Expert: Quentin Parker - 12/3/2010

Question
Hi,

I've recently started reading the Bible from the start and am stuck on a few things in Genesis. I'm up to Genesis 21 at the moment.

1. Around Genesis 18/19, God tells Abraham that he plans on going down to Sodom to see if the accusations made against the people of the city are true. Why does he do this? Why does he need to go down or have one of his angels go down to see if the accusations are true when being all-knowing, he'd already know they were?

2. Why was Lot's life spared? He offered his 2 virgin daughters to a mob of perverts to be raped so why did God decide to have mercy on him? I remember a while back further in the Bible Lot being referred to as a just and righteous man. Did I misunderstand when I read him being referred to in such a way or why would God refer to a man who would do something so evil like that?

3. Why did God permit people to have servants and slaves like Sarah had?  

Thanks in advance  

Answer
Hello Vienna,

Thank-you for your questions.

1. What you see in Genesis 18:21 is best described as an anthropomorphism (attribution of human characteristics to a non-human). There are several of these sprinkled throughout Scripture. Such passages seem to go against our understanding of God’s omniscience and to contradict what is said about His character elsewhere in Scripture. However, we can’t take such scattered passages and conclude from them that God is not omniscient because that would contradict the hermeneutical principle that the clearer teachings of Scripture serves as the basis for interpreting the less clear portions.

In this particular section it is perhaps the case that God spoke anthropomorphically to Abraham so as to emphasize the personal relationship and the human responsibility of the people involved, especially as He was about to judge them for their sins. He was reminding Abraham that these people were fully responsible for the sins He was punishing them for and also reminding him of His mercy: He was demonstrating to Abraham, by this anthropomorphic phrase, that He had given them chances, He had thoroughly examined their lives and motives and thus His judgment was righteous and just. He would not punish them arbitrarily.

2. Lot was a just and righteous man with shortcomings and failings. Like David (committing adultery with Bathsheba), Moses (murdering the Egyptian, losing his temper often), Peter (denying Christ) these people were not perfect, but God chose to have mercy on them nonetheless to show HIS power and glory. God does not condone their evil deeds but He has mercy on them and redeems them in spite of their failures. And Scripture makes it clear that despite his flawed character Lot was still distinct from the heinously wicked people of those cities. Lot wanted to do the right thing but was weak and sinful; the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah hated God and were in rebellion against Him. They didn’t even want to do the right thing. 2 Peter 2:8 says that Lot “while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds”. We don’t always understand why God had mercy on some imperfect and sinful people but we can truly be grateful for His vast mercy in so doing because we, wicked as we are, would be doomed apart from it.

3. God is quite clear in His teachings on slavery in Scripture. Also, He gave detailed instructions on the ethical treatment of slaves (Exodus 21, Genesis 17:12-12). Hebrews could be sold into slavery if they failed to pay their debts. Every seventh year, the Year of Jubilee, such slaves were set free. However, the Law of Moses permitted for foreigners (such as Hagar, an Egyptian) to be enslaved by Israelites. In many cases, these pagan people were truly blessed of God to have been sold into a family among God’s covenant-people because it exposed them to God’s ways and His salvation. Many of these people came to know God and were ‘adopted’ as His people. As Mark 8:36 says: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

Thanks again for your question, Vienna. I hope this helps to make these portions of Scripture clearer to you.

God bless!
Quentin Parker