Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Genesis 21:22-34 NKJV

²² And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. ²³ Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”

²⁴ And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

²⁵ Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. ²⁶ And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” ²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ²⁸ And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

²⁹ Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”

³⁰ And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

³² Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there

Abraham’s earlier deception of Abimelech seems to have been forgiven and forgotten by the time Isaac is born. Abimelech had already been told by God that Abraham was under His protection. Now Abimelech can see just how prosperous God has made Abraham, even granting him and Sarah a son. And, seeing that, he seeks to ensure that this man who is so favored by God remains at peace with him and his people for the future.

Abraham agrees, but he has some terms of his own. Abimelech had treated Abraham well, in general, but some of his servants had stolen a well that Abraham had dug. Abraham not only wanted the well back; he also wanted to demonstrate his truthfulness, so he paid a price in sheep and oxen as a token of his honesty. And to make it all official, he also added seven ewe lambs to his gift.

The word sheba in Hebrew means “seven.” It’s also directly related to the noun “oath” and to the verb “to swear an oath,” that is, “to bind oneself by seven things.” The oath made with the seven lambs and the resulting covenant between Abraham and Abimelech give us a clear understanding of this connection between the number seven and an oath. When the number seven is used symbolically in the Scriptures, keep in mind its original connection to an oath, a covenant, or a promise made by God.

After ensuring peace for years to come with the rulers of the land in which he lived as a foreigner, Abraham “called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.” This phrase usually refers not only to prayer but also to proclamation. We are never told than any of the surrounding peoples joined Abraham in worshiping the true God, but that didn’t stop him from proclaiming God’s name to his own family and to his own servants, so that all might know the God who kept His oaths and covenants and promises, including the covenant to send the Christ, the Offspring of Abraham, to bring salvation to lost sinners. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the promises You have given us of present help and future glory. We praise You for Your faithfulness, and we thank You for Your goodness to us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Genesis 21:1-21 NKJV

21 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. ² For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. ³ And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. ⁴ Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” ⁷ She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

⁸ So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. ¹⁰ Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” ¹¹ And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

¹² But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. ¹³ Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”

¹⁴ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. ¹⁵ And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. ¹⁶ Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.

¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. ¹⁸ Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. ²⁰ So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. ²¹ He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

The name “Isaac” means “laughter” in Hebrew, and it’s with good reason that Abraham gave him that name. Both Abraham and Sarah had laughed in disbelief when God first told them they would have a child in their old age. But when Isaac was finally born, according to God’s promise, they laughed for joy.

Isaac was the first offspring of Abraham to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, making him a pattern of the long-awaited Offspring of Abraham, the Lord Jesus, who was also circumcised on the eighth day, marking Him as the true Heir of all the promises made to Abraham, and as the One who would bring mankind the laughter of joy from sins forgiven, peace with God, and eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus.

But there is an especially bad kind of laughter highlighted in today’s reading, too. When it says in v.9 that Ishmael “scoffed” (NKJV) or that he was “laughing” (ESV), it’s from the same Hebrew verb as Isaac’s name. But the form of the verb used here means to laugh at someone, to make fun of him. In this case, the fifteen or sixteen-year-old Ishmael was laughing at little Isaac.

Sarah foresaw the trouble that her family would face, going forward, if Ishmael and Isaac were allowed to grow up together. She pleaded with Abraham to “cast out the bondwoman and her son,” and the Lord commanded Abraham to do as she said, in this case. His plan for redeeming lost mankind centered around Isaac and the people who be descended from him. A lifelong struggle between Isaac and Ishmael would not help God’s plan of redemption through Christ, who would be the Offspring of Isaac. The Lord continued to provide for Hagar and Ishmael, but His plan of salvation would be through Isaac.

St. Paul points back to this account in Galatians 4, where He compares Hagar to Mt. Sinai and to the earthly Jerusalem that had, by then, rejected Jesus as the Christ and was persecuting Christians as Ishmael had persecuted Isaac. Christians, he says, are like Isaac, born of the free woman, born for freedom in Christ. Let that fact fill you with the best kind of laughter! Let us pray: Father in heaven, we thank you for adopting even us into your family through Holy Baptism. Amen.

Genesis 20:1-18 NKJV

20 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. ² Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

⁴ But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? ⁵ Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

⁶ And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

⁸ So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. ⁹ And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” ¹⁰ Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”

¹¹ And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. ¹² But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

¹⁴ Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵ And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” ¹⁶ Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.

¹⁷ So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; ¹⁸ for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Abraham is known as a man of faith and as the “father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11). But his faith was not perfect. Since Genesis 12 we have seen the pattern repeat itself: Abraham receives a promise from the Lord, he believes the promise, and then he proceeds to rely on himself and his own reason and devices when faced with a challenge. He practiced deception in Egypt. He schemed with Sarah to have a child with Haggar. And now, in today’s reading, we see him practicing deception again—an even worse deception than the first, because the Lord had recently promised him that he and Sarah would finally have their promised son within the year. That couldn’t have happened if Sarah had become the wife of Abimelech.

But the Lord showed mercy to Abimelech, and also to Abraham and Sarah. He was determined to fulfill His word to Abraham, in spite of Abraham’s failings. The Lord would see to it that the child of Abraham and Sarah was born, and that the rest of history played out as it needed to so that the Christ, the Seed of Abraham, would be born and would inherit the blessings promised to Abraham, which He now gives to us Christians.

Abraham stumbled in his walk of faith, as nearly every believer did throughout the history of the Bible, including the prophets and apostles. Not only did they stumble, but God made sure that their stumblings were recorded for us. By their examples, both good and bad, the Lord would teach us about His own mercy and faithfulness. He would teach us also about ourselves, that we are not immune to temptation but are prone to fall back into relying on ourselves and our own devices. We must constantly be on our guard against this sin, above all others, because if the saints of the past could so easily stumble, why would we think of ourselves as immovable rocks? Instead, as Paul warns the Corinthians, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Let us live each day in repentance and faith, like the faith of Abraham, who, in spite of his human weakness, remains a positive example for us all. Let us pray: O God, our immovable Rock, guard us from the temptation to rely on ourselves, strengthen our faith, and have mercy on us when we stumble, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Genesis 19:23-38 NKJV

²³ The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

²⁶ But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸ Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. ²⁹ And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

³⁰ Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. ³¹ Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. ³² Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” ³³ So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

³⁴ It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” ³⁵ Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

³⁶ Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.

The Lord has His reasons for allowing wickedness and impenitence to go unpunished for a time. But there is a limit to His patience, and we learn in today’s reading that His judgment is something to be feared.

Just as people should tremble at the global flood by which God swept away the wicked, so they should also tremble at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, because it is only a small-scale example of what will happen on Judgment Day. All the wicked will perish, while only the righteous—penitent believers in Christ Jesus, who are relatively few in number—will be saved.

Nevertheless, the Lord gives us the warning of Lot’s wife, who began to flee from Sodom, but then turned back in apparent longing for the city she was leaving behind. Citing the swift and severe punishment she received for such godless longing, the Lord Jesus cries out to Christians, “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32-33). Do not long for the things of this life or let yourself become overly attached to them. Instead, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:2-4).

The last part of today’s reading demonstrates how many who have received the Lord’s salvation quickly turn away from Him and back to providing for themselves. Instead of giving praise and thanks to God for rescuing them from destruction, instead of trusting in Him for the future, Lot’s two daughters commit shameful acts that betray their unbelief and their utter reliance on their own schemes instead of relying on the God of Abraham. As a result, their descendants became bitter enemies and troublers of the people of God. Let us take all these warnings to heart and remain faithful to the God of our salvation!

Let us pray: Gracious Father, as you faithfully and mercifully preserved Lot from earthly destruction, so preserve us from the destruction that is coming on the world, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Psalm 18:28-39 NKJV ²⁸ For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
²⁹ For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³¹ For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
³⁴ He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁶ You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.

³⁷ I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
³⁹ For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

David continues his song of praise to the LORD, who had delivered him from all his enemies. But, as usual, David isn’t simply retelling what the Lord has done for him. He’s telling us who the Lord is and teaching us what the Lord’s people can always expect from Him.

The Lord provides light for His people. Whether it’s the darkness of our sin, or the darkness of our ignorance, or the darkness and gloom caused by the evil all around us, the Lord “lights my lamp.” He gives us His Word. He gives us His Spirit. He reveals Christ to us, and with Him, the forgiveness of sins, comfort, peace, and hope, so that we can walk securely on the path to heaven.

The Lord gives us strength to confront and defeat any enemy. David was promised victory over Saul, and the Lord kept His promise. We have been promised victory over sin and death, the devil and the world. No matter how threatening our enemies may appear, they are no match for the Lord and the help He provides. His word is dependable. His protection is perfect. “He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

No one else is capable of helping us in these ways. The LORD alone is God. The LORD alone is our rock. If we think we’ll find strength within ourselves to deliver ourselves, we’re mistaken. But when we trust in God for deliverance, then we are able to face any enemy or any obstacle.

God even gives us a shield to hold that will repel any attack. He gives us the shield of His salvation. If our salvation is secure, through faith in Christ Jesus, if the Lord fights for us and has promised to deliver us, then what earthly trouble can overwhelm us? If God is for us, who can be against us? Every enemy must eventually fall. Every trouble must eventually be resolved in our favor, if not during this life, then most certainly in the next. Let us pray: O Lord, my God, your word is proven. You are a shield to all who trust in You. There is no God but You, no other rock. I praise You for giving me the shield of Your salvation, and for upholding me by Your right hand, through Christ who governs all things for my good. Amen.

Psalm 18:17-27 NKJV

He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
²³ I was also blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
²⁴ Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

²⁵ With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
²⁶ With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
²⁷ For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.

This Psalm, in ancient and inherited liturgical customs of the Christian Church, is a morning psalm. Why so? Because it was in the morning hours, from sunrise through early morning, that our Lord was brought to trial before Pontious Pilate (see Matt. 27:1), and many Christians have seen fit to pray Psalm 18 in the context of that trial.

Certain lines of the psalm clearly lend themselves to such a reading: “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies…He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support… The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” (vss. 3, 17-18, 20-24)

Within the finest court systems of humanity then devised, the most just man in history could obtain no justice. Psalm 18 fits very well into that dramatic context. The real villains, however, are not the Sanhedrin and Pilate. These are but the agents of a higher intrigue. No, the far deeper malice of the hour is that of the satanic spirits, the true enemies who conspired against the Holy and Righteous One.

Those same satanic spirits are the ones pursuing you as well. But you have a champion who has won the war for you! And through faith in His fully atoning merits, they can hold nothing against you and are fended off through the strength of Christ and the sword of His Word. Praise God!

Let us pray: O Lord, thank You for enduring the unjust trials of this world and gaining the full victory for us! Amen.

Genesis 19:1-22 NKJV

19 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. ² And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”

And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”

³ But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

⁴ Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. ⁵ And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

⁶ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! ⁸ See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

⁹ And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. ¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. ¹¹ And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

¹² Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! ¹³ For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

¹⁵ When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ¹⁷ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

¹⁸ Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! ¹⁹ Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. ²⁰ See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

²¹ And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The world, our sinful flesh and the devil are ever trying to woo God’s believing/baptized children away from the Lord, toward the ways of this self-centered, fleshly, fallen world and its ungodly ways. Those of Sodom and Gomorrah were certainly wooed and they deeply fell into full carnal pleasures.

Valerius Herberger, an early Lutheran theologian from the late 16^th / early 17^th century writes this about the Sodomites:

“Such are children of the world. They think that, as long as they are getting their fill of wealth and goods, they are sitting in god’s lap, and thus like the devil’s fattened swine they have their heaven in this life in the form of full bellies and like step-children are bequeathed only temporal goods by God… There was shouting and rioting in the streets. The common customs of civic, nightly, and domestic peace were disrupted. They sought to do wrong to Lot’s guests, as well as storm his house. yet for all this, we do not hear one word about any authorities being angered. There were no police around to run the streetwalkers home. When those in charge will not punish, God will punish and take both ruler and subject by the neck.” (The Great Works of God, trans. by Matthew Carver, pg. 37, CPH)

Within such ungodly times as our own — with clear scriptural sin being cheered as virtuous more and more — the inspired words of St. Paul ring out and bless the ears of the New Man in us: “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” (Eph. 5:5-9) Let us pray: O Lord, defend me and all who love You from the sins and blindness of the Sodomites and bolster me through Your Word and Sacraments to walk as a child of light. Amen.

Genesis 18:16-33 NKJV

¹⁶ Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. ¹⁷ And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, ¹⁸ since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? ¹⁹ For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” ²⁰ And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, ²¹ I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³ And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

²⁶ So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”

²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸ Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”

So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”

²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”

So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”

³⁰ Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”

So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”

So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”

³² Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”

And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” ³³ So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Most in the world (and even some Christians) may be surprised to hear of Abraham’s pleading with the Lord to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The usual attitude evoked is one of judgment saying, “They should get what they deserve!” Or, “I’m glad that I’m not as bad as them.” Those who say such things are not realizing how they are being Pharisaical — thinking they are the measuring stick of morality or that they are ‘so good’ God must be impressed.

Here’s where yet another blessing of God working through the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther shines! Confessional Lutherans are so very blessed to have God’s biblical truth for their theology — because it holds to God’s truth and brings us to confess ourselves as totally depraved, with nothing good dwelling in our flesh. Our only goodness, and righteousness comes from outside of us. It is declared upon us through faith in Christ’s fully atoning merits for us. We hold to God’s Holy Scripture that proclaims: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:8-9)

Such a declaration of God loving us first, by sending His only-begotten Son to die for us, brings us to love our neighbor and do good works. So instead of having a judgmental attitude, we pray for them, that they would be brought to repentance and belief, just as we were brought to repentance and belief. We pray for them to turn from their evil ways, and wrestle with their sinful, self-centered flesh, just as we were turned from our evil ways and brought to wrestle with our selfish flesh. God’s Word proclaims: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and of great goodness” (Ps. 103:8). Therefore…

Let us pray: O Lord, let Your merciful kindness and truth be great toward us. Let our soul wait for You, for You are our Help and our Shield; our heart rejoices in You, and we trust in Your holy Name. Let Your mercy be upon us, O Lord Jesus, even as we hope in You. Amen.

Genesis 18:1-15 NKJV

18 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. ² So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, ³ and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”

They said, “Do as you have said.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” ⁷ And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. ⁸ So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”

So he said, “Here, in the tent.”

¹⁰ And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. ¹² Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

¹⁵ But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.

And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

What a blessed event and how thankful for us to be able to read and hear it! Abraham has three visitors from heaven come to him to prophecy about the birth of his and Sarah’s son, Isaac. Abraham certainly exuded the proper character by humbling himself before them and considering himself unworthy: “he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” (vss. 3-5) That’s New Man genuine!

Early Lutheran theologians hold that it was the Pre-Incarnate Christ, with His two ministering angels, who had visited Abraham. Some Christians may say to themselves, “It sure would be nice if I had the opportunity to give lodging and receive Christ.” But we must keep in mind what God says in His Word — that this does happen in three ways: First, when we love Him with all our heart, and receive His divine Word with a believing heart. As He says, “Whoever loves Me will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our dwelling with him: (Jn. 14:6).

Second, when we partake of the most worthy Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood in faith according to the proper manner and ordnance. As He says, “Whoever eats My fleshed drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him” 9Jn. 6:56). And third, when for God’s sake we receive a poor miserable man, feed him, give him something to drink, clothe him, etc. As He says, “I was a guest, hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and you gave Me lodging, fed Me, gave Me something to drink, clothed Me, and visited Me” (Matt. 25:35-36). And what Christ means by this He goes on to say: “Truly I say to you, whatever you did to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me” ([vs. 40].

Let us pray: O Lord, grant me the virtues of Abraham and keep me aware of Your visitation and rejoice in You. Amen.

Genesis 17:1-27 NKJV 17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

⁹ And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; ¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. ¹³ He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

¹⁹ Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” ²² Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

²³ So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶ That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; ²⁷ and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

One of the most popular questions posed to this section of text (understandably) asks this: “Why did God prescribe circumcision?” Here’s how Johann Spangenberg, an early Lutheran theologian at the time of the Reformation, answers that question:

“For three reasons: (1) To make a fool of clever Lady Reason, who always undermines God’s Word and works. When she sees this work, it seems ridiculous to her. “Behold,” Lady Reason says, “couldn’t God find another way to take away sin than by this foolish work of circumcision? How does it help God for man’s body to be mutilated?” Thus reason scoffs at all of God’s works. In order to humble such opinionated Reason, God commanded circumcision on pain of eternal damnation. Whether it seems foolish to men or not, God simply wanted ir or else man would perish.

“(2) To remind us of our sinful birth which was passed down to us through Adam’s fall. In this birth we are so corrupted in our nature and all natural, physical and spiritual assets and powers, that to regain this lost grace, humble subjection of our proud reason, will,  and discretion is needed.

“(3) To give the Jews a sign by which they might be sure that God was with them and that they were God’s people. And even if they were the scorn of all the world because of that sing, and despised and persecuted by all the surrounding Gentiles, God still preserved and protected them from all of their foes.” (The Christian Year of Grace, translated by Matthew Carver, pg. 48, CPH)

Now just as God adopted Abraham through His promise attached to circumcision, so in the New Covenant He adopts us Christians through the Holy Spirit attaching His promise to the waters of Holy Baptism. Human reason scoffs at this means of grace as well, but God is not mocked. The promises of His Word (which ever-point to Jesus) bring nothing but comfort!

Let us pray: O Lord, thank You for Your promises that never fail and for keeping us ever-fixed upon Christ.  Amen.