9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

8588. And Meribah. That this signifies the quality of the complaining, is evident from the fact that in the original tongue “Meribah” means “contention,” or “quarreling,” and “quarreling” signifies complaining (see n. 8563, 8566); and because names signify the quality of the thing (n. 8587), therefore “Meribah” here signifies the quality of the complaining. As regards this temptation itself and its quality, be it known that in this passage are described those who in temptations almost yield, namely, those who complain against heaven and also against the Divine Itself, and at last almost disbelieve in the Divine Providence. These things are signified in the internal sense by what precedes, and also by what follows in this verse, namely, the quality of the state of the temptation, which is signified by “Massah,” and the quality of the complaining in the temptation, which is signified by “Meribah.” That this quality is here signified by “Meribah,” is plain in David:

Thou calledst upon Me in distress, and I rescued thee; I answered thee in the secret place, I proved thee at the waters of Meribah (Psalms 81:7).

[2] But in the internal historical sense, in which the subject treated of is the state of religion with the Israelitish nation, that nation is described in respect to its quality toward Jehovah, namely, that they were not willing by supplication to entreat Him for aid, but that they expostulated. The reason was, that at heart they did not acknowledge Jehovah as the supreme God, but only in the mouth, when they saw the miracles. That at heart they did not acknowledge Him is very evident from the Egyptian calf which they made for themselves and worshiped, saying that these were their gods; also from their frequent apostasy (of which see n. 8301). This is what is here described in the internal historical sense; but in the internal spiritual sense is described the quality of the temptation with those who before they are liberated are brought to the last of temptation.

[3] That the quality of the Israelitish nation and of its religiosity is described by contention with Moses at Massah and Meribah, is also evident in the following passages:

Harden not your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me; they tempted Me, and saw My work; for forty years did I feel loathing at the generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and the same have not known My ways, to whom I sware in Mine anger that they should not come unto My rest (Psalms 95:8-11).

Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your God, as ye tempted Him in Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16; 9:22, 24).

Of Leviticus he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with the Holy Man, whom thou didst tempt at Massah, with whom thou didst contend at the waters of Meribah (Deuteronomy 33:8).

“The Holy Man” here denotes the Lord, whom they tempted, and whom Moses and Aaron did not sanctify.

[4] In the internal historical sense, in which the subject treated of is the religiosity of the Israelitish nation, by Moses and Aaron is not represented truth Divine, but the religiosity of that nation whose leaders and heads they were (n. 7041). Because this religiosity was such as said above, it was intimated to them that they should not bring the people into the land of Canaan, as is written in the book of Numbers:

Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye have not believed in Me, and sanctified Me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them; these are the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with Jehovah (Numbers 20:12-13; 27:14).

Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall not come into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because ye rebelled against My mouth at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20:24).

The same is said of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50-51).

[5] That still representative Divine worship was instituted with that nation, was because representative worship could be instituted with any nation that had holy externals of worship, and worshiped almost idolatrously; for what is representative does not regard the person, but the thing (n. 1361), and it was the genius of that nation, beyond any other nation, to worship merely external things as holy and Divine, without any internal; as for instance to worship as deities their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and afterward Moses and David, and moreover to account holy and as Divine, and to worship, every stone and every piece of wood that had been inaugurated in their Divine worship; as the arks, the tables therein, the lamp, the altar, the garments of Aaron, the Urim and Thummim, and afterward the temple. Of the Lord’s Providence there was then given a communication of the angels of heaven with man by means of such things. For there must needs be somewhere a church, or the representative of a church, in order that there may be communication of heaven with the human race; and as that nation, beyond any other nation, could make Divine worship consist in external things, and thus act the representative of a church, therefore that nation was taken.

[6] At that time communication with the angels in heaven was effected by means of representatives in the following way. Their external worship was communicated to angelic spirits who are simple, and who do not reflect upon internal things, but still are interiorly good. Such are they who in the Grand Man correspond to the outer skin. These pay no attention whatever to the internal of man, but only to his external. If this appears holy, they think holily of the internal also. The more interior angels of heaven saw in those spirits the things that were represented, consequently the heavenly and Divine things that corresponded; for they could be present with these spirits, and see those things; but not with the men except by means of the spirits. For angels dwell with men in things interior; but where there are no such things, they dwell in the interior things of simple spirits; for the angels have no interest in other than spiritual and heavenly things, which are the interior things contained in representatives. From these few words it can be seen how there could be communication with heaven by means of such a people. But see what has been previously shown on this subject, namely: That with the Jews the holy of worship was miraculously elevated into heaven quite apart from them (n. 4307); that whatever their quality might be, the descendants of Jacob could represent what is holy, provided they closely observed the rituals commanded (n. 3147, 3479, 3480, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4289, 4293, 4307, 4444, 4500, 4680, 4825, 4844, 4847, 4899, 4912, 6304, 6306, 7048, 7051, 8301).

A Sermon by Pastor Malcolm G. Smith, 7 May 2017

Introduction

The story that we’re going to focus on here comes right before one of the more terrifying stories in the Old Testament -- the story of when God made it rain fire and brimstone down on Sodom and Gomorrah and completely destroyed everything and everyone in the whole area.

It’s a terrifying story because, on the face of it, it seems to suggest that, if you manage to anger God badly enough, He will burn you off the face of the planet! This is the kind of story that makes you understand why some people don’t want to believe in God. They don’t want to believe in a God who could do that and they certainly don’t want to try to follow Him.

But, when we look at the story that comes just before it, and when we have the help of the teachings of the New Church we get an entirely different picture of God — one that actually shows His incredible love for each and every person. And it can also help us with times when we look at other people who seem to be in a really bad place and stuck in some really destructive behaviours.

This is the second sermon in a series called “Finding Jesus in the Life of Abraham”. Last week, our Assistant Pastor, Joel Glenn, talked about how Jesus, on the road to Emmaus explained to two of His disciples how the whole Old Testament was about Him. In the New Church we take that to be true and believe that “if we read [the Word] correctly then we will discover the loving mind of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Every page, every sentence, contains insight into how He thinks and what it is that He loves and cares about.” If you want more explanation of that concept, go back and read or listen to that sermon.

Today and next week we’re going to focus on using this approach to try to find Jesus in two of the more troubling stories in Abraham’s life. And we’ll be drawing a lot from a book called Secrets of Heaven that goes through Genesis and Exodus and explains the inner meaning, verse by verse.

The Story: The men gaze upon the face of Sodom

Let’s get into the story for today. In chapter 18 of Genesis Jehovah comes to Abraham in the form of three men and Jehovah tells Abraham something that ends up being true: that Sarah will become pregnant and have a son within the next year.

That seems to be the main progression of the story. But then, before the end of the chapter, we read this, in Genesis 18:16-21 (NKJV, modified):

16 And the men rose from there and gazed upon the face of Sodom; and Abraham walked with them to send them on.

17 And Jehovah said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?

18 And Abraham shall be a great and numerous nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

19 For I know him, and because of that he will command his sons and his household after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment, so that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

20 And Jehovah said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has become very heavy,

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have made a complete end of it, according her cry that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

"Secrets of Heaven" explains that, in this chapter, Abraham means the merely human part of the Lord that He got from Mary (Secrets of Heaven 2264-2265) and, perhaps obviously, Jehovah means the Divine within Him.

The Lord went back and forth between two states: times when He was connected to the Divine within Him and times when He was connected with the merely human part of Him from Mary.

In the story when Jehovah comes to Abraham or talks to Him it means the Lord in His human aspect gaining perception or a deep understanding about something from the Divine within Him.

Here the men “gaze upon the face of Sodom” and that’s symbolic of when the Lord, from the Divine within Him, realized just how badly off the human race was — how stuck they were in evil.

Jesus was born into the world when He was, precisely because people were so stuck in evil but, until this point, He hadn’t realized the full extent of it. So when Jesus understood the full extent of people’s evil, He didn’t like it and didn’t want to think about it.

Listen to this explanation of the meaning of the phrase “… and Abraham walked with them to send them on” (Genesis 18:16).

From Secrets of Heaven 2222: “to send them on” means that He wanted to withdraw from that perception.... The reason is also evident, namely that the perception from the Divine, and the thought from it about the human race that that was what they were like, struck Him with horror, for the Lord’s love toward the human race was so great that He willed to save all people to eternity....

Like a parent hearing about something bad that their child has done, part of Jesus didn’t want to know about it. I don’t know about you, but I like knowing that the human part of Jesus was — for a little while at least — overwhelmed by the evil in people and didn’t want to know about it.

It’s also significant to me what happens in the next verse. It says, “And the men turned their face from there, and went toward Sodom, and Abraham was still standing before Jehovah” (Genesis 18:22).

Part of Jesus didn’t want to know it but then He still chose to stand before Jehovah to learn more. You know from the previous verses that He could have just focused on the good people -- those verses about how Abraham will become a great nation and teach his sons in such a way that they always follow Him.

Jesus could have chosen to just think about the obviously good people but instead He stood there and bargained for every last good person who could possibly be in the city.

Abraham Bargains for the Just People

We’ll now read the next part of the story. In this section it contrasts “just people” and “wicked people.” Just people mean good, decent, ethical people who embody justice.

As we read it, instead of hearing it just as being Abraham talking to Jehovah, listen to it as being the human part of Jesus spending time reflecting on the depraved state of the human race, and Him turning to the Divine within Him, trying to get clarity about who could possibly be saved. Listen particularly for the feeling behind the words that Abraham speaks. In the urgency and concern behind the words, we can feel Jesus’ urgency and concern (Secrets of Heaven 2275).

Genesis 18:23-33 (NKJV, modified):

23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also consume the just people with the wicked people?

24 Suppose there were fifty just people in the midst of the city; would You also consume the place and not spare it for the fifty just people who are in the midst of it?

25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to cause the just people to die with the wicked people, so that the just people should be as the wicked people; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do judgment?”

26 And Jehovah said, “If I find in Sodom fifty just people in the midst of the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.”

27 And Abraham answered and said, “Indeed, I pray, I want to speak to my Lord, and I am dust and ashes:

28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty just people; would You destroy all of the city for the five?”

And He said, “I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.”

29 And he added to speak to Him still, and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”

And He said, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

30 And he said, “I pray, let my Lord not be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”

And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 And he said, “Indeed, I pray, I want to speak to my Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”

And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

32 And he said, “I pray, let my Lord not be angry, and I will speak only this time: Suppose ten should be found there?”

And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 And Jehovah went His way because He had completed speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Jehovah would have spared the city to save even only ten good people. We don’t have the time today to go into the details of what this all means, but can you hear Jesus longing to save every single person who possibly could be helped?

In the story, there aren’t even ten good people in Sodom; there are sort of three. And two angels of Jehovah go down to Sodom to rescue even them. One of them is Abraham’s nephew Lot. The angels tell Him that Sodom is going to be destroyed and so he tries to get his son-in-laws who are engaged to his two daughters to leave but they just mock him. Then the angels tell him to hurry up and take his wife and two daughters and get out of there. But Lot lingers and delays until eventually the angels take him and his wife and his daughters firmly by the hand and bring them out of the city. Then the angels tell them to escape towards the mountain and to not look behind them. And, of course, famously, Lot's wife does look behind, and becomes a pillar of salt. So the only people who escape are Lot and his two daughters and they end up living in a cave and the daughters eventually decide to have children by getting their father drunk and sleeping with him.

The point of all this is that these people that Jehovah saved were not particularly good or cooperative people and yet, because they had even a little bit of willingness to follow, Jehovah went to the effort to rescue them.

I think that’s a beautiful picture of how the Lord God Jesus Christ was when He was in the world, and how He is still. It doesn’t matter what a person has done, the Lord still loves them and cares about them and will still be doing everything He possibly can to rescue them from the hell they have gotten themselves into, if they have even the slightest glimmer of willingness to cooperate.

We can see this principle in words that Jesus spoke, in John 3:1719:

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were wicked.

This is the reality that underlies the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the literal text it says that Jehovah caused the destruction but the spiritual reality is that destruction and pain are inherent in evil and the Lord is perpetually protecting us from so much of the awful onslaught of hell. But when we consciously choose to do evil and harmful things then we remove ourselves from His protection and experience the brimstone and fire that He was able to protect us from before (Secrets of Heaven 2395, 2447[4]).

For example, whenever someone does something against what I want I can choose to let it go or I can choose to hate them and burn with rage at them.

In the sermon on the mount Jesus says, “I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother rashly shall be in danger of the judgment. …. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22).

We put ourselves in danger of hell fire, not the Lord. Can you see how these teachings and this way of finding Jesus in the story of Abraham gives us a very different understand of God and His response to people in evil?

What This Means For Us

I want to shift gears now and talk about what this means for us. Our understanding of who God is and what He cares about and how He thinks about and treats other people can have a big impact on how we think about and treat other people. I was struck by this part of a passage from this section of Secrets of Heaven 2284[5]:

"The life of charity consists in thinking what is good in regard to another, and in willing for him that which is good, and in feeling joy within oneself that others as well are saved. But those people do not possess the life of charity whose will is that no others should be saved than those whose beliefs coincide with theirs…."

Knowing that the Lord loves everyone and wants everyone to be saved makes me realise that, if I don’t want a particular person to be saved or a particular group of people to be saved, then that’s a clear sign that I am not actually following the Lord.

We sometimes find ourselves in a frame of mind somewhat similar to the one in which Jesus found Himself, reflecting on the evil state of the human race. It might be in thinking about people or the world in general or, much more painfully, it might be in thinking about people we know and love who seem to be dealing with some evil or other.

Like Jesus, our first reaction might be to want to pull away - to not think about it, not accept that it could be reality that hell has taken hold in someone’s life. But, in those times, we need to follow Jesus’ example and remain standing before Jehovah, and have a conversation with Him. Hold that person in Your prayers and ask the Lord for insight.

When we think about someone else who seems to be in evil we can tend to want to oversimplify the situation and resolve it. We tend to do that in one of two ways:

1) We either say, “Maybe this person is doing some not so great stuff or doing things that don’t technically follow the Lord’s laws but the Lord loves everyone so it’s all fine. Who am I to judge?”

2) Or we say, “This person is evil. God hates them or at least hates what they’re doing. And so this person is dead to me.”

Notice how both of these “solutions” absolve us of any responsibility. The other person is either totally fine or totally hopeless — they don’t need me or I can’t do anything. I think it’s a lot harder to hold another person’s life with its complexity and contradictions — to see good in them and also the influence of hell in them. And it’s certainly a lot harder to try to figure out how to help or do something in response than it is to sit back and do nothing. But what a loving and merciful person would do sometimes is to take action.

Secrets of Heaven 2417[7]: Charity and mercy are present with a person who exercises justice and judgement by punishing the evil and rewarding the good. Charity resides within the punishment of the evil, for he who imposes the punishment is moved by a strong desire to improve the one who is punished and at the same time to protect others from the evil he may do to them.

Conclusion

It’s not simple to figure out how to think about and act towards someone who seems to be in evil. But I do find this story and the perspective it gives on our God very helpful and I do find that it changes how I hold things. It helps me to see that it’s OK for me to be upset when I see someone or a group of people who seem to be in evil. It helps me to see that it is never OK to be happy about someone else maybe ending up in hell. If I’m glad about a person going down or being worse than me then I am not loving the Lord or my neighbour, plain and simple. It helps me to see that sometimes the Lord does want me to take action, even if it’s a messy, frustrating process like what the angels went through to get Lot out of Sodom.

But the main thing that this story does, with the help of the teachings of the New Church, is that it helps me understand my God a bit more and see that He holds nothing but love for every single one of His children. That He is not looking for reasons to punish people or keep them out of heaven. That He is looking for and working for any possible opportunity to save each and every one of us. And that’s a God I can believe in and a God that I want to try to follow. Amen.
(Read the next sermon in this 3-part series, about Belief)
(Read the first (previous) sermon in this 3-part series, about Beginnings)