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Day 17 Promise 19 Genesis 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” 20 And the LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.” 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” 27 And Abraham answered and said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?” And he said, “If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.” 29 And he spoke unto him yet again, and said, “Peradventure there shall be forty found there.” And he said, “I will not do it for forty’s sake.” 30 And he said unto him, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.” And he said, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.” And he said, “I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.” 32 And he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there.” And he said, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. Have you negotiated terms with another person? Negotiations are a way of life. People negotiate for peace in times of war. People negotiate when they buy property. People even negotiate in the games they play. Abraham knew God intended something serious against Sodom and Gomorrah when He praised Abraham by stating again, he would be the father of a great nation and He would bless him. Having heard the praise, Abraham started negotiations for Sodom and Gomorrah. He stopped the negotiations at ten before God left him and went down to Sodom and Gomorrah. What do you do when you see the negotiations go against you? Do you give up and let events run their course? God promised Abraham that if He saw ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, he would save the cities from total destruction. Abraham probably realized the only righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah were his nephew Lot and his family and they didn’t amount to ten people. Did Abraham expect that God would destroy Lot and his family with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? It is my belief and assumption that Abraham believed God would bring out his family before He destroyed the cities. In order to negotiate with God, Abraham needed to know God’s character. You see evidence of that in the negotiations. Abraham praised God’s character as he negotiated with Him and called Him the Judge of the whole earth. Abraham had already met with God on several occasions. His coming to Abraham with the other two members of the godhead did not surprise Abraham. When you spend time with people, you get to know them well. Abraham knew he could trust God to keep His word. God would not destroy the cities if there were ten righteous people living in the cities. He knew his family would be safe from destruction when the negotiations ended. How often do you meet with God? How well do you know Him? Do you know Him well enough to negotiate for the lives of your loved ones and friends? Do you negotiate for people you don’t know? Just as Abraham stood before God and negotiated for the lives of people he didn’t know; you can do the same when you spend time in God’s presence and get to know the God who loves you. Let’s pray: Father, help me negotiate for the lives of my family and loved ones. Help me come before You to negotiate for those I don’t know because I know You don’t want anyone to face eternal destruction. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 20 August 2019 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay