vs25, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The Judge of all the earth WILL do right. He will not do wrong. He gave Abraham the blessing by the means of obedience, He will not judge the righteous as the wicked, and He'll only punish the wicked when they are wrong.
First, God gave Abraham obedience to prove Himself righteous. It says, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him”, so that election is unto obedience so we can be rewarded (Gen 18:19). He didn't just forgive Abraham, but He gave him newness of life.
God makes us like himself, commanding our children and ordering our lives for His glory, even as His Son obeyed God.
Forgiveness is important, but it isn't the only thing God gives. He gives obedience to prove that He is holy, making you and I as He is, seeing God. He says, “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:14-16).
Secondly, God will not punish the righteous with the wicked, but there is a reward for the righteous, even as righteous Lot will escape Sodom. Abraham said, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You!” (vs25). It is hard doing what is right in a sinful and tempting world. It is hard turning our backs on the way of the flesh, but there is a great reward. We won't be punished when Judgment Day comes, and we are wise to LIVE for the reward, even if the blessings seem small and we seem small and despised in this world. It will pay off. The sinner WILL be punished, though he did evil openly and happily. The righteous will be rewarded, though he fought all day long.
The Lord is GOING to pay us back, even as His Son is on the throne. His character is to reward obedience, bless the just, and punish the wicked who deserve it.
Thirdly, only those that deserve punishment will receive it. These are they who have done wickedly and haven't repented. “And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know” (Gen 18:20-21).
God owes us nothing, not even a warning, because we sinned in Adam. But, they will go to hell in Sodom having spurned God's mercy, twisted His word, and sought to harm His servant. They will PERISH, in spite of the fact that forgiveness and grace are preached. They will die, not because God is merciless or cruel, but because they are cruel, merciless, and they are like their father the devil (John 8:42-47). People are evil who do not love God, and they will kill God if given the chance.
This evil must be punished, and it will be. Rejected mercy WILL multiply sorrows in hell, adding regret to the misery of eternal fire.
Finally, be wise. God is righteous in all that He does. You be righteous in how you live and know THIS is the way of salvation. You who trust Christ by faith are righteous, and for His sake, the Lord GIVES you the benefits stored up for the righteous, even love, joy, and peace. All things are yours.
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