BARGAINING WITH GOD — HIGH STAKES AND DIVINE FAMILIARITY

By Jill Roberts and Michael Canalé

 

 

Michael and I were talking about the idea of how some iconic Biblical figures have actually bargained with God, when he raised the subject of something much deeper. Michael introduced the idea of how this was actually thematic in Scripture. And as such, he began to look at a pattern of behavior that was in existence before this kind of encounter with God could be possible. 

 

Have you ever thought about someone negotiating with a very powerful person, as to something in which the stakes are immeasurably high? If so, would you agree that to do this successfully would presuppose one essential factor? That one element is relationship. Absent this, negotiations could go awry very quickly and with disastrous consequences.

 

What if that powerful person happened to be the Creator of the universe, God Almighty? This was experienced by Abram who had just been told by God that his name would be Abraham and that he would be the father of many nations. God told him that kings would come from him. He and Sarah were assured that, in a year, they would have a son, Isaac, in addition to Abraham’s son with Hagar, Ishmael. As the “father of many nations,” (Genesis 17:5) NIV, Abraham would be honored by three major religions. While these Faiths would splinter in some ways, he would be a unifier among them. They would all spring from his seed. 

 

In short, lower case relationship between God and Abraham, had just left the stratosphere in a spiritual rocket and become RELATIONSHIP of a highly consequential nature. Did this happen overnight? Not at all! 

 

Abram was 75 years old when God called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. Now he was 99. Now he had lived in Canaan for many years. Earlier, he had been seduced by worldly goods but he had gone on to turn down the King of Sodom who offered him a world of them. He had been to war, physically and spiritually. Through it all, there had been one constant in his life – God. 

 

What had God’s relationship with him been like during the seasons of both scarcity and of plenty in the obedience department? It had been calm, patient, supportive. It had been steady, so that Abram had come to know and trust the LORD.

 

Almost 25 years later, they spoke of each other in covenant language. Yes, thinking of God giving him and Sarah a son at their advanced ages was a bridge too far, as to trusting God. The very idea elicited laughter by both of them because this seemed impossible. But, generally speaking, their relationship was solid, abiding and one of great trust and familiarity. 

 

It was this, all caps RELATIONSHIP that was the bedrock for the point of this week’s blog – bargaining with God – Abrahamic style. 

 

When I was in law school, I had a wise professor during the first year, who said that, with any decision, we should always ask ourselves one question: “What’s the heart of this all about?” 

 

So, today, we pose that same question as to the negotiations between God and Abraham:

“What was the heart of this all about?” In a few words, it was all about the then notorious cities of Sodom and Gomorrah:

 

“Then the LORD said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

(Genesis 18:20-21) NIV

 

So, God’s concern is about egregious behavior in these cities, based on the outcry from people living there or, possibly, even angels. 

 

Next, we begin to see, in a thinly veiled statement where Abraham’s concern lies: 

 

“…Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham approached him and said, ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” 

(Genesis 18:22-23) NIV

 

Why do we characterize this statement as thinly veiled? One reason – Abraham’s nephew, Lot, still lived in Sodom. As previous blogs have shown, Lot’s living there had caused him AND Abraham significant trouble. You recall, Lot was kidnapped because of his wealth and residence in Sodom, only to be rescued by Abraham. Abraham, at great risk to life and limb, had gone to war to save Lot and his family and entourage. 

 

How did Lot react to this close scrape? He moved right back to Sodom! Apparently, this city had an iron clad hold on him. He must have heard of Abraham’s refusal to accept spoils of this war from the King of Sodom. Yet, he broke rank with his Uncle Abraham and returned to Sodom, despite this, and the fact that his previous association with it, as just stated, nearly cost him his life. 

 

So, what was the heart of all this about between God and Abraham? For God, it was about righteousness; for Abraham, it was, once again, about protecting Lot. Abraham and Lot had gone their separate ways both physically and philosophically yet a father-like protection and loyalty with regard to Lot, still existed in Abraham. 

 

And now to the negotiation  itself. What was its tenor? It was cordial, respectful and direct:

 

Abraham begins, speaking of Sodom, 

 

“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

(Genesis 18:24-25) NIV 

 

Wow! Abraham would never have been so forward with God a few years earlier. Michael raises an enormously important point about this. Scripture is replete that Abraham prayed to God. Over all the years in Canaan, he had been talking to God. If there is a more certain way to establish relationship with the LORD, we are unaware of it. Time and talk through prayer is clearly evidenced here. So, now, RELATIONSHIP had established such a strong connection that Abraham got very personal and straightforward. Was God offended? No, it is quite the contrary:

 

“The LORD said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

(Genesis 18:26) NIV 

 

Then the high stakes bargaining begins in earnest:

 

“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 for lack 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.’

Genesis 18:27-29) NIV 

 

Now, Abraham feels he’s pushing his luck, truly testing his close relationship with God:

 

“Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found?’

‘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.’

(Genesis 17:30-31) NIV 

 

Abraham pushes his advantage.

 

“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 18:32-33) NIV 

 

What an extraordinary exchange between God and Abraham! As Michael says, what lessons Scripture teaches us! To any of us who ever thought that the God of the Old Testament was cold and distant, this passage, alone, stands in stark contrast to such a misconception. 

 

When Michael suggested that we write these blogs about what he called, “the God of love in the Old Testament,” I had no idea how overwhelming the evidence for this would be. We are not out of Genesis and the case for God’s love IN THE OLD TESTAMENT is airtight. 

 

Have you ever bargained with God? Have the stakes been high? May we stay in such close relationship with this Heavenly Father of love, that we, like Abraham, may approach Him with our deepest concerns, negotiating in earnest and with trust, familiarity and respect. He will not turn us away but welcome us and every thought on our minds. 

 

POSTSCRIPT:

Next week – the story continues with Lot and his progeny leading to another iconic negotiation with God, many years later. Following Michael’s insight and encouragement to see the Biblical theme of negotiations with God, we will look down the ages to see this.