January 17: The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him…?”
Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” –Genesis 18:16-18, 20-23
It seems that every new story in Genesis is jam-packed full of new and wonderful things that preach the gospel to us. This passage, which really must be read in its entirety to get the full effect, is no exception. It picks up on the last scene where the Lord has shown up to have a meal with Abraham to seal the covenant. As the Lord starts to leave, he speaks out loud apparently where Abraham can hear (“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…”). It’s fascinating in that the Lord is leading, shepherding Abraham to function as a kind of mediator between God and the sinners of Sodom.
Maybe Abraham didn’t take the bait with that first question, so the Lord says that he will “go down to see” if it’s really that bad. Obviously the Lord knows already, but take a moment to appreciate how patient the Lord is with those of us who are a little thick-headed. This time Abraham takes the bait and functions now fully as a mediator: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”
If you read the rest of the passage, you’ll find that Abraham tries to bargain with the Lord to count many sinners as righteous on the account of a few righteous men. Now, it’s not as though there are any righteous men to fit the bill; nonetheless, we see the doctrine of imputed righteousness very early on.
Our great Mediator Jesus Christ not only stands before the bar of God and pleads for the sparing of sinners on the account of someone else who is indeed righteous, but he is himself that righteous one!
And that’s the gospel. Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
The related hymns we’ll sing are:
Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty
Like a River Glorious
Jesus Shall Reign
Sunday school for children (in Genesis) and adults (on a Bible book) is up and running! Coffee and other treats are served at 9:15, teaching begins at 9:30, and we break to get ready for worship at 10:15.
Visitors are always welcome!