Abrahams Humble Intercession for Sodom, Commentary on Genesis 18 · Verse 27
Verſe 27. —Behold now, I have taken upon me to ſpeak unto the Lord, which am but duſt and aſhes.
Doct. XIV. THat Believers are, and may be bold with the Lord in praying.
Thus was Abraham bold with God here; Behold, (ſayes he) I have taken upon me to ſpeak unto the Lord, &c.
For opening of which, let me ſhew,
1. Wherein this boldneſs does conſiſt. 2. Why they may be ſo bold with the Lord in praying to him. 3. The Ʋſes.
Queſt. 1. Wherein does this boldneſs conſiſt?
A. 1. In ſpeaking freely all that we have to ſay to him: So the Greek word foreign holds out, Heb. 4.16. it properly ſignifies A liberty to ſpeak all that we can ſpeak, or A freedome to ſpeak all our minde. Men may ſometimes cut us off, and make us break off before we have ſpoken all we would, and bid us forbear, as 2 Chron. 25.16. Amaziah did to the Prophet: but the Lord would have us ſo bold with him, as to ſpeak all we have to ſay in his ears; he will not interrupt us, or break off our ſpeech, but give us liberty to ſpeak all our minde to him. That's the firſt.
2. It conſiſts in an humble taking upon us to ſpeak in his Preſence: ſo did Abraham here; ſayes he, I have taken upon me, though but duſt and aſhes, to ſpeak to the Lord; that is, I have been bold to ſpeak to him, or I have freely begun to ſpeak to him, as the Hebrew word is ſometimes taken.
3. It conſiſts in ſeeking to gather and gain upon God in our requeſts that we put up to him. Thus bold was Abraham here, he ſeeks to gain upon God in his addreſſes to him; as we ſhall ſhew more hereafter, if the Lord will.
4. It conſiſts in coming frequently, and as often as may be into his Preſence. They that go often into the Kings Preſence are bold with him, as Favourites uſe to be: ſo they that are often with the Lord are bold with him. So were Enoch and Noah, that had their conſtant walks with God, Gen. 5.22, 24. & 6.9.
5. It conſiſts in our familiarity and acquaintance with God, and in that fellowſhip and friendſhip that we have with him, Job 22.21. 1 Joh. 1.3. Abraham was the friend of God, Jam. 2.23. and ſo was bold with him. A friend to a man will take more boldneſs upon him then a ſtranger; ſo they that are friends of God.
6. It conſiſts in asking great things of him: That man is bold with his Prince, that deſires great things of him, as ſometimes a Prince's Favourite will; thus bold may Believers be with God, they may ask great things of God, even the holy Ghoſt himſelf, Luke 11.13.
Queſt. 2. What manner of boldneſs is it wherewith Believers may be bold with him?
Anſ. 1. An humble boldneſs; they may be humbly bold with him. Abraham takes upon him to ſpeak to the Lord, but acknowledgeth in an humble manner that he is but duſt and aſhes. Petitioners that are bold with their Princes, yet they ask upon their knees for what they have a deſire to have: So here.
2. It is a familiar boldneſs; we may be familiarly bold with him. Abraham familiarly communed with God, and God with him, Gen. 18.33.
3. It is a reverend boldneſs: we pray to him as to a Father, and therefore muſt give him reverence, as other Children do to their Fathers: Heb. 12.28. Let us have grace, whereby we may ſerve him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.
4. It is a comely boldneſs; we muſt not be rude in his Preſence, but pray in comely manner, beſeeming the Preſence of the great God. They that Petition to Princes, carry themſelves in a beſeeming manner, and according to the Majeſty they come before: So muſt we, we may be bold with the Lord in praying to him, but ſo as to conſider who we are before, and who we have to deal with: we do it ſo as becomes ſuch a Majeſty as God is. Thus Abraham did, he was bold, but he was not rude.
5. It is a boldneſs that keeps it's diſtance. Abraham was bold with the Lord, but looks at him as Jehovah, as the Lord infinitely above him that was vile and baſe, duſt and aſhes: So may we be bold in praying to him, but look that we know our diſtance, we muſt look at God as he is, and look at our ſelves as we are.
6. It is a boldneſs that exalts Gods grace, that we may be ſo bold with him. Abraham, in all the boldneſs that he uſed, aimed at this, that the grace of God might be exalted, in not deſtroying, but ſparing Sodom, that wicked place and people: Such ſhould our boldneſs be.
7. It is an holy boldneſs: Abraham does not, dares not ask any thing that is diſhonourable to the Name of God, but though he take upon him to ſpeak to the Lord, yet it is an holy boldneſs; he requeſts for nothing but that that may well ſtand with holineſs to deſire, and with Gods holineſs to grant.
8. It is a boldneſs full of love to thoſe we pray for: Abraham was bold with God, but his love carried him out to make ſo bold with him; he was earneſtly deſirous that Sodom might be ſpared, and it was out of tender love to the Righteous that he thought might be amongſt them.
Queſt. 3. Why may Believers be thus bold with God in praying to him?
Anſ. 1. From the Lord. 2. From the Believers themſelves.
Firſt, From the Lord. 1. He hath bidden us come with boldneſs to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and finde grace to help in time of need, Heb. 4.16.
2. He hath given Chriſt Jeſus to be a great High Prieſt, and one that is tenderly ſenſible of our infirmities, and therefore encourageth us to be bold in our ſuits to him, ver. 14, 15.
3. He hath ſhewed himſelf willing to hear Prayer; as here to Abraham, ſo Pſal. 65.2. O thou that heareſt prayer, unto thee ſhall all fleſh come.
4. He hath promiſed that we ſhall obtain mercy, and finde grace to help in time of need, Heb. 4.16. We ſhall not loſe our labour, but have what we come for at the beſt time.
Secondly, From Believers: 1. They are friends of God, as Abraham, and therefore may be bold with him.
2. They ſhall have all that they ask in Chriſts Name, Mat. 21.22. John 16.23.
3. They have an Advocate with the Father to plead for them, 1 John 2.2. and that perfumes their prayers with his interceſſion, Rev. 8.3.
4. They are near to him, and therefore may be bold with him, Pſal. 148.14.
Thirdly, From their Prayers. 1. They delight him, Prov. 15.8. Cant. 2.14. and therefore may be bold with him.
2. They are better to him then all Ceremonies, though never ſo coſtly, Pſal. 50.
3. They come up as a memorial before him, Acts 10.4.
4. They are ſpirituall ſacrifices, acceptable to God through Jeſus Chriſt, 1 Pet. 2.5. and therefore we may well be bold with him in our prayers to him.
Ʋſe 1. for Information. 1. We ſee how delightful Believers are to God, ſeeing they may be ſo bold with him in the Prayers that they put up to him. They that are bold with Princes, as Favourites be, are the delights of thoſe Princes, elſe they durſt not be ſo bold with them: So Believers muſt needs be Gods delight, ſeeing they are and may be ſo bold with him in praying to him: Cant. 7.6. How fair and pleaſant art thou, O love, for delights? Hence it is that the Lord calls his Church Hephzibah, My delight is in her; and Beaulah, that is, Married: for as a Bridegroom delighteth over his Bride, ſo he delighteth over his people, Iſa. 62.4, 5. They have his heart, and are his delight, they are the deſire of his eyes, and that which his heart is ſet upon: It is ſo with a mans wife, and much more with Believers that are eſpouſed and married to the Lord.
2. We ſee what great honour God puts upon Believers, that are and may be ſo bold with him. Every one may not be bold with a King, to preſent their Suits and Supplications before him; they are honourable ones, and ſuch as he delighteth to honour, that may be ſo bold as to take upon them to ſpeak to him: Oh how honourable then are they in the ſight of God, and how does he delight to honour Believers, that take the boldneſs to take upon them to ſpeak to the Lord? They are the Noble ones, and the great Peers of his Kingdome, how-ever they be little in their own eyes, and ſtyle themſelves but duſt and aſhes, yet they are great in his account, and he ſtyles them Excellent, and Honourable ones, Pſa. 16.2, 3. and Prov. 12.26. farre above other men: they are the Grandees in his Court and Kingdome.
3. We ſee that when they come to glory, they will be farre greater then now they are: for here their honour is much veiled by ſin, they are black, and the Sun hath looked upon them, and their honour is ſtained by the afflictions they ſuffer; the Devil and the World caſt all the diſhonour they can upon them, as they did upon Chriſt Jeſus, as he ſayes, Joh. 8.49. but God honours them here, and if ſo, much more will he honour them when they come in Heaven. Here they are bold with God, and it is their honour ſo to be; but no honour like to that, when they ſhall be ever with him, and ſee his face, and by that Beatifical Viſion ſhall be made like to him, and bear the Image of the heavenly one, 1 John 3.2. 1 Cor 15.49.
4. We ſee how marvellouſly the Lord condeſcends to duſt and aſhes, that they that have that ſtyle may be ſo bold with him, as to take upon them to ſpeak to the Lord: Oh how low does he ſtoop to ſuch! no humility like his. This is not the manner of men, this is not the manner of great Princes to come thus low; but God would teach them, and teach us all, to condeſcend and become low, and ſhews himſelf a pattern of humility, that we may be the more aſhamed of our pride, and learn to ſtoop of ſuch a great one as he is, Pſal. 113.
5. We ſee a reaſon why ſome Believers have made ſo bold with ſome great men in ſome caſes, and have ſpoken ſo freely to them, as Dan. 3.16. & 5.17. 2 Chron. 16.7, 8, 9. & 25.16. They that may be ſo bold with God, and take upon them to ſpeak to him, may be bold much more with men, when called to it: if with the potter, then with the clay; if with the great God in our ſuits to him, much more with the greateſt of men, when there's cauſe for it.
6. We ſee that when at any time we are to pray to him, we ſhould alwayes bear this in our minde, That we go to a gracious King, and a kinde Father, and therefore may be humbly and and reverendly bold with him, as Abraham was. We do not go to a Prince that will terrifie us with his looks, that will fright us with his words, that will drive us from his preſence; but to ſuch an one as does encourage us to be bold with him in Chriſts Name. He is that Friend at Court, that we are more bold then welcome, and that he will ſee to it that we ſhall have a gracious anſwer, Joh. 14.13, 14.
Ʋſe 2. for Terrour to Unbelievers; they are no friends of God, and therefore cannot be bold with him; they have no acquaintance with him, but are ſtrangers and enemies to him, and how ſhould they take upon them to ſpeak to him?
Ʋſe 3. for Humiliation: 1. That we are too rude, and come with leſs reverence then becomes us in his Preſence with whom we have to do: ſo do rude children to their Father, and get a check for it, and ſo do we to our Father; let it ſhame us, or elſe we ſhall be ſure of a check for it.
2. To thoſe that may be bold, and dare not, or at leaſt will not go ſo often as they might, nor take upon them to ſpeak to the Lord, as he allows. What? Friends of God, and not be humbly bold with him? God for bid.
Ʋſe 4. for Exhortation: 1. To prize Faith, that makes us bold with God, 2 Pet. 1.1. We prize our friendſhip with ſome men, whereby we are bold with them; how much more faith, whereby we are friends of God, Jam. 2.23. and ſo bold with him.
2. To prize Chriſt above all, 1 Pet. 2.7. for he it is by whom we have acceſs with boldneſs, Epheſ. 2.18. Heb. 4.14, 16. we ſhould never have taken upon us to ſpeak to the Lord, had it not been for him; He brings us to the Father, Joh. 14.6.
3. To be thankefull to the Bleſſed Trinity, that we may be thus bold in Chriſt our Mediator.
4. To love that Friend and Favourite at the Court of Heaven, that hath made us friends, and bold with God.
5. To be bold in a good cauſe before the greateſt men, and not to fear them, Prov. 24.25.
6. To come with boldneſs to the Throne of Grace, having leave ſo to do, Heb. 4.16.