Abraham:  Called to Wrestle, Part 1

 

Thus far in God’s One Big Story’s presentation of the life of Abraham, we have watched as God called this man out of a life of affluence and comfort to a life of wandering, worship, witness, warfare, and waiting—with each calling being accompanied by a new or expanded revelation of God’s plans for Abraham and followed by a period during which Abraham’s stewardship of that revelation was tested.  In most instances, his success rate was much like those that we experience in our own walks of faith—more often than not, a case of one step forward and two steps backward.

However, there have been some notable exceptions to this pattern—such as the time in Genesis 14 when Abraham rose to meet the challenge of warfare and then resisted the temptation to enrich himself by it; and then in Genesis 17 (our previous episode) when Abraham readily obeyed God’s command to circumcise every male in his household. In this episode—which deals with Genesis 18–we will witness another of Abraham’s successes when he is called to intercede for Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah and the other three cities in the surrounding plain.

 

Episode #6 of Biopic #1
Cast:     Narrator     Abraham     The Lord     Sarah

Setting the Scene—when this episode opens, not a lot of time has gone by since the Lord appeared to Abraham in Chapter 17.  We know this because in that previous encounter, the Lord gave Abraham a one-year timetable which has not yet been met.  Here, Abraham is in his place of fellowship with God—possibly ruminating over the things the Lord had so recently told him—when…

 

 

Narrator:  …the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said…

Abraham:  My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.

The Lord:  Do as you have said.

Narrator:  So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said…

Abraham:  Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.

Narrator:  And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.  Then they said to him…

The Lord:  Where is Sarah your wife?

Abraham:  Here, in the tent.

The Lord:  I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.

 

 

Narrator:  Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying…

Sarah:  After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

The Lord:  Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Narrator:  But Sarah denied it, saying…

Sarah:  I did not laugh…     

Narrator:  …for she was afraid.

The Lord:  No, but you did laugh!

Narrator: Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the LORD said..

The Lord:  Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For 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.

 

 

Narrator:  Then, turning to Abraham, the LORD said…

The Lord:  Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.

Narrator:  Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said…

Abraham:  Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?  Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

The Lord:  If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Abraham:  Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:  suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?

The Lord:  If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.

Abraham:  Suppose there should be forty found there?

The Lord:  I will not do it for the sake of forty.

Abraham:  Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: suppose thirty should be found there?

The Lord:  I will not do it if I find thirty there.

Abraham:  Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: suppose twenty should be found there?

The Lord:  I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.

Abraham:  Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: suppose ten should be found there?

The Lord:  I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.

Narrator:  So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

*************************************************

 

Our Review

This brings us to our Review of these events in Abraham’s life.  To help us better understand what is going on in this episode, let’s first break it down according to the Characters.  Apart from the Narrator, the Characters here are…

The Lord—this would be a pre-incarnate appearance by the Lord Jesus Christ;
The Two Angels—although their names are not given, we soon learn that they are on mission as Angels of Judgment;
Abraham—the epitome of the gracious, hospitable Middle Eastern chieftain; and,
Sarah—the equally gracious and hospitable—though hidden—wife of the Chieftain.

Next, let’s take a look at a summary of the Action taking place…

 

 

This summary of the Characters and their Actions presents us with several important…

Questions for Discussion

1. Why do you think the Lord appeared to Abraham so soon after His previous appearance?

The purpose of the Lord’s visit on this occasion appears to have been two-fold. Since the Lord had already told Abraham that Sarah would bear a child but He hadn’t told her yet, His first purpose was to give her that word. Hebrews 11:11 tells us that…

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

Because…

…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)…

…for Sarah to have “received the strength to conceive seed,” she would first have to receive the faith produced by the Word of God–which was given to her here.

The Lord’s second and more obvious purpose was to give Abraham the opportunity to intercede for the cities that were about to be judged.

2. From Sarah’s response, do you think Abraham had shared with her what the Lord had promised in His previous visit?

From her laughter, it seems that this was the first she had heard of God’s promise.

3. Why do you think the Lord brought the news of Sodom and Gomorrah’s impending judgment to Abraham? From a personal standpoint?  From a legal standpoint?

First of all, the Lord wanted Abraham to understand why He was about to destroy these cities—that as a Holy God, He could not allow the injustices perpetrated by these cities to continue to go unpunished.  Although God is long-suffering and merciful, His mercy has its limits and will be tempered by His holiness and justice.

On a personal level, God’s judgment directly impacted Abraham because Lot, his nephew and adopted son, lived there with his family.  From a legal standpoint, because God had already given the land to Abraham and his descendants, it was essential that he be informed of any major changes taking place in his land.

4. How did Abraham’s actions in receiving his guests prepare him for his later intercession on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah? What important principles of prayer did they demonstrate?

Before being given the opportunity to intercede on behalf of the doomed cities, Abraham prepared himself by first running to greet his visitors, demonstrating his eagerness to receive them; in humbling himself before them, he was, in effect, bestowing upon them his worship.  Once this had been done, he set before them a table of fellowship which they gladly received—a time of fellowship during which the Lord was able to reveal His heart to His servant, a revelation which then prompted Abraham’s intercession.

5. In his intercession, why do you think Abraham was so bold as to “haggle” with God? On what were his arguments based?  Why stop at ten?

By this time, Abraham had grown enough in his knowledge of God that he could appeal to him boldly on the basis of His character.  In his prayer, he demonstrated that he knew God to not only be righteous but also merciful.  On that basis and believing that there were at least ten righteous people living in those cities, he could appeal to God to protect them, even while bringing judgment upon the wicked.  Today, like Abraham, those of us who know God and are in relationship to Him, can…

…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

6. Why was God going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Why was it necessary?

While we tend to focus on the sexual sins that were so rampant in these cities, Ezekiel 16:49-50 gives us some insights as to the root causes of those sins…

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.

And in Romans 1:18 ff, the Apostle Paul explains that…

…the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

In other words, even though those cities had been blessed with prosperity and wealth, rather than acknowledge and thank God for it, they had become proud and selfish—ultimately leading to the whole catalog of sins which followed…

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.  Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

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; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

So, this was the sad situation in Sodom and Gomorrah and their sister cities that warranted the Lord’s invention and judgment at this time.

 

 

In Summary

Now, to complete our Review of this episode, we need to ask ourselves the following questions…

1. What Life Lessons can we take away from this part of Abraham’s story?

In God’s dealings with Sarah, we are reminded that there is no situation that is impossible for God, that He will keep His promises, and that through His Word, we will find the faith needed to believe and receive those promises.

In God’s dealings with Abraham, we learn how to come before the throne of grace in prayer. Then, in the intimacy of our fellowship with Him, God will reveal the things that burden His heart so that we, as His children, will be provoked to pray and stand in the gap for those who are in danger of perishing.

In God’s dealings with Sodom and Gomorrah, we are reminded that every sin will be judged. While it may be slow in coming, when it does come, it will be well-deserved, appropriate to the nature of the offense, and tempered by mercy.

2. Does this episode have any Contributions to make to God’s One Big Story of Redemption?

In 2 Peter 2:4-11, we learn that God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot’s subsequent rescue, were intended to serve as…

…an example to those who afterward would live ungodly…

For, if God…

…delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked…then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

This example has served as a source of comfort and encouragement for the righteous who have suffered throughout the ages, as well as a warning for the wicked who, like…

…Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 6-7).

It also provides us with a prophetic picture of God’s protection of Israel during the last half of the Tribulation Period, when God will pour out His judgment upon the wicked at the end of this age.

3. Are there any Revelations of God that we need to make note of here?

In this episode, we have seen completely different aspects of God’s character revealed.  To those who are in covenant relationship with Him, He has been revealed as loving and kind—as their gracious, omnipotent Heavenly Father.  But to those who have rejected Him, He has been revealed as their Righteous Judge.  These revelations are consistent with others that we find of Him throughout the Scriptures—such as these in Isaiah 3:10-11 and Psalm 34:15-16…

Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.  Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.  ​​The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Although this brings our Review of this part of the story to a close, it isn’t the end of this chapter in Abraham’s life.  It will conclude next time, when we meet again to discuss Abraham: Called to Wrestle, Part 2.

 

 

Some original images used courtesy of FreeBibleimages :: Home.