Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 32:26-29

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Continuing with the symbolism of the divine from above touching mortality below, we see in today’s verses how these moments call for the drawing of a line. The situation has come to an impasse, and one cannot try to stand with a foot in each side any longer. One must by chosen. “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Moses asks. Now that the people had sufficient time to choose sin or virtue, who would hold their dignity? All of Levi answers the call and they are given the command to march forth and cut down the rebels.

The command to go to battle is very sharp and direct. Even a neighbor, or a companion, or a brother was not to be spared. If a man chooses God, then he is to choose Him above any other. This may seem a hard thing, difficult to consider given that we live isolated from God while establishing more tangible connections to those we live with. But the more we mature, the more we see that it is the intangible ideals of good and right and truth that matter most, and we develop our deepest devotions to them.

We look around us today and we see that there is no such immediate judgment being carried out upon the wicked. Those that defy God still prosper, and those who are prone to straying see no clear line in the sand that must not be crossed. That doesn’t mean that the God of judgment and retribution has ceased to exist, though. These things come in times and seasons. People are left to ripen, and then the harvest comes, either for glory or destruction. There will be another time of reckoning, and we ought to live so that we will find ourselves on the right side of it.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Optimism in a Falling World- Genesis 18:23-24, 26, 28-32

And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

COMMENTARY

Peradventure there be fifty righteous: wilt thou not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? If I find in Sodom fifty righteous, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Sodom and Gomorrah was a place of intense wickedness, filled with a populace that had given up any pretense of morality or decency. When considering the destruction of those people, though, all Abraham could think of was the potential innocents that might be lost as well. His great concern was not about the guilty escaping their rightful punishment, it was about the guiltless being unjustly condemned.
And God readily agreed with Abraham’s pleas. For fifty good, for forty-five, for forty, for thirty, for twenty, for ten…He would regard the few righteous over the thousands of evil.
How often do we do the same? I think it is often easier to point to the other side of our political and social divides and describe the “others” as being all bad. All the rich are corrupt and should have their feet held to the fire. All the liberals are immoral and should be censured. And if any among their ranks are not actually guilty by action, we still make them guilty by association. We are very quick to call fire down on all the “wrong-thinkers,” with no regard for the innocent mingled in their ranks.