Disputing with God: Mercy, Justice, and Blessing

Genesis pulls the story back before Moses, back to Abraham, to the beginning of God’s covenant relationship with humanity after the flood and the early stories of Adam and Eve. God had called Abraham out of Babylon and promised to make him prosper, to make his name great, and to make him a blessing to all nations. The promise carried comfort, but it also carried weight, because God said, “I’m going to bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.”

The three visitors come to Abraham and Sarah with a wild word: Sarah, at 90 years old, is going to have a baby. Sarah’s laughter is understandable, because 90-year-old mothers are not exactly normal, not then and not now. Isaac’s name means laughter, and that laughter sits right beside the serious moment that follows, when God turns toward Sodom and Gomorrah.

God says there is bad stuff coming out of those towns, and Abraham knows those towns. Abraham knows his nephew lives there. Abraham knows Sodom has not been good to him, but Abraham’s conscience starts bothering him anyway. Conscience is not just being conscious of something. Conscience is being aware in a way that makes a person wish they were not, because it calls for action.

Abraham comes to God respectfully, but he comes worried. Abraham asks whether God will destroy the righteous with the wicked. God answers with mercy again and again, from 50 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 20 to 10. The flower and bud picture helps here: if the whole plant gets pulled up, the buds never get a chance to bloom. God’s character is shown as justice, yes, but also mercy that wants even wrongdoers to have a chance to get better.

Intercession becomes part of Abraham’s calling. Abraham is learning what it means to be a blessing to the nations. Blessing is not always easy to identify, because life goes back and forth: good, bad, good, bad, until something deeper is revealed. Blessing may be learning how to become good and happy people, caring and loving others in a world that needs justice.

Justice reveals God’s moral character, because moral indifference would be imperfection, not perfection. Christ’s work on the cross, baptism, and becoming new creations all point toward that same call: moving from bud to flower, from injustice to justice, from wrong to right, from indifference to love. Disputing with God is part of spiritual development, because this unique relationship with God teaches mercy, justice, real blessing, and thankfulness.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Conscience calls for honest action Conscience is more than awareness. Conscience is that inward trouble that will not let wrong sit comfortably in the soul. Abraham’s concern for his family and for any righteous people in Sodom shows that conscience should move toward care, prayer, and responsibility, not just private guilt. [45:10]
• 2. Mercy holds judgment back God does not treat a city like a math problem or a legal technicality. God listens as Abraham asks again and again, and each answer reveals mercy joined to justice. The flower and bud picture matters because God does not delight in ripping up what may still bloom. [48:13]
• 3. Blessing is deeper than outcomes Blessing is not always the thing that first looks good, because life can turn from good to bad and back again in a hurry. The deeper blessing may be the moment when goals and values get examined and a person discovers what life has really been serving. Abraham’s calling to bless the nations points beyond comfort toward a life shaped for love. [51:21]
• 4. Justice rejects moral indifference God’s perfection is not shown by looking away from evil. Moral indifference would be imperfection, because real love cannot shrug at what destroys people. Christ’s cross and the call to become new creations show that justice is meant to move people from wrong to right and from indifference to love. [52:28]
• 5. Disputing with God forms maturity Abraham’s argument with God is not disrespectful rebellion. Abraham’s dispute becomes a way of learning God’s character and testing his own heart before God. Faith grows as questions about mercy, justice, family, and blessing are brought honestly into that unique relationship.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [39:20] - Back to Abraham’s Story
• [39:45] - Abraham Before Moses
• [40:32] - Called to Bless the Nations
• [41:55] - Laughter and Isaac’s Promise
• [42:51] - God Looks Toward Sodom
• [44:24] - Conscience Begins to Bother
• [46:42] - Abraham Pleads for the Righteous
• [48:13] - Mercy, Justice, and God’s Character
• [49:45] - What Is a Blessing?
• [52:28] - Justice and Moral Indifference
• [54:17] - Disputing as Spiritual Development
• [55:05] - Free Will and Faithful Wrestling

Bible Reading

Genesis 18:16-33
Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. [46:42]

Observation questions

1. In this passage, what reasons does God give for involving Abraham in what is about to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah?
2. What does Abraham actually ask God for, and how does the number change as the conversation goes on? [46:42]
3. What details in the story show that Abraham is both bold and respectful when he speaks with God? [44:24]
4. What picture helps describe why mercy might hold back judgment, and how does that image work? [47:35]

Interpretation questions

1. God connects Abraham’s calling with “righteousness and justice.” What does that suggest about what it means to be a blessing to other people and nations?
2. Abraham’s conscience is stirred because people he cares about may be caught up in judgment. What does that reveal about the difference between simply noticing evil and feeling responsible to respond to it? [45:10]
3. God agrees again and again to spare the city for the sake of the righteous. What does that show about how justice and mercy belong together in God’s character? [48:13]
4. Abraham disputes with God instead of staying silent. How can honest wrestling with God become part of spiritual growth rather than a sign of unbelief? [54:17]

Application questions

1. Conscience does more than inform; it troubles the heart until something is done. Where has conscience been bothering you lately—in a relationship, a family concern, a habit, or a neglected responsibility—and what would faithful action look like? [45:21]
2. Abraham brings his concern for family and others directly to God. Who in your life needs that kind of intercession right now, especially someone in a hard or unhealthy place? What might it look like to pray for them with both honesty and hope? [55:34]
3. Blessing is not always the thing that first looks good. Looking back on a confusing season of good and bad, where might God have been leading you toward something deeper than comfort or success? [51:21]
4. Moral indifference is not love. Where is it easiest for you to shrug at wrong because dealing with it feels tiring, awkward, or costly? What would it mean there to move from indifference to love? [52:28]
5. God’s work is to move people from bud to flower, from wrong to right. Where do you sense that kind of unfinished growth in your own life right now? What signs of new life do you already see? [53:49]
6. Disputing with God can be part of a real relationship with him. What question, disappointment, or moral struggle do you need to bring before God more honestly instead of keeping it buried? [55:05]
7. Abraham learns that being a blessing includes caring about justice, mercy, and the good of others. In your ordinary week, where might God be calling you to be a blessing in a more concrete way? [54:11]