Abraham Told of Sodom’s Destruction
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
1/20/2019 PM
|
Text:
|
Genesis 18:16-33
|
Psalters: |
121, 215, 13, 207 |
Sacrament of Baptism |
- The introduction.
- As Abraham and his visitors depart on the way, God speaks with Himself of His reasons for telling him about Sodom.
- In verse 18 God declares that He has known Abram in order that he might command his children and his household.
- In His eternal love of election God knows those who are His friends, each one personally and individually.
- This instruction in the knowledge of God is what God generally uses to gather His church in the line of generations (19b).
- Notice that the nature of the instruction is a “command.”
- God reveals to Abraham that He will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their very grievous sins.
- What Abraham is to command is that they “keep the way of Jehovah,” that is, “to do justice and judgment.”
- “Justice” is righteousness, and “judgment” is the realization God’s holiness judging and punishing every sin.
- The is a “cry” from Sodom and Gomorrah, which is an outcry, a cry of distress.
- Although God has determined to destroy Sodom, He presents it to Abraham as if He will check it out first (20,21).
- What is Abraham’s purpose in his questions and what is the cause of his anxiety? His concern is for God’s righteousness.
- Abraham did not understand how God could be righteous when His judgment fell equally on righteous and wicked together.
- The ground of Abraham’s plea is the righteousness of God (25b). A rhetorical question.
- God’s explanation.
- Each time God immediately answers that He will not destroy the city for the sake of the righteous there.
- God kept His word to Abraham (confer 19:29).
- He destroyed with final judgment those grievously sinning cities, because there were no righteous left in them.
- And the righteous never partake of the judgment of God on the wicked, for God delivers them.