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Scripture reading – Genesis 17-18
Genesis 17 – The Temptation to Settle for Second Best
God renewed His covenant promise to give Abram a son and heir. In Genesis 15, we read, “Abram believed in the LORD” (15:6). Thirteen years would pass. When Abram was 99 years old, and Sarai was 89, God rehearsed his covenant with, Abram and reminded him, “I am the Almighty [El Shaddai] God; walk before me and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly” (17:1-2).
Realizing a covenant is a binding agreement between two parties, Abram was bound by two responsibilities: “walk before me, and be thou perfect” (17:1). To satisfy God’s covenant expectations, Abram was to “walk before” the Lord and be conscious of God’s abiding presence, as a servant is aware of his master’s supervision. What was the perfection God commanded? It was conformity to the will of the LORD. God expected Abram to be an upright man of integrity (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Then, “Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations” (17:3-4). As an assurance of His covenant, God honored Abram and changed his name to Abraham, meaning “the father of a multitude” (17:5).
Another confirming sign of God’s covenant was His command for Abraham, and all the males of his household, to be circumcised (17:9-14). While circumcision did not make a man a part of the covenant, it did serve as a physical reminder, an outward sign of a son’s identification with God’s covenant promise to Abraham and the sons of his lineage.
A third reminder of God’s covenant promise was to be fulfilled with Abraham’s wife, Sarai. Her name would become Sarah, meaning princess, for she was to be the mother of the heir of God’s covenant promise.
When God announced that 90-year-old Sarah “shall be a mother of nations” (17:15-17), Abraham “fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” (17:17)
Betraying his lack of faith and willingness to content himself with less than God’s best, Abraham protested and suggested Ishmael should be his heir (17:18). God, however, renewed His covenant with Abraham and stated Sarah would bear him a son and his name would be Isaac (17:19). Though God refused Ishmael as Abraham’s heir, He comforted him promising the son born to the Hagar would be a father to a “great nation” (17:20).
God then repeated His assurance that Sarah would bear the son who would be Abraham’s heir (17:21) and set the time for the child’s birth “the next year” when Abraham would be 100 years old and Sarah 90 years old. Abraham accepted God’s will, obeyed His command, and circumcised every male of his household (17:22-27).
Genesis 18 – A Heavenly Visitation (18:1-15)
A “theophany,” the LORD appearing in the form of man, occurred in Genesis 18 when He and two angels appeared as men before Abraham’s tent and brought news within Sarah’s hearing that she would bear a son. Sarah “laughed within herself” at the thought that she, a woman “waxed old” (past child-bearing years), should bear Abraham’s son (18:12).
The LORD questioned Abraham, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” (18:13).
Sarah was surprised that Abraham’s visitor not only knew she scoffed at the promise that she would bear a son in her old age, but also laughed at the thought of it! The LORD asked Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” (18:15), and asserted that He would return when the promised son was born (18:14). Perhaps, fearing the visitor who knew her thoughts, Sarah denied she laughed at the birth announcement, and the LORD rebuked her for lying (18:15).
Genesis 18:16-33 – Standing on the Precipice of God’s Judgment
The closing verses of Genesis 18 contain the fateful message that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were to be judged and destroyed for their wickedness (18:20-22). Knowing his nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom, Abraham interceded that the LORD might spare the city (18:23-33). Abraham entreated the LORD six times for His grace and mercy and requested that the cities be spared for the sake of the righteous souls who lived there. The LORD mercifully agreed when Abraham proposed that the city of Sodom be spared if only ten righteous souls were found there.
Think about it: ten righteous souls, perhaps the size of Lot’s family, was enough to spare that city from destruction. But, unfortunately, Lot was not interested in the lost souls of his neighbors. Abraham, however, cared for the inhabitants and interceded for the city. Sodom, however, was doomed when Lot failed to stir the hearts of his family members to flee before God’s judgment (Genesis 19).
Closing thoughts – You have a sphere of influence, a providential presence, among the souls of men and women. But of course, the fate of a whole city does not rest within your realm of influence; however, some souls are influenced by your life and testimony.
Compare yourself to Abraham and Lot and consider which of the two you most resemble: Abraham, who made passionate intercession for the lost souls of Sodom? Or Lot, who waited too late to plead for the souls of his children?
Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith
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