“For I know him, that he will command his children and hishousehold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
“For I know him.” That’s what the Lord said about Abraham. And He knows each of us just as well. He suffered and bled and died to know us just as well. What I love about Gen. 18 is that not only is God knowing Abraham reaffirmed, but what follows is Abraham getting to know God a little bit better.
When Abraham finds out about the possible coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he “stood yet before the Lord” and “drew near” and asked of the Lord (Gen.18:22-23). Questioning whether God will destroy the city if there are fifty righteous persons there, the Lord says that He will not destroy it for the righteous sake. Then Abraham keeps asking, whittling the number down to 10. And God says that He will spare the city if there are 10 righteous people in the city.
In only a surface reading of this chapter, it might appear that Abraham is trying to dissuade the Lord from His chosen course of destruction. But, reading closer, it appears that Abraham is trying to figure out what kind of a God his Lord is. And he finds out. This God will not destroy 10 good people to rid the earth of a city of wickedness (remember that ‘wickedness’ is defined as being in an unrepentant state and ‘righteous’ is the repentant state, see Ezekiel 18).
In fact, God will allow the death of His own Son just to save just 1 righteous person.
Abraham knew that God was powerful. Between each question he would talk to himself, realizing that he might be pushing the patience of the Almighty. But God is patient. And He is merciful. And He saves. Abraham found this out, because he asked.
Don’t be afraid to ask. When it appears that God is doing something, punishing someone you don’t think deserves it, ask Him. He will answer. And, like Abraham, you will come to know the God that died to know you.
Surely when Abraham was asking these questions he was thinking of his nephew Lot in Sodom. And surely Lot and his family were righteous, right? Abraham was trying to save his ‘brother’. Abraham took on the role of mediator, much like Jesus before the Father, pleading on behalf of all of us.
Can’t you just see Him, standing there:
3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.”
Funny, isn’t it, how Abraham became like Jesus to help save his brother, that Jesus who sacrificed Himself and died to know Abraham?
Outcast of Israel 