Good Morning.
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. (Genesis 19:29)
When the Bible tells us that God “remembered” someone, it’s not saying that He had forgotten them and then later recalled that person. The Hebrew word translated as “remembered” means that He began to act on their behalf. In this particular case, when it came time to destroy the cities of the plain, God did something on Abraham’s behalf and that was to send Lot out of the cities that were about to be destroyed. In other words, Lot and his daughters were spared because of God’s commitment to Abraham.
There are other places in Scripture where people are delivered because of their relationship to righteous men and women. The Bible says that Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD, and yet, his entire family was saved. The first born of Israel were delivered from the destroyer because their father placed the blood of a lamb upon the doorposts of their home. Then there is this exchange between Paul and a Philippian jailer who was about to kill himself:
And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. (Acts 16:30-33)
Even though we understand that each person has to answer for their own actions, it would seem that God not only extends mercy to those who call upon Him, but He extends mercy to those who are associated with those who call upon Him. That is not to be understood as a license for bad behavior but it should be an encouragement to us who have loved ones who aren’t living right. Mercy doesn’t equate to approval but it does provide opportunity for someone to correct their ways. And so, like Abraham, let us petition the Judge of the whole earth to consider those we love as He brings justice to the earth, believing that He is abundant in mercy and truth.
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Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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