Transcendence

Five: Sin In The City

Abram and Sarai were thankful for the many blessings God had given them. He continued to bless them with health, delivered their enemies into their hands, allow them to take over choice sections of land in Canaan, and give them wealth. But with all of that their hearts still continued to long for children. They knew God's promises were real and true, but the wait was getting to be longer than Sarai could stand. Sarai's desire became unbearable, and while Abram was willing to wait on God's timing to have the children He promised, Sarai wanted to hurry things along. She was desperate. She knew it was wrong to want to take matters into her own hands, but she rationalized her thinking by claiming she could help God out on fulfilling his promise. (Its easy to dwell on and ponder on ways to fix our problems when God isn't doing it when we want. What is hard is to wait, and wait, and wait until God's perfect timing comes through. )

Sarai's plan to help God out involved her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. In desperation she told her husband he should lay with Hagar and perhaps they could build a family through her. It was custom in those days that a man could sleep with servants and then include those children in his household. However, Abram having children through Hagar was not God's plan. Sarai's way was not God's way! God made promises that he most definitely could fulfill without the help of anyone. God could see the bigger picture, His timing was perfect. Sarai's impatient heart wanted offspring sooner, and decided Hagar would make that happen. Her plan to build a family through her maidservant was a terrible mistake, and though she couldn't see it as one at the time, she quickly learned that it would lead to considerable jealousy and sorrow.

Since Abram longed to make his wife happy he did as she wished. Then, when Hagar conceived, Sarai was instantly consumed with hatred. She began to despise her mistress. Watching Hagar's belly grow with her husband's baby was impossible for Sarai. When she could take it no more she confronted Abram to confess her jealousy. Since he desperately wanted his wife to be happy he told her to do with Hagar whatever she saw fit. Sarai began to mistreat Hagar, making it so miserable for her that before too long she fled from them.

Hagar was alone, pregnant, hungry and most definitely scared. An angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert and told her to go back and submit to Sarai, even if it was miserable to do so. Hagar did not want to do this but  the angel explained that in doing this the Lord will increase her descendants to be too many to count. He also told her the very good news that she was pregnant with a son and that she was to call him Ishmael, because the Lord has heard her misery. The angel then delivered some tough news for Hagar, telling her the boy would be a wild one, who's hand will be against everyone, and he will live in hostility against his brothers. (This news came at a very hard time for Hagar, she was miserable, living in a household she felt she was not welcome in, and to boot, her son would be a wild outsider. However, she did have faith in the Lord and knew his words were true.)

Hagar went back to Abram's house just as the angel had told her to, and gave birth to a son whom they named Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when his first son was born to the Egyptian maidservant.

Thirteen years later, when Abram was ninety-nine years old God appeared before him and said, "Walk with me and be blameless. You will be the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram, but you will now be called Abraham. I will give you the entire land of Canaan, for you and your descendants. You must keep my covenant - a promise between you and me. Every male among you must be circumcised. Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people. As for Sarai, you must now call her Sarah. I will bless her and she will be the mother of nations."

In response to God's promises Abraham fell down laughing and thinking to himself 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety? ' Then he said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing?" (Here we see that Abraham's faith was lacking. He tried to be brave and give God an out, another way to fulfill his promises through Ishmael. He really didn't see how an old man and woman could have one child much less many descendants as God had promised so many years before. Abraham's patients had ran thin, he felt his time was up and was still trying to hang on to hope with his son Ishmael. He didn't understand the power of God, and God's perfect timing. When God was ready to make good on his promises he would - no human reasoning would be able to stop it, or even understand it. That's the power of our God!)

God said, "Sarah will bear you a son- you will call him Isaac. I will keep my promises to you and you should obey me. Also, I have heard your plea concerning Ishmael and I will bless him. He will be the father of twelve rulers and I will make him into a great nation." (Abraham's prayer for Ishmael was so powerful. God saw fit to make him into a great nation because of Abraham's plea.

That day Abraham took Ishmael and all of the males to have them circumcised, just as God commanded. Abraham was ninety-nine, and Ishmael was thirteen when they were circumcised.

Some time later the Lord appeared to Abraham while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent one evening. Abraham saw three men standing nearby and he hurried over and bowed low to the ground. He offered them food, and water and a place to rest their feet before they moved on. When they agreed, Abraham told Sarah to prepare some bread and to select a choice tender calf to be prepared for them to eat. While they ate the men delivered the great news that by that same time the following year they would return and Sarah would have a son.

Sarah was listening by the tent. She heard what the men said and the very thought of having a son at her age, well advanced and beyond the age of childbearing made her laugh. To her it sounded absurd, thinking to herself that she is wore out and her master is old. The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, is anything too hard for the Lord?" Sarah was afraid and denied laughing, but she knew God already knew the truth. She was embarrassed by her thoughts and by her doubt. ( Here again a human underestimated God's power. Nothing is too hard for God. And with God we can do anything, absolutely anything. All it takes is faith and a good heart.)

When the men got up to leave Abraham went along with them. The Lord appeared before them and told Abraham he shall indeed become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. God told him that he has truly been chosen and his children will be brought up to do what is right and just.

Then God told Abraham the sad news about the great cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They had become so full of violence it was time to intervein. The outcries from the people against these cities were so great and their sins were so grievous that it was time that those cities be destroyed. The cities were full of people who were into gang rape, among many other sinful ways that God hated, like being arrogant, overfed, unconcerned for others, and un-willing to help the poor and needy.

After God spoke to Abraham the three men who were visiting turned to continue on their way, and Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

Even though Abraham realized he was nothing but ashes and dust and had no right to question the Lord, he was upset about Him planning to destroy the cities that were filled with both good and bad people, so he asked, "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Far be it for you to judge them alike!"

The Lord replied to Abraham, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom I will spare the whole city for their sake."

Then Abraham thought and carefully spoke again, "What if there are five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for only five people?"

The Lord replied, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people."

Again Abraham felt bold and asked, "What if I find only forty?"

He replied and said he would not do it if forty were found.

Abraham pushed his luck and said, "May the Lord not be angry with me, but what if only thirty can be found?"

The Lord answered, "I will not do it if thirty are found. Or even for the sake of twenty. Or if only ten righteous people are found I will not destroy it." (Here we see how very wicked those cities had turned. The Lord warned Abraham he wouldn't destroy it if only ten righteous people were found. When sin takes over, all who see it and see no consequences then begin to act in the same manner and sin grows. This is why God was so harsh in the beginning to those who sinned, He wanted them to be afraid to do those wicked things. These cities had gotten out of hand and God was ready to send down the punishments , unless a mere ten people were found to be righteous.)

The Lord then left Abraham's sight.

(Life question: God's power is endless. Our simple human minds can never comprehend the control and power God has. However, through faith we also contain power. Though we can't understand it, we still have it because we have God's protecting hand behind us. He has allowed us the gift of prayer, to simply ask God and then have faith He will provide. What are you asking for in prayer? )