Wednesday Bible Study: Abraham Plank by Plank part X

 

I closed last time with "Shake and bake in Sodom", so you might be expecting one of my dissertations on the myths surrounding the cities destroyed by God due to their evil.  But there's a different shake and bake God wants us to see- a theme that Paul often brought up in the New Testament: finishing well, or not.  You see, surrounding the story of the fiery fall of Sodom and Gomorrah are two men who give us examples of both, through their prayers.

In my morning studies today, I was in Daniel 9, reading the prayer he offered when he found out Jeremiah's timeline for the restoring of Jerusalem ( a story that would easily make this post longer than last time!), and I noted in my mind the similarities between it and another prayer we studied a while back- Nehemiah's prayer before facing the Persian king.  And the prayer that Abraham offers to God for the sparing of Sodom follows the exact same pattern.  These are three men who finished well, and it will help us all to look at this prayer, er, plank by plank.

Plank one: the glory of God

Gen 18:23  Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 

Gen 18:24  Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 

Gen 18:25  Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 

Abraham focuses on the glory of God in the first plea- God is Holy, and would never do wrong.  He puts God on the high pedestal.  And God grants the petition- for 50, Sodom would be spared.

Plank two: My humble position before God

Gen 18:27  Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 

Gen 18:28  Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

He acknowledges his lowly position before God- "but dust and ashes".  In the prayers of Daniel and Nehemiah, this spot is filled by recognizing their sin, and the sin of their people.  In this case, it isn't Abraham's sin at issue.  Still, he humbles himself before the Lord, and this petition is also granted.

Plank three: just ask

Gen 18:29  Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 

At this point, it's just straight to the petition.  Ask, and you shall receive; and again, the plea is heard.  But if you know your Bible, you might know that phrase I lifted from Jesus above truly translates to "Ask, and keep asking...", and thus...

Plank four: keep asking

Gen 18:30  Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 

Gen 18:31  He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 

Gen 18:32  Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 

So he asks three more times- sandwiching in between two "Let not the Lord be angry"s one "as long as I've gotten this deep".  There is no need to be shy about asking the Lord over and over.  The stories of heaven are filled with prayers that were prayed over a whole lifetime, only to be answered after the petitioner has passed on.  However, there comes a point...

Plank five: be sensitive to when God's answer is no

Gen 18:33  And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. 

Before Abraham could whittle it down to five (which would have gotten him down to Lot, his wife, and his daughters, and a plus one), God WENT HIS WAY.  You have to know that there is a point in some cases where God flat says NO.  And then you should just let it go.

Now on the other hand, let's look at Lot's prayer.  Lot prayed?  Sure, look here:

2Pe 2:6  if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 

2Pe 2:7  and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 

2Pe 2:8  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 

So yeah, Lot had been praying for the salvation of the people of Sodom.  But see, the problems are many here.  First of all, Lot wasn't willing to just get away from the problem- which he could have done- he apparently kept praying for the sinful around him to 'get better'.  He was praying for his comfort and convenience, but not seeking God's glory.

Secondly, he should have seen where his good intentions were getting him:

Gen 19:9  But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 

All his good deeds, all his prayers, were getting him was, "Look at this guy judging us!  He's not one of us!"

Third, his desire to "make things right" led him to some horrible compromises with the world of Sodom:

Gen 19:7  and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 

Gen 19:8  Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 

Fourthly, those compromises shattered his family:  His sons-in-law laughed at him (v14), his wife turned from him to her destruction (v26), his surviving neighbors didn't want him around (v30), and his own daughters played him for a fool (vv31-38).

I've often made comments about "soap opera prayers":  Only praying when you're in deep enough, and then trying to make a deal (which, by the way, Lot also tried in vv19-21).  But just being 'sincere' isn't enough either.  Your prayers need to focus on the glory of God, and how your petition might increase it.  And if not, the results shouldn't be a surprise...

Gen 19:27  And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 

Gen 19:28  And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. 

And just one more thing:  Recognizing what prayer was answered.  Of all Lot's prayers, he got nothing.  On the other hand...

Gen 19:29  So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.