Genesis 19&20
In Genesis 19 we read of the immorality of Sodom. We also read of how that immorality influenced Lot in a crisis (vs 8) and his daughters in verses 31-38. The influence of the culture governed the behavior of the people numbing them to any guilt from their decisions and actions.
Again, in Chapter 20 the events we read about clearly demonstrate the condition of the culture. Abraham, apparently willing to adapt to the culture, allowed his wife to be taken into the harem of the king. He justified his action by calling Sarah his sister who in fact she was, but clearly his action was meant to mislead based on fear, compromising her safety and God’s plan for the promised son. God’s plan for marriage is given in Genesis 2:24, but worldly evil man is never satisfied with God’s plan, he always wants more. People often see injustice and ask why God doesn’t do something. It is clear from Chapter 19 that few people are willing to listen to God even though righteous Lot, (2 Peter 2:7) lived there. It is evident that even his family was corrupted by the culture.
So, God’s plan is to raise up a people, bless them and give them the law to bring to the world. This is how God is going to answer that question. In the book of Genesis we read of God calling Abraham to follow Him. Abraham agrees and God makes a covenant with him and the nation that will come from him. God will bless Abraham with a son who will have two more sons and one of those sons will have 12 sons and this family will become a nation by the time we get to the book of Exodus. To this nation God will give His Law and this nation will be charged with bringing this law to a world bent on evil. Not only were they given the law to bring to the world, but they were to live the law in the eyes of the other nations. If they lived the law God promised to bless them in order to make the other nations understand that God desires to bless. However, if the Jews did not keep the law they would be judged in the sight of the other nations so the nations might understand that God said what He meant and meant what He said.
This nation, the Jews, was chosen by God because they were a stiff-necked people who are tough enough to get the job done. From the beginning the Jews have paid and will continue to pay a high price of persecution because the devil is working to stop them any way he can. His desire is to destroy their work by spreading evil throughout the world. He cares nothing about who he victimizes or destroys whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, young or old, or great or small in the eyes of man.
This book is about the Jews and the task they were given. It is not a complete world history. It is a history of the Jews and the price they paid and continue to pay bringing the law to the world. This does not mean that God is indifferent to the Gentiles, just the opposite. When we come to understand why God chose the Jews and gave them the task of bringing, by word and deed, the Law to the world we can’t help but see God’s love for the whole world and, if we will read carefully, we will see God’s love for all mankind.
Mankind has free will. Because of free will man can choose to follow or reject God’s plan. The devil wants us to reject God’s plan and he has a whole arsenal of weapons he uses to fight against God’s plan. His weapons range from temptation to the outright destruction we saw in the holocaust. Many people do not like to read the Old Testament saying there is too much war and bloodshed. The Old Testament is the story of the battle between God and the Devil. It is the story of the Jews who are caught in the middle and were often the battleground. The Old Testament is foundational to understanding the New Testament. After all, you and I, whether we are saved or unsaved, are in that same battle today. The Law is absolutely essential to understanding our need for the forgiveness Jesus offers for our sin and God’s gift of salvation and eternal life. The devil tried to destroy the work God charged Jesus to do, but Jesus rendered the devil powerless and the Church was established and soon became the target of the Devil. The battle rages on today. God’s word declares it, the Devil denies it, and you and I have the free will to decide. But what we don’t have is the free will to choose the consequences of the decisions we make.
Choose wisely.
Pastor Dave