Friday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Genesis 18:20-25
20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
18:21 I will go down to see. These words reveal that the decision to destroy the cities of the plain was undertaken with careful scrutiny of the evidence. This remark should not be interpreted as indicating limited knowledge on the part of God, any more than do the similar and ironic words in 11:5. All that is implied is God’s direct attention to the matter.
18:23–25 Abraham’s response to God’s revelation is probably prompted by his concern for Lot, although Lot is not mentioned specifically. But the main issue for Abraham is, will God destroy the righteous alongside the wicked? Knowing that God must be true to his nature, Abraham poses the question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?
18:23–25 Abraham’s response to God’s revelation is probably prompted by his concern for Lot, although Lot is not mentioned specifically. But the main issue for Abraham is, will God destroy the righteous alongside the wicked? Knowing that God must be true to his nature, Abraham poses the question, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?
Study Questions:
- In Genesis 18, we see Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom. This place was evil in the sight of God. They had been unkind to Abraham. So why is he praying for them in the first place? Maybe it was because his nephew lived there. But it seemed to be deeper than that. God had promised that he would bless ALL nations through Abraham. So Abraham is showing Sodom underserved kindness, grace and mercy. We can only show this kind of grace when we realize we have received unfathomable grace from our Heavenly Father. In light of the grace that has been shown to you, who in your life have you withheld grace from?
- Abraham's heart was moved in his concern for Sodom. But he didn't just sit and worry about things. He took his concern to action and prayed. He interceded on behalf of others. How often do we worry about things in our life? We stress over money, our relationships, our kids. But how often do you turn that concern into prayer? How often are you spending time interceding on behalf of yourself and others? Could God be leading you to up your prayer game?
Pray:
- That you would show grace to others.
- That you would turn your stress into prayer.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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