Week 10 - March 29 - Doug Mathers

Sorry this is late…

Wow – Merv was complaining about circumcision? Try Genesis 19! There’s a lot to think about and some difficult moments…

Genesis 19

Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed. Okay, troubling aspects for me include:

1. God destroys entire cities because of their evil. This is after Noah’s family repopulated the earth and after a rainbow (that signified a promise not to destroy all of humanity again). I just don’t ever like God’s judgment being delivered.

The good news I don’t think God likes it either. In fact I think this passage is only part of the story. Notice that the men gathered to commit violence and rape these angels of God accused the men of judging them. They were angry apparently the men had been warning them of God’s anger. (God’s justice was being deeply violated)

So did God relish the opportunity to bring judgment? No! I believe he was hoping for repentance but it never came. Contrast this with Jonah in Nineveh. There God sent Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh that God was going to destroy their city. They repent! And God “changed his mind” and did not destroy them. And Jonah was angry because this was a foreign city and he wanted their destruction. He was mad at God because he understood that God was a merciful and forgiving God. He didn’t want Nineveh to survive. (read it for yourself)

Sodom and Gomorrah did not repent – in face they wanted to harm the messengers. So God’s judgment fell hard on them.

2. I don’t like Lot offering his virgin daughters to the men for pleasure. I their fiancées didn’t like it either! But this shows incredible desperation on the part of Lot. He knew they were virgins. He knew they were looking forward to marriage… and yet he was about to throw them to the wolves. It just bothers me that Lot would consider that as a solution.

3. Lot’s wife looking back and being turned to salt. How do you not look back? Although my opinion is that she looked back with longing or regret. But I don’t know if I could have kept my eyes straight ahead.

The second section of chapter 19 doesn’t get any better. Because Lot’s daughters’ fiancées wouldn’t believe Lot, they were destroyed in the city. Because Lot’s wife looked back she died. So now it is just Lot and his two daughters. Bad situation.

The young women get Lot drunk and have sex with him in order to get pregnant. (The Bible would be at least an R rated movie.) They get pregnant and give birth to two nations that both become problematic to the Israelite in the future.

Genesis 20 – Abraham lies

Okay – so Abraham technically didn’t lie, but he deceived. I’ll let you read it for yourselves. I like that God protected Abimelech from committing sin.

Abraham’s strategy (partial truth) reminds me of me! Select the facts you want and omit the ones that might lead to trouble. It’s natural, it’s common place, it’s politically shrewd and it is lying!

Psalm 10

So isn’t ironic that psalm 10 and Genesis 19 are in the same week’s readings? One bothers us greatly because it is God punishing the wicked. The other is a complaint against God for not punishing the wicked.

Of course, the heart of God is for the wicked to change and be saved. And the heart of the Psalmist is crying out for God to bring justice in light of the pain and suffering the wicked bring.

If you can’t imagine yourself praying for the destruction of the wicked, think back a bit. Would you pray for the destruction of Hitler, Idi Amin, Sodom Hussein? There are times when we long for God to punish. But we need to be careful to remember our own sin and pray cautiously.

Proverbs 10

Lot’s of wisdom here… but I was struck by 10:10

10 People who wink at wrong cause trouble,
but a bold reproof promotes peace.

This requires a ton of wisdom as we try to promote peace.

John 10

I’ve written enough for this week… but let me ask a question: why is it significant to us that the people were going to stone Jesus for blasphemy? How might this passage enter into a conversation with someone who says “Jesus was just a good teacher?”