May the mumbling commence!
Now it’s time for Abraham to play
press your fortune… through his faith in the Lord. Read more from Peterson’s The Message:
Abraham came back,
“Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt, dare open my mouth again to
my Master? What if the fifty fall
short by five – would you destroy the city
because of those
missing five?”
He said,
“I won’t destroy it if there are forty-five.”
Abraham
spoke up again, “What if you
only find forty?”
“Neither
will I destroy it for forty.”
He said,
“Master, don’t be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?”
“No, I won’t do it for thirty.”
He pushed on, “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for
twenty?”
“I won’t
destroy it for twenty.”
He
wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master –
this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?”
“For the
sake of only ten,
I won’t destroy the city.”
When
God finished talking with
Abraham, he left. And Abraham went home. (Genesis
18:27-33)
Now read the same passage from the
NIV translation:
Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord,
though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what
if the number of the righteous is five less than
fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five
people?"
"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I
will not destroy it."
Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do
it."
Then he said, "May
the Lord not be angry, but let me speak.
What if only thirty can be found there?"
He answered, "I
will not do it if I find thirty there."
Abraham said,
"Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found
there?"
He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."
Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once
more. What if only ten can be found there?"
He answered, "For
the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."
When the Lord had finished speaking with
Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. (Genesis 18:27-33)
There’s quite a bit of red, but the
issue is the same as with the earlier parts of the dialogue between Abraham and
the Lord. Most of the differences are
inconsequential, but there is one glaring difference.
I still have a problem with the more
aggressive sounding verbs for Abraham’s actions… like Peterson’s “pushed on”
and “wouldn’t quit”. These have more
connotations of having the upper hand in a discussion. Abraham was pleading not pushing or battling.
Abraham was pressing his fortune
through his faith relationship with the Lord.
And Abraham was pressing his fortune for the sake of his nephew Lot, who
was living in Sodom. The decrease in
numbers that Abraham pushes was not necessarily for the benefit of the people
of Sodom. Abraham was seeking to protect
Lot and his family and household… the ten innocent or righteous people.
How often do you and I plead on behalf
of our loved ones in the presence of the Lord?
We should be doing so with as much reckless abandon for our own safety as
Abraham displayed. Too often, we get
caught up in our own little world and our own little problems. May we spend more time thinking and praying
and interceding for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for those currently
outside the sheepfold of our Great Shepherd.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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