…You may find this hard to believe. But I don’t sit around thinking about what to blog about.
But here’s what’s going on in my brain. It’s a summation from a video that went with the Patriarchs study combined with a lesson from church. (I am an editor’s nightmare! Good thing this isn’t a magazine.)
Genesis 18 when Abraham pleads with God for Sodom:
The bottom line in this scene is in verse 25: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The cool thing was God esteemed Abraham’s opinion. He positions Abraham in the role of prophet. Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”
And Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong ot the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…”
We learned at church about how our faith is based on knowledge. We know it because it was revealed. But knowledge in the Word is never just head knowledge. It is always experiential. But at the same time, it transcends emotions, too. God himself took the initiative to make Himself known to man through His Word. At least that’s what we say we believe. All other religions result from man’s attempt to know truth. Big difference.
Anyway, yes. God is so glorious that words cannot describe, though we try. So there are secret things to Him. Things we can’t handle yet or we’d drop dead. But the things revealed are what we build our lives on. And the best part? We can never say, “You never told us!” YES HE DID. Anything negative we need to know is there. And all the mysterious, secret things? They. are. all. glorious. Reassuring, eh?
so. so. so… Here’s the deal. God is Just and Right. All the time. What God thinks, He says. What He says, He does. God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). He has no dark side. No emotional problems. He never has an ugly thought toward me if I’m covered in the blood of the spotless Lamb.
So this phenomenal God engaged Abraham in a diologue. He invited a mere man to “walk with Him so that He could teach Abraham how a man can walk like Him.”
Two questions:
1. Can God trust Abraham? (Gen 18:17 says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”)
And
2. Can Abraham trust God? (Could Creater God ever do wrong to His creation?)
So. Can He trust you? Can He trust you…
– To not forget where you came from?
– To know what to share with others and what to keep to yourself?
– To not try to share His glory?
– To not get arrogant when He blesses you?
God saw the answer was yes. So He cast Abraham in a second role: God’s friend (James 2:23). The Greek word James used was philos, which means love based on common interest. When we totally adopt God’s interests (the way Abraham & Moses did, for example) we are His friend.
The 2nd question. God invited Abraham to ask these things. He prompted him to inquire – “what if there are found 10 people righteous in Sodom? will you destory it then?” – for every reverent person to live after Abraham who wonders the same thing.
Will the Judge of the earth ever do wrong?
What matters more to You – the many wicked or the few righteous?
No, He will never do wrong. And when you wonder about all the junk out there, remember: God’s sovereignty can terrify us only if we are uncertain of His love. Only to the extent that we abide in His love can we be comforted by His sovereignty.
Those are your two bookends.
{God’s Sovereignty} {God’s Unfailing Love}
Whatever is between those two (why do innocent children sometimes suffer? why don’t you save everyone? why did you save me?) will be answered one day. Until then, we have a Most High God who refuses to separate His sovereignty from His love.