ldquo