Taketh It Thou By Force?

Matthew 11:12, Genesis 15:13-14

Message No. 0539 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

Genesis chapter 18 records the appearance of three Visitors to Abraham as he sat at the entrance to his tent, near the great trees of Mamre. The sun was hot, so Abraham needed to grab some fresh air under some cool trees. As he did that, he looked up and saw three ‘men’ standing nearby. Now, a spiritual man like Abraham knew that these weren’t ordinary men. He knew that they were angels of God, sent to deliver vital messages to him. He sprang into action and entertained them. They indeed delivered much needed news to Mr. and Mrs. Abraham – the imminent arrival of the child they had waited for, for decades.

When it was time for the angels to go, the Bible says that they delivered one more news to Abraham, a not so good news. In verses 16 and 17, the Bible says:

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Abraham was listening, not only to the visitors, but to his spiritual interpretation of what they were saying in coded language. Sensitivity in the spirit was Abraham’s gift – I pray that each of us will obtain this gift also, in Jesus’ name. The three ‘men’ continued their message in verses 20 – 22:

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.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.

While the ‘men’ headed toward Sodom, Abraham stood for a moment and the meaning of what was about to happen downed on him. Then, quickly, he jumped and followed after them, putting on his intercessory hat: Wait a minute, Lord: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Far be it from you to do such a thing, will not the judge of all the earth do right?” Then, bit by bit, Abraham negotiated for God to spare the city for the sake of Lot, his nephew, and his family. In the end, God did what He needed to do, but not before evacuating the righteous.

In contrast to this story, consider what happened when God appeared to Abraham in his sleep in Genesis chapter 15. Verses 12 and 13 read:

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

Notably, though God said He would punish the country for oppressing his descendants, Abraham said nothing. As I read the passage, I could not but stop to consider what just happened. 400 years of slavery and mistreatment of your descendants and you said nothing? Why didn’t Abraham intercede for his descendants? Why did he not ask God to not let this happen? Why did he not remind God of His promises to make his descendants a great nation and make them a blessing? Was Abraham trying to digest the information and by so doing not doing anything about it?

In Matthew 11:12, the Bible says that the Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. What this means is that we should not allow our good to pass us by, nor should we allow evil to stay. I love prophetic ministries, but I am also eager to hear the remedies when something not so good is predicted. This means that while we, of course, know that God is sovereign, we can talk to Him and request Him to change His mind, just as we would if we were speaking with our earthly parents. In Isaiah 41:21, the Bible says:

“Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.

God is a loving God and if we come before Him with our strong points, He is willing to listen and to change His mind about certain things.

This year, don’t sit and watch when you feel or see that things are not going in the direction you expect them to go. Talk to God and quote His Words to Him. Remind Him about His righteousness and His just Judgement, but also His mercies. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham told God ‘Far be it from you to destroy the righteous with the wicked, because this is not who You are.’ At times, we need to fight, spiritually, that is, and take things by force. With the Coronavirus still ravaging out there, we need to pray like never before and ask God for His mercies. Just one Word from God and this virus will be extinct. We need to pray that God will heal our land and plead that our leaders will recognize that only God can solve this problem. I pray that God will grant answer to our prayers and remain our Defense and our King. Have a blessed week!

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 Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!