Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Abraham and God talk about Sodom and Gomorrah - The Book of Genesis

Transcript

Abraham and God talk about Sodom and Gomorrah - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: For I know him, that he will command his children
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: and his household after him, and they shall keep the
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: spoken of him. Genesis 18.19 Lord, as I meditate and
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: reflect on Genesis 18.16-33, I ask that you train my
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: ears and my heart to hear the promises you've ordained
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: for my life. In this very moment, strengthen my faith
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: to believe as you do. Transform my heart to see
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: opportunities in the midst of obstacles. Like the miracle you
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: did for Abraham and Sarah, I too am choosing to
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: believe that no matter how long I've had to wait,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: in a moment's notice, you will bring to pass all
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: that you've promised. I declare that I will not laugh
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: at the magnitude of my miracle, but instead will embrace
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: the truth that you specialize in the impossible. As I
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: wait to receive my promise, I will also intercede on
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: behalf of all those who are lost and have yet
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: to find your saving grace. I will stand in the
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: gap for the lives of others like Abraham did for
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: those in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank you, Lord,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: for your grace and faithfulness. Your love endures forever. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: in a Year.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Abraham and God talk about Sodom and Gomorrah. Before this story,
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: we learned about how God made a covenant with Abram
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: and renamed him Abraham. He renamed Sarai to Sarah and
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: promised them a son despite their old age. Even in doubt, insecurity,
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: and disobedience, God continues to make promises to Abraham's family.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Now we revisit the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: as God is about to judge those within the city
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: and Abraham intervenes. Inspired by the book of Genesis.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. When we last saw Abraham and Sarah,
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: They were receiving their new names and a renewed affirmation
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: of God's covenant to make a great nation through them.
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: In today's reading, we'll find God paying a special visit
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: to Abraham. And when he comes, he is not alone.
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: Abraham bows before the Lord and welcomes the travelers with hospitality,
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: sparing no good thing as he lavishes them with fresh
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: food and drink. The first thing that God does is worship.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: Once again, reassure Abraham and Sarah of his promise to
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: give them a child. But that's not all he is
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: there for. There is a grave matter to which God
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: must attend. The rampant wickedness of two cities. We've heard
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: their names before. Sodom and Gomorrah. But now God's patience
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: with the evil doing has run out. As we've seen before,
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: evil cannot and will not go unpunished. Justice will be served. Must.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: be served. As you listen today, pay attention first to
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: God's patient love towards Sarah, who is still very dubious
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: of her prospects for motherhood. Notice how God does not
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: become angry at her doubt, but instead reassures her as
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: a loving parent does to a child. Then, as you
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: hear the Lord and Abraham discuss Sodom and Gomorrah and
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: God's plan to mete out His righteous justice on the
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: great sin He is seeing Watch how Abraham intervenes. This
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: is a great lesson in both humility and boldness before
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: the Lord to be learned here in this passage. So
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: let's listen in as God and Abraham talk about Sodom
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: and Gomorrah.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Under the shade of the trees in Mamre, in the
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: heat of the day, the Lord appeared near Abraham's tent.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: Only this time he did not come as he usually did.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Abraham was visited by three strangers, seemingly divine in nature,
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: and one among them spoke as the Lord. Abraham bowed
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: to them, knowing that this was not a usual thing.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: He lavished them with a meal and worshipped God with
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: his hospitality underneath the trees. After the men had their
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: fill and were rested, one of them asked, Where is
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: your wife Sarah? Sarah was close by in the tent
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: beside the trees, listening to their conversation and trying not
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: to be heard. She is in the tent, Abraham responded,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: not sure how to speak with these strangers. The Lord
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: once again spoke his promise to Abraham, knowing Sarah was
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: listening through the tent. When I return to you about
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: this time next year, your wife shall have a son.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: A faint laugh could be heard from the tent. Sarah,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: an old woman far past her childbearing years, could not
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: fathom such a notion. The idea of two people nearly
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: a hundred years old even having normal sex was a
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: laughable idea.' After I am worn out and my husband
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: is old, shall I even have pleasure?' Sarah chuckled to herself. God,
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: hearing this, turned to Abraham and asked, Why does Sarah
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: doubt that she can have a child at her age?
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Let me ask you this. Is anything impossible for the Lord?
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: Is anything too hard for the creator of the stars
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: and the mender of all things broken? Listen again. About
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: this time next year I will return to you, and
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: Sarah shall have a son. Sarah now found out for
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: her silent chuckling. denied ever having laughed or doubted. With
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: a kind grin, as a loving father looks at his
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: child who was caught sneaking around, said, Yes, you did.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: And then the three strangers began their descent towards Sodom
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: and Gomorrah. Abraham walked with them to send them on
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: their way. The three were speaking among themselves, and the
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: about to do? Abraham will become a great and mighty
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: nation established by me. I have chosen him to lead
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: So God turned to Abraham honestly and spoke plainly. The
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: prayers and the outcries of those suffering because of Sodom
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: and Gomorrah have become great. They are a people corrupted
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: and poisoned by selfishness, and their sins are grave. I
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: am going down to observe them and measure them according
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: to their deeds. If they are truly as sinful as reported,
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: I will know. As the Lord and Abraham were talking,
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: the two other strangers began their descent into Sodom. Whether
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: Abraham was aware of it or not, a compassionate and
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: curious heart came upon him. He inquired to the Lord, asking,
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: Will you wipe out the righteous with the wicked? Suppose
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: there are fifty righteous people in the city, will you
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: then destroy the place and not spare it for the
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: fifty righteous who are in it? It does not sound
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: like you to do such a thing, to put the
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: righteous to death with the wicked. Far be that from you,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: you are the judge of all the earth, should you
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: not do what is just? This was a bold inquiry
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: coming from Abraham, as he was speaking face to face
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: with he who causes the seas to rise and fall
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: with the moon, and cradles the heavens in the span
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: of his hands. The Lord, however, spoke plainly and compassionately
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: with Abraham, saying, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: in the city, I will spare everything for their sake.
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: Abraham had more questions. HE WAS UNSATISFIED WITH HIS QUESTION BEFORE.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: NOW COMING TO REALIZE WHO HE WAS SPEAKING TO, ABRAHAM
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: APPROACHED THE SUBJECT AGAIN. ONLY THIS TIME WITH MORE REVERENCE.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: HE ASKED, I KNOW WHO I AM SPEAKING TO, AND
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: I AM BUT DUST AND ASHES IN FRONT OF YOU,
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: AND NOT WORTHY. BUT SUPPOSE THERE ARE FORTY-FIVE RIGHTEOUS IN
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: THE CITY. WILL YOU DESTROY THE WHOLE CITY IF THERE
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: ARE FIVE LESS RIGHTEOUS THAN BEFORE? The Lord looked again
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: at Abraham and answered, I will not destroy it if
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: I find forty-five righteous. What about forty righteous? Suppose there
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: are only forty. Will you destroy the city then? I
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: will not. Please do not get angry with me, Abraham said.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: But what if there were only thirty righteous people in
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: the city? I will not do it if I find
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: thirty there. God replied, Twenty? For the sake of those twenty,
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: I will not destroy the city. Please, Lord, I know
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: that I am just before you. Do not be angry
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: with me, and let me ask this last question. What
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: if there were only ten righteous among the city? Would
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: you spare the city if there were ten righteous? The
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Lord looked again finally at Abraham. His chosen hero was
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: speaking before him with boldness and humility. The man he
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: had chosen to be father of nations was now displaying
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: a heart to see the righteous upheld and the innocent spared.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: He answered Abraham tenderly, and one final time he said,
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: For the sake of ten. I will not destroy it.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: And the Lord went his way toward Sodom, and Abraham
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: returned to his home.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Our passage today opens with a visit by God to
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: Abraham and Sarah's tent. But this was a different kind
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: of visit, and we see God is joined by two
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: others who are heavenly beings, angelic beings. These were angels
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: that would later visit most likely Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: immediately recognizes this is an important visit and rushes to
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: greet the Lord, then extends great hospitality, lavishing his guests
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: with bread, milk, curds, and a freshly slaughtered calf. One
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: cannot help but be reminded again of Abel and of
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: his sacrifice of the best of his flock, an offering
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: which the Lord was pleased. What comes next is another
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: reassurance that what God has promised is always true. God
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: will give a son to Abraham, born by his wife Sarah,
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: but now God gives her an actual timeline by this
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: time next year. You see, God doesn't always reveal his
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: timing to us. In fact, most often he does not
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: reveal his timeline, but that doesn't mean he can't or
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: won't give you an idea of his timing. He knew
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: how much this couple had endured, and this was the
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: final stretch. God wanted them to keep holding fast to
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: the promise because it was just about to happen. The
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: newly renamed couple is continuing to trust and have faith,
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: but this doesn't prevent Sarah from laughing incredulously, unable to
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: yet imagine how this could possibly happen. But notice that
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: God doesn't get upset or offended by this. Instead, he
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: simply asks if there's any doubt that he can truly
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: do what he said. Even after Sarah tries to deny
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: her doubt, the Lord does not grow weary of her
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: or chastise her. All he says is that he knows
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: she laughed, as if to say, I know you did.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: I know you laughed, but don't worry. The Lord and
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: his travel companions then began to leave. Headed down south
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: to Sodom and Gomorrah, God has plans for these evil cities.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: So he shares his plans for justice with Abraham, his
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: chosen man. this man who was to pave the way
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: for God's redemptive plan. The evil and the sin of
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: Sodom and Gomorrah can no longer be tolerated. God is
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: going to wipe out those two towns. These are the
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: cities where his nephew Lot, Abraham's nephew Lot, lives with
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: his family. But otherwise, they're of no great consequence to Abraham.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: That's why what happens next is so amazing. Abraham intervenes.
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: He intervenes by asking God to allow for an opportunity
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: for these cities to be spared. He asks God to
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: find just 50 righteous men in Sodom, and if he does,
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: to relent from destroying them. Throughout his life, Abraham has
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: seen that God's plan will not be stopped. And yet
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: here he is boldly asking God to change his mind.
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: God agrees, but Abraham wants more. 50 might be too many.
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: He has, after all, been living in the area and
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: knows everything. of the wickedness of the people of these cities.
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: So he suggests a lower number. What I love about
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Abraham's second request is the humility with which he approaches God,
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: even as he is being so incredibly bold. Genesis 18,
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: 27 to 28 records this conversation. And Abraham replied, Now behold,
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: am but dust and ashes. Suppose the 50 righteous men
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: are lacking five. Will you destroy the whole city because
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: of five? And he said, I will not destroy it
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: if I find 45 there. Now, here is a wonderful
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: lesson on boldness and humility at the same time. Abraham
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: has asked God for a huge thing, and God has agreed,
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: but he wants to take it a step further. Notice
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: how he handles this. First, acknowledging his position relative to God,
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: I'm but dust and ashes, and that's who we are
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: compared to the greatness and the glory of God. We
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: are dust and ashes. And then boldly and clearly making
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: his request. This is how we are to approach God
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: in prayer. First, recognizing God's immense greatness and power and
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: glory and our smallness by comparison. But then we can
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: make our request with confidence, Confidence because we know in
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, God has promised to hear us. Here, God
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: once again agrees with the proposition. And this goes on
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: several more times until Abraham is able to whittle the
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: number down to just 10 righteous men, just 10. The
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: Lord then turns and heads to Sodom in search of
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: a few righteous men who can spare this wicked city.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: We'll find out the next time what happened. Lord God,
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: thank you for this passage and how we can learn
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: so much. Thank you for your loving patience with us
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: and for the times when you reveal your great plans
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: in detail to us, as you did with Abraham and Sarah.
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: We know you do not have to do this, but
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: you choose to do it for our sake. Thank you, Lord,
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: that we can approach you with boldness and humility, that
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: we can ask for our heart's desire. Help us to
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: trust you more, Father. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: and make prayer a priority in your life. If you
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know, someone
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can make
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: a big difference in someone's life in Jesus' name. And
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: if you want more resources, on how to tap into
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: God's life, God's power, God's strength for successful Christian living,
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: be sure to visit jackgram.org. God bless you.