TUESDAY 20 July 2021 “Negotiation with God” Genesis 18:14-25

Click To Download and Print Document or PDF

Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Have you ever wanted something so desperately you actually ‘negotiated’ with God? Perhaps you made promises of things you’d do if God would do certain things for you? Today, let’s look at one of the most remarkable negotiations with God that ever happened. You’ll find it in Genesis chapter 18 in the Bible.

Yesterday we watched Abraham generously receive three men who were walking by his tent in the heat of the day. He’d never seen them before, but he invited them in, out of the sun, provided water to wash their hands and feet, and even had a delicious meal prepared for them. As they talked together one of those visitors shocked Abraham and Sarah by promising they would be pregnant and have a son by this time the following year. As preposterous as that seemed, since Abraham was almost 99 years old, and Sarah almost 89, and Sarah had been barren all her life, that ‘visitor’ then challenged their faith with this question “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14)

Let’s rejoin this remarkable scene today. The record says “When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Genesis 18:17) Did you notice the author of Genesis identifies one of the travelers as “the LORD“? Not the ‘angel of the LORD”, no, this is actually God here on earth who has taken on the appearance of a man, and has had a meal in Abraham’s tent, and promised Abraham a son within a year! Now Abraham is about to hear the future as proclaimed by God who is there with him. Now don’t let this trouble you my friends, for God can do anything, any time, any where He chooses, right? Many Bible scholars understand this ‘traveler’ to actually be an Old Testament appearance of Jesus, the Son of God because of the manner in which He had spoken and the things He had said.

The record says the LORD continued speaking with Abraham: “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:18,19) Once again these powerful words, spoken in the first person and with authority, suggest this is God Himself speaking to Abraham. We see a repetition of the Covenant God had made with Abraham in Genesis 15 & 17, but did you notice another new statement of promise, challenge and life purpose for Abraham? “I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just…”

This is the mandate and miracle of God honoring parenting, perhaps the most important job on planet earth, for parents are tasked with raising up the next generation to live wisely, in a God honoring way and raise up the generation which follows them in the same way! Have you given thought to how many Scriptures focus on this great mandate and miracle from God? How about Deuteronomy 6:5-9 and 30:19,20? Or Psalm 78 and 145? In fact I wonder if Joshua was thinking about this statement, that God had made to Abraham, when at the end of his life Joshua called all Israel together and challenged them to choose which God they would serve and teach their children to serve? And then Joshua said “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15) Do you hear his promise, both to live in a God-honoring way but also to raise up the next generation in his household to do the same?

So let me ask you.. look around your part of our world. Look into the schools and anywhere you see the younger generation. The manner in which they live is showing us how well or poorly their parents and grandparents have done what God challenged Abraham to do! So…what do you see?

Then the record of Genesis 18 leads us into one of the most startling conversations any human being and God have ever had. “The LORD said, ‘the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know.” (Gen. 18:20) Did God really have to send Jesus to investigate by walking the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah to see just how bad things really were? Of course not. God sees perfectly clearly all things, in all places, at all times, and God does so with a deeper understanding of what He sees than any human being can understand! There were other reasons for this earthly visit of God, as we will see.

What about the outcry that the LORD mentioned? Have you ever considered where this ‘outcry’ came from which God had been hearing in heaven, and who was crying out to God? Well let me ask you: have you ever been in such a dark and desperate place that you cried out in desperation to God? Have you ever had a friend or family member in such a dark and desperate place that YOU cried out to God on their behalf? That’s what I think was happening here. Was Abraham among those crying out to God for his family living in the darkness of Sodom? Are you so concerned today for some dear friend or family member who is enslaved to very dark things and self-destroying their lives? Are you crying out to God for them? Let this story in Genesis 18 give you hope, that God hears, God cares, and God might even go so far as to come here Himself, to rescue those in desperation!

The record says two of the three travelers went on ahead toward Sodom, but the one identified as “the LORD” remained with Abraham looking down into the Sodom/Gomorrah valley and discussing the decadent conditions which were causing an outcry to be heard in heaven. Abraham was overwhelmed with compassion and concern not only for his own relatives in Sodom, (Lot and his family) but also for others in that place. So Abraham did a courageous and remarkable thing. He negotiated with God!! “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham asked the LORD? What a powerful question. Of course you and I and Abraham all know there is no perfect, holy person, no one is righteous. (Romans 3) But Abraham continued: “What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of 50 righteous people? Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:24,25) That statement tells me Abraham knew he was not speaking with an ordinary man, and not even an angel. He was speaking with God, the “Judge of all the earth.” But Abraham also knew the wicked reputation of both Sodom and Gomorrah and so he pleaded, he negotiated, he appealed to God’s justice and mercy. Tomorrow we’ll look at the remainder of those negotiations.

I want us to pause right here and I ask you to look over your city, no matter how large or small it is. What if God came and took a walk with you, looking through your city, what would God show you? And what if God decided it was justice time for your city, what would be the justice the great Judge of all the earth would pour out on your city? And how do those thoughts, those possibilities affect you? Are you moved to pray for the people of your city right now?

Here’s a song to help us consider what God sees and what God could justly do in your city and mine:

Today’s Scripture is Genesis 18:14-25.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).

Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.