Genesis 18: 1 – 33: Abraham’s Prayer and Persistence

Great message Matt. It is encouraging to be reminded that God is sovereign (transcendence) in achieving His purposes and to note His invitation to Abraham and us to be involved in His purposes through prayer (immanence) through the fulfilment of His physical promises to Abraham being fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I wonder how this relates to the promise to Abraham after Jesus left this world being fulfilled to the gentiles through the promised mediation of the Holy Spirit? When Jesus had completed the work of salvation in person on the cross and after His resurrection – Jesus had to leave the world in person and promised another mediator to continue His work after He had left (The Holy Spirit). In this the promise of God to Abraham being a blessing to the nations is only fulfilled after Jesus leaves in person – and the Holy Spirit is poured out at Pentecoste when God applies the promised blessing of the Holy Spirt to all nations through the book of Acts. Thus all the promises to Abraham are fulfilled after Jesus leaves and the Holy Spirit continues the ministry in fulfillment of God’s promises to dwell in the hearts of all people Jews and gentiles. It is also good to recognise that God’s mediation to Abraham through a mediator (our high Priest) was in person through the angel designated as Lord – and distinguished from the other two angels in rank. Also that in chapter 19 – only two angels visit Lot, while the Lord (v.24) rains down fire from heaven. It is interesting that “Lord” is distinguished from the word lord used by Lot in addressing the two other angels (v.2). In verse 24 – lord is from the Hebrew יהוה S3068, 3069, 3070, 3071, 3072, 3073, 3074 TWOT484a GK3378 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—( 1. MT יְהוָֹה6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהוִֹה305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים), in the combinations אדני יהוה & יהוה אדני (vid. אֲדֹנָי), and with prep. בַּיהוָֹה, לַיהוָֹה, מֵיהוָֹה (Qr בַּאדֹנָי, לַאדֹנָי, מֵאדֹנָי), do not give the original form. ? and other Vrss follow the Qr. On the basis of Ex 20:7; Lv 24:11 יהוה was regarded as a nomen ineffabile (vid. Philo de Vita Mosis iii, 519, 529), called by the Jews הַשֵּׁם and by the Samaritans שׁימא.

While in verse 2, lord is in Hebrew אָדוֹן S113, 136 TWOT27b GK123, 151 n.m. Mal 3:1 lord (Ph. אדן)—א׳ ψ 12:5 + cstr. אֲדוֹן Jos 3:11 +; pl. אֲדֹנִים Is 26:13 +; cstr. אֲדֹנֵי Dt 10:17 +; sf. אֲדֹנֵינוּ 1 S 25:14 + etc.; (אֲדֹנִי, אֲדֹנַי, אֲדֹנָי are variations of Mass. pointing to distinguish divine reference fr. human. Pl., with few except an intens. pl. of rank; word takes sf. as pl. in all other pers.; so doubtless here. Orig. reading prob. in all cases אֲדֹנַי (v. DalmanDer Gottesname Adonaj; Lag 188 makes אֲדֹנָי an Aramaic format.); אֲדֹנִי now found in J 51 textual; in E †Gn 31:35; 32:19; 42:10 Ex 21:5; in P †Gn 23:6, 11, 15 Nu 36:2() often S & K in Chr only in sources, 1 Ch 21:3(), 23 ( = 2 S 24:3, 22) 2 Ch 2:13, 14; Is & Je only in hist. parts Is 36:8, 9, 12 Je 37:20; 38:9; elsewhere †Dn 1:10; 10:16, 17, 19; 12:8 Zc 1:9; 4:4, 5, 13; 6:4 ψ 110:1 Ju 4:18; 6:13 Ru 2:13; בִּי אֲדנָי †Ex 4:10, 13; Jos 7:8 (J) Ju 6:15; 13:8 is referred to God, but בִּי אֲדנִי †Gn 43:20; 44:18 Nu 12:11 (J) 1 S 1:26; 25:24 ( + אני) 1 K 3:17, 26 to human superiors.

So that only after Jesus ascends into heaven to continue His ministry as our High Priest – the Holy Spirit is sent to earth to mediate and fulfill the work Jesus had begun through Him to apply the promises made to Abraham to the hearts of believers in faith through the mediation of the Holy Spirit. Thus is may be said by Pul in Romans 9:8, “In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
Again in Romans 10:8, Paul’s says, “But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” (Note fulfilment of Joel at Pentecoste) that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” In Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Then in Romans 12:6-7 Paul says “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

I recognise that it is not possible to extract every truth about God from every passage of Scripture – but how is possible to talk about fulfilment of promise to Abraham without reference to the third person of the Trinity in the NT? Father, Son and Holy Word? What was mediated to Abraham in person is mediated to us through the Holy Spirit – not just in the inspired Scriptures but through God coming to dwell in our hearts by faith in God’s promises fulfilled only after Jesus returns to heaven and sends the promised Holy Spirit.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Ro 12:6–8). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Ro 12:3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Ro 10:8–9). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (1977). Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (pp. 217–218). Oxford: Clarendon Press.