Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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Communion with God is kept up by the word and by prayer. In the word God speaks to us; in prayer we speak to him. God had revealed to Abraham his purposes concerning Sodom; now from this Abraham takes occasion to speak to God on Sodom's behalf. Note, God's word then does us good when it furnishes us with matter for prayer and excites us to it. When God has spoken to us, we must consider what we have to say to him upon it. Observe,
The solemnity of Abraham's address to God on this occasion: Abraham drew near, Ge 18:23. The expression intimates,
1. A holy concern: He engaged his heart to approach to God, Jer 30:21. "Shall Sodom be destroyed, and I not speak one good word for it?"
2. A holy confidence: He drew near with an assurance of faith, drew near as a prince, Job 31:37. Note, When we address ourselves to the duty of prayer, we ought to remember that we are drawing near to God, that we may be filled with a reverence of him, Le 10:3.
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also
destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
Here is great charity.
(1.) A charitable opinion of Sodom's character: as bad as it was, he thought there were several good people in it. It becomes us to hope the best of the worst places. It is better to err in that extreme than to condemn one righteous along with the wicked.
(2.) A charitable desire of Sodom's welfare: he used all his interest at the throne of grace for mercy for them. We never find him thus earnest in pleading with God for himself and his family, as here for Sodom.
Here are great boldness and believing confidence.