Genesis 18:16-17. 16Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
Genesis 18 is truly an amazing section of scripture. Jesus and two angels have come to Abraham and Sarah’s tent, the first physical appearance by God in the Bible. They have been served lunch by the Abrahams, and experienced their renowned hospitality. Then, as Sarah’s was caught eavesdropping, God revealed more of his promise – Sarah herself, at ninety years old, will bear Abraham a son. She too will be the parent of a great nation, the mother of kings.
As we saw yesterday, Genesis 18 also reveals Abraham’s purpose, the purpose of a covenant relationship with God, and the definition of a great nation: to “do righteousness and justice.” And now comes Abraham’s first chance to do both righteousness and justice – Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? The answer, of course, is that Jesus is not going to hide anything from Abraham. Actually, he will invite Abraham into his own plans for righteousness and justice. Plans concerning the city of Sodom.
Genesis 18:20-21. 20Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
God the Son didn’t come down from Heaven just to have lunch and then predict baby Isaac. He came down on a mission of justice. The cries of the oppressed have reached Heaven’s ears, and now Christ has come to Earth to see the unrighteousness of Sodom for himself. Obviously the omnipresent, omniscient God doesn’t need to see anything for himself. And he definitely doesn’t need Abraham’s tent to be his launching point for a reconnaissance mission to Sodom.
So what’s going on here?
God is developing our purpose as those who are in him. In covenant with him. Abraham is in covenant with God by grace alone, through faith alone. But that is only the beginning of the relationship. Abraham now exists to be a mediator between God and man. First in teaching his nation family to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. But not for his own family alone. No, Abraham is to be a blessing to all nations, even the wicked ones. Even the Sodoms. Abraham’s calling, his blessing, is that he will lead others into the paths of righteousness, or at least he will try.
God is letting Abraham in on his plan for Sodom. Why? Because Abraham is a friend of God (Is. 41:8). A covenant partner. And so are all who are in Christ. In the same way that Christ appeared to Abraham and revealed the judgment upon Sodom, Christ has appeared to us and revealed his plan for all of human history.
Ephesians 1:7-10. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
What kind of friends keep things from each other? Not very good ones, I’d say. Imagine God coming to Earth and asking himself rhetorically, should we hide from (insert your name here) what we are going to do? Then, without discussion, God reveals every part of his eternal plan to you, his friend. His plan to save the world in Christ. To judge the world in Christ. And to unite all things in the world in Christ.
Christian, God has kept nothing from you, nothing of eternal importance. The mystery of his will has been made known to us. In first century thinking, a mystery was that which was hidden but now revealed. God has revealed all the mysteries of the universe to us in Christ.
Where do we come from? From the word of God, Christ.
Where are we going? To be with Christ.
What is the meaning of life? To image and reveal Christ.
How do we find that meaning? Through faith in Christ.
How should we live? As Christ.
What is the purpose of everything? To be united under the authority of Christ.
In Colossians, Paul says it gloriously this way:
Colossians 1:15-20. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
God asks rhetorically, Shall I hide from the church what I am about to do? And his answer is, no. Rather I will reveal everything to them in the person and work of Jesus. All things concerning righteousness and justice, salvation and judgment, eternal life and everyday life, are revealed to us in the God-Man.
Yes, it is true, we do not know what tomorrow holds. We don’t know our immediate future. There is no divine promise concerning your job situation, your illness, your wayward child, your crumbling marriage, your suffering. God may or may not reveal those answers in time. But for now he has revealed all that we need to know. He has revealed WHO we need to know. Our job is to interpret what we don’t know in light of WHO we do know. In light of his cross and empty tomb. And in light of his soon return to reconcile all things to those who love and trust him. His friends.
You: Do you ever feel like God is hiding things from you? Do you struggle to trust God with your immediate future?
You in Christ: How does knowing that all the mysteries of life are answered in Christ allow you to trust God with your day to day?
Christ in you: How can you re-interpret your story in light of the story of Jesus? How will this change your perspective on your situation?
Prayer: Father, you have revealed all of the mysteries of the universe to us in Jesus. Every big question is answered in him. I want Jesus to be my answer to life’s questions today and every day. Help me I pray. Amen.
To Live is Christ 