The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR MARCH 3 BY
THE REV.. W. HENDERSON.
Subject: Abraham Pleading For
Sodom, Gen. 1S:16-33-Goldca
Text, Luke 1871 Memory

Subject: Abraham Pleading For
Sodom, Gen. 1S:16-33-Goldea
Text, Luke ISL Memory
Verses, 1926.
Abram is now Abraham. And he
IS still a familiar friend of God. God
yet appears to him and converses
with him, giving him comfort, in
spiration, advice. God is his coun-
selor, and his JOY Is in Him.
This lesson presents for u con-
sideration four matters of impor-
lance, /. e., Gods confidence in Abra-
ham; the consequences of communal
sin; the loving sympathy of Abraham
with the sinners of a SHINING COM
munity; the mercy and justice Of
God.
God had confidence in Abraham.
He had delegated to him a work that
was to have it's influence upon all
time. And having summoned him,
God doesn't forget that Abraham is
in His confidence. Abram had been
selected by Him, and he had fulfilled
with fidelity the obligations that God
had laid upon him. Abram had been
faithful to his Divine commission.
Therefore God had confidence in him;
therefore God recognized Abraham's
right to know the Divine will and
to receive information Of the, Divine
Intentions. The proof of this lies in
the question of Jehovah, Shall I
hide from Abraham that which I do?"
Here God recognizes that Abraham
was called Of Himself, that he was
trustworthy, that he had a claim
upon the Divine favor. g.
The lesson shows US also the conse-
quences of communal sin. 1t de-
scribes to US the end Of social in
EQUITY. It is, in a way, a parallel to
the stories concerning the conse-
quences Of sin that we have had al
ready. 'Sodom was so wicked that, to
paraphrase verses 20 and Fl, we may
say that the very walls cried out to
Heaven. 1t was sunk in sin, dead
with depravity to all sense of de-
cency, its shame smelled to Heaven,
it's iniquity was grievous. And God
stood it as long as His integrity
would permit and then He visited a
righteous judgment upon it. He re-
moved it's inhabitants from any part
in this worlds affairs, He totally an
initiated its earthly power for cor
ruption, He wiped the place of the
map. But in Lot was a remnant OF
manhood left, and. only a remnant at
that. God saved the remnant.
Abraham's "peradventure" prayer
Is remarkable for many things. 1t
Indicates to. us that prayer has a
proper place in the life of the man
who lives near to God, that Abraham
had no proper conception Of the full
ness Of the character of God, that i'm
plicit1y he attributed to Jehovah a
hardness that was unreal, that he felt
that he was on such terms Of init
macy with Divinity that he could Sc
cure favor for others beside himself.
These things are perfectly clear as
we read the text and they need no en-
larging. The most remarkable thing
about the prayer isthis, that Abraham
had a love for sinners who were not
related to him by blood, as well as af-
lection for his own kin. 1t Is evil
dent, of course, that with righteous
Lot as the price he hoped to strike a
sharp bargain with Jehovah. But
back Of that there lies an appreciation
Of the love that good men should
have for sinners outside Of their per-
sonal acquaintanceship.
The justice and mercy Of God are
here revealed. Abraham could not
ask more than God was ready to
grant. For the sake Of ten decent
citizens He stoodrready to let mercy
take the place of exact justice sand
give the city another chance to re-
ieem itself. That struck even Abra-
ham as a fair proposition. 1t was all
that he dared to ask. Evidently the
ten couldn't be found. Gods mercy
was valueless. The city is lost. But
with an exact justice that humanity.
has not yet learned to administer,
Lot and his family are spared. His
wife d%isobeyed commands and she
was turned to salt. Lot and his
daughters just escaped to the hills
and that was all. And a study OF the
precious trio will make n wonder
how even they escaped.
The immediate lessons are these:
We may all enjoy Gods favor and
enter into a knowledge OF His mind,
as it is continuously revealed, If we
will obey Him. Except this land Is
to follow after Sodom and the en-
| pires that are dead, we must comport
ourselves in righteousness. Some OF
the sin of America smells to Heaven
as badly as Sodom's ever did. Our
| social iniquities, CLOSED with the re-
fnements Of an unprecedented civil
ization and protected by the seal OF
legality, are simply ungodly. We who
are striving to do Gods will in the
midst of such conditions should pray
Gods patience with those who defy
Him. And however hard it may be
for US to understand, sometimes, the
mysterious way of God with His
world we must always remember
that He is juster than humanity ana
more merciful than are we.
These notes may assist:
VS.. IS. blessed" CT. Gen. 1878.
VS.. 20. Cry" The cities are
spoken of as crying out to Heaven BE-
cause of the wickedness within their
walls. Sin" CT. Gen. 10.
VS.. 81. "Go-see." Notice the
anthropomorphic language.
VS.. %. Consume" 1.-The older
Israelite philosophy held that a mans
fortunes were always exactly proper
toned to his conduct, SC that If a man
suffered it was a clear proof that he
had sinned." This is what worries
Abrah. m. For Lot was measurably,
in his time, a good man.
The mercy of God is the greatest Of
all mercies.