Abraham is a man caught between the wrath of God from Heaven for sin and pleading for the mercy of sinners below on earth.
Our text for today is a continuation of last week’s pericope. God has visited Abraham and left his family with the promise of a son. The conversation Abraham had with the angels now turns into a discussion about prayer. God has heard the “outcry” (verse 20) from Sodom and Gomorrah, and now Abraham cries out to God in intercessory prayer for those who will suffer God’s wrath. It is a strange text to say the least.
What appears, at first, to be haggling is actually the act of praying. The scene would be humorous if there was not so much at stake. Here in the push and pull of the conversation we are dealing with actual people. Sure, Abraham probably had his nephew in mind the whole time when asking for less and less, but it likely struck him that as he was lowering the number he was actually removing real people from consideration. Wisely, he does not aim at too high a total at first because he knows the reputation of Sodom and Gomorrah. Fifty seemed to be a good, initial starting point and then working his way down by five’s. He continues with forty-five, then forty, and not wanting to lose the moment, he works faster now by tens, from thirty to twenty to ten. God, would you destroy them for ten?
Abraham is a man caught between the wrath of God from Heaven for sin and pleading for the mercy of sinners below on earth. If you want to hear an amazing sermon on this text that conveys this exact idea and the way I think we should go for the gospel proclamation of this text, you should listen to this one done by Dr. David Schmitt at Concordia Seminary on February 11, 2009.[1] In this sermon, he maps out for us an image of a man on the crest of a hill who is suspended between heaven and earth. He is there pleading against the wrath from Heaven for sin over against mercy for those on earth. That man is pleading for the righteous to be spared, even though he knows “none are righteous” (Romans 3:10). He must have known that every time the Angel conceded it was an act of mercy. They both knew there was none righteous in that valley below. However, God accepts this intercessory prayer. He accepts it and spares Lot, his wife, and their two daughters. He spares them even though they are clearly not righteous, just keep reading. But He accepts the prayer of this man and spares less than the requested number because God is teaching Abraham and us something about prayer.
But He accepts the prayer of this man and spares less than the requested number because God is teaching Abraham and us something about prayer.
Here in the sermon, you would do well to give a teaching on the theology of prayer. Namely, that in prayer we do not change God but in prayer God changes us. This experience of prayer changed Abraham. In prayer, God helps us see THE intercessor for us; the One who was lifted up on the crest of a hill called Calvary. He was the only one, greater than father Abraham, who could stay the wrath from Heaven for the sin for the people on the Earth below. There God accepts Jesus’ prayer: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). God accepts that prayer, but not because anyone was righteous below. There were not fifty or forty-five or even forty righteous people. You could not find thirty or twenty or even ten righteous ones. You could not find even four people worthy of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It turns out there was only one righteous person whom God would accept in order to spare the whole cosmos from His wrath. That one person is Jesus Christ. God accepted His atoning sacrifice on our behalf, and He accepted His prayer on our behalf, and by that one act of the righteous one, we are saved.
Since we are working with the story of Abraham, I suggest we use a Story Framed Structure:
“In these methods, the sermon develops a single biblical story for the hearers and yet places that story into an interpretative context by using excursive material before the story, after the story, or before and after the story. This excursive material can be used in a variety of ways (for example, it can create a context in which the story will be heard or offer the hearers reflection upon the meaning of the story). In general, however, the material that lies outside the story has some interpretative effect relating to the meaning of the story or to the engagement of the hearers in the characters and action of the story.”[2]
I encourage you to visit the website so you can see the visuals there about how to use this model. It will actually be quite helpful.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Genesis 18:(17–19) 20–33.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Genesis 18:(17–19) 20–33.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] https://scholar.csl.edu/cs0809/88/
[2] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/textual/genre/narrative/story-whole-structures/framing-the-biblical-story/
