Daily Devotional For Monday, June 10, 2024
It’s Monday and you are off to work or doing some tasks. All the public schools are out for the summer and parents are scrambling to find kiddie day care or summer camps or VBS or something for their kids. Yesterday, we were in Genesis 18 with a question that God asked Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Today, in that same chapter near the end is a question Abraham asked God.
God shared with Abraham of His intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Here is the context in Genesis 18:22-26:
“So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. (23) Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (24) Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? (25) Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (26) And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake” (ESV).
Did you see the question from Abraham to God at the end of verse 25? It was this: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And if you know the story, Abraham negotiated with God to stop the destruction if there were 50 righteous people found there. Then Abraham suggests 45 righteous people, then 40 righteous, then 30 righteous people, to 20 righteous people, all the way down to 10 righteous people living there. God assured Abraham if there were 10 righteous people living the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah He would not destroy the towns. It makes you wonder why Abraham stopped at 10, doesn’t it?
Sadly, there weren’t even 10 righteous people living in those 2 cities and God destroyed them both, but not before God spared Lot and his wife. As difficult as this may seem, when we do not understand God’s justice, if we think God is being unjust, then it is because we personally misunderstand God’s justice. When we misunderstand God’s justice, it is because our sense of justice is wrong and warped. We may think, feel or express, “I don’t understand how a good and just God can allow this to happen.”
This is for two reasons: First, it means we do not understand what it means to be a good and just God. And second, we are not looking at this from God’s perspective of sin. The word justice means “what is right’ or “what should be right.” Justice is one of God’s attributes that flows out of His holiness. This is why justice and righteousness are often used synonymously in the Bible. Because righteousness is the quality or character of being right or just, it is another attribute of God and incorporates both His justice and holiness. They go together.
This is why we cannot understand God’s justice — because we do not understand sin. Sin is an act of lawlessness against God and God has to punish sin with death and separation from Him. Look at 1 John 3:4, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (ESV). Look at Micah 2:1, “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand” (ESV). Sin is a crime against God and deserves punishment.
But the good news (Gospel) is that even though God’s justice demands punishment, death and separation from Him, to Abraham’ question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”, the answer is YES! God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for our sin so that His requirement for justice would be met. Jesus’ death on the cross met God’s justice. This the Apostle Paul’s point in Romans 5:17: “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ” (NLT).
God had warned Adam that if he disobeyed, the ultimate consequence was death. And since this one man Adam brought death and sin into the world, through God’s justice one man brought life and victory over death and sin. And one day, God’s justice will bring about the death of death and sin. That is the promise to those in Christ in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever”(NLT). This is also due to God’s justice.
Questions To Consider
- Have you ever asked this question, “I don’t understand how a good and just God can allow this to happen.” When and why?
- Do you ever feel God has not been just to you? Why?
- Abraham stopped at 10 righteous people. The Bible does not tell us why he stopped there, but if someone asked you “why,” what kind of answer would you give them and why?
- In Genesis 18, we have both the reminder of God’s covenant with both Abraham and Sarah about a birth of a son a year later they would name Isaac. He would bring life and a legacy to God’s future people and the eventual Messiah. Also, in the same chapter is God’s promise of death and destruction to two cities due to their mocking and rebellious sin against God and His image in them. It is an interesting comparison for one chapter. What does this say to you and why?
- Why do you think we have such an issue understanding God’s justice? How would you explain this to a lost or non-saved person?
Scripture To Meditate On: Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him” (ESV).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Please forgive me when I question Your justice and righteousness. You are holy and call all of us to be holy as well. It does seem evil and sin win but I know one day You are going to say, “Enough” and all of this will end. Until then, help me not ask “When” but to ask, `How God can I be an instrument in Your justice on this earth.’ I love You Jesus! In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly