This week continues with Genesis chapter 18, starting from verses 22-25. Abraham starts this conversation with a heart of zealous advocacy., "The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the judge of all the earth do, right?" This is a precursor of the advocate depicted in John 14:16-18, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." The conversation continues, verses 32-33, "Then he said, May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there? He answered, for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it. When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home." This section reminds me of Luke 15:4 because our advocate will come after us in any circumstances, even those we walk into voluntarily. "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"
Let me encourage you today to stay close to God through His word. I know it may be tempting to seek alternative avenues, especially when we read tough things or things we don't understand. However, Abraham has the correct approach. He has a conversation with God. As Christians, we know that our ultimate hope lies in Christ and the sacrifice He made on the cross while we were yet still sinners (Romans 5:8). Our relationship with Him will only grow if we do not forsake His word. 2nd Timothy 2:15 KJV puts it this way, "Study to show they self-approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Our truth does not trump the absolute truth of God. Shocking, I know. God's word is life-changing.
Remember, God loves you, and so do I.
Dear Lord, my prayer today is that everyone reading this blog will have a burning desire to know you intimately. Amen