The intercessory work of Abraham is a follow up on God’s promise to him in 12:1-3. We see it with Sodom and with Abimelech. The LORD told him that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (12:3; 18:18). Gentiles would be blessed by Abraham. Abraham prays for Abimelech in 20:17 and the “God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and females slaves so that they bore children.” Aside from the fact that the ailment that Abraham prayed to heal was caused because of Abraham’s own dishonesty, he is a clear picture of Abraham being a blessing to Abimelech.
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Mini-excursus on Aggressive Mercy: God Seized Lot
We cannot go without mentioning the amazing, enduring mercy of God in rescuing Lot. Even when the man and his family lingered, the LORD snatched them up and moved them out. God was about to rain down all hell on this city and He graciously lets Lot know so that he and his family can get out of town. And for whatever reason Lot couldn’t get out of bed the next morning. He and his wife and his two daughters lingered. What were they doing? Really?
Here we see the grace of God abound even more. Though they stalled, the LORD stepped in by his angels and snatched up Lot and co. and brought them outside the city (19:16).
And the sweetest part of this event is the parenthetical that Moses does not want us to miss. The angels snatching up Lot and his family was “the LORD being merciful to him” (v. 16).
And we should note that God still does this. If He had not showed us mercy by stepping in to seize us, we would have never believed in Him.
The Intercession of Abraham and the mercy of God, Part 1
Gen 18:18, cf. 12:1-3; 19:29; 20:17
The intercessory work of Abraham is a follow up on God’s promise to him in 12:1-3. We see it with Sodom and with Abimelech. The LORD told him that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (12:3; 18:18). Gentiles would be blessed by Abraham. We don’t have to jump to the New Testament to see this. Even in chapter 18 we see Abraham being a conduit of blessing for the wicked city of Sodom. He prays for Sodom. He doesn’t have to. God did not tell him to. Even though ten righteous folk could not be found (v. 32-33), here is Abraham pleading with God to have mercy on this city. And I think that qualifies as being a blessing.
The Grace of God in Speaking to That Abram Guy
“Now the LORD said to Abram…” Aside from what He says at this point. Aside from where He tells Abram to go. Can we just look at those six words and swallow the grace at work?
The monotonous chain of genealogy is disrupted by the glorious action of God. What an amazing verb. “Now the LORD said to Abram…” He spoke. It is not that He had been silent. He was at work. He knew what He was doing. But here is where He steps out and shows us something more. He comes to Abram and speaks to him. And we are glad that He did. Thank you, Father.
God Hates Ethnocentrism, Part 2
So what may be behind the dispersing purposes of God in Genesis 1:28; 9:1; and 11:1-9? To be sure, we should not see 11:1-9 as some type of punishment. Rather, it is God overpowering the will of man to accomplish what He desires. And this is what brings us to Revelation 5:9. The Lamb redeemed a people for God from “every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Have you ever considered that this is only possible because of what God did at Babel? What God did there was set up a world from which He would be worshiped from a myriad of cultural expressions. God is not into a world solely inhabited by one ethnicity. Satan is (cf. Hitler), but the LORD is not.
There is an intense glory in Revelation 5 that was in the mind of God well before Genesis 11. Yes, Father! And oh to sing the new song on that Day!
God Hates Ethnocentrism, Part 1
The situation of Genesis 11:1-9 is people gathered together who scheme to unify themselves in such a way that the purpose of God would be thwarted. In verse 4 they decide, “…let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” Only one thing, one seriously important thing: dispersing people over the face of the whole earth is exactly what the LORD purposed to do. Consider 1:28, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” And then again to Noah in 9:1, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”
What you have at Babel are not “brothers dwelling in unity,” but vain men who deny the intention of their Creator and want to create an ethnocentric mecca.
The LORD steps in and does what He wants anyway. He confuses their speech and disperses them over the face of all the earth (vv. 7-9).
The Most Important Sermon on Ministry That I Have Ever Heard
I know I am supposed to be taking a break. But today I have listened to a sermon by Russ Moore that I first heard in college. I listened to it several times then and it had a profound, humbling impact on me. I consider it the most important sermon on ministry that I have ever heard. Yes. Not one of the most important– but the most important I have ever heard.
Listening to it today has gripped me again. It is shocking. Several times I had to stop, put my ear closer to the speaker, and turn up the volume. I hope to come back to the sermon regularly and I pray that the Lord use its truth to continue to humble me.
I beg you to go hear it. Please, listen to this sermon and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.
A Strategic Rest from Blogging
We are coming to the close of our holiday trip back to North Carolina.
The next week or more will include some readjustments for our family back in Minneapolis and the need for me to, by grace, maximize productivity in the January-month-off-before-the-semester-starts. Therefore, I am taking a short (but indefinite) time away from Reading to Walk.
God willing, I hope to come back with a minor revamped look and a nuanced intention.
Grace to you all in Christ!
Partnership in the Gospel
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”
(Philippians 1:3-7 ESV)
Paul’s affection for the Philippians is rooted in their gospel partnership, which he also expresses by saying, “you are all partakers with me of grace.” This partaking is deep and intense. It is a partnership that persevered both in Paul’s high points of defending the gospel, and in the pits of his seemingly hopeless imprisonment.
Partnering in gospel ministry means mutual partaking of grace, despite the circumstances. May God grace us with such partners for the sake of Christ.
What Am I Doing Here?
Am I really in this thing for me?
What a question to ask as a Christian Hedonist. The answer is “of course!”, right? I am in this for me because God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him. Careful, careful.
Don’t misuse CH to shirk the question that we should ask ourselves regularly. Am I in this thing– this gospel community, this ministry, this training– am I really in this thing for me? Is this about me? Me, me, me?
I want the very thought of such a possibility to send chills down my spine. Moreover, I want the evidences of such defilement in my heart to send me to my face in prayer, asking God to slit my throat before it would become a reality. Yes, slit my throat. Put me down. Prayers interrupted with thoughts about research and papers and publication and books and Phds are enough distemper to make me nearly pull my hair out. I want no part of that. None.
And I don’t want the “it’s all about Jesus” flag to be in theory only. How can I practically live in decrease so that Christ may increase? How can I get the heck out of the way? Much heart work is needed. Oh, damn the subtlety of wanting my own name to be known (in the name of making Jesus known)!
Brothers, we cannot live any other way. Let us put this out there, from our souls to the Lord. If this is about us then let us get out of this thing now. Now. And Jesus, you must come and do something. Please! The last thing the church and the world needs is another gospel minister made up of the things I see in my own heart.
