Abrahams Humble Intercession for Sodom, Commentary on Genesis 18 · Verse 29
Verſe 29. — And he ſaid, I will not do it for forties ſake.
Doct. XVIII. That God is unwearied in granting the Requeſts of his believing Suppliants, how often ſoever they make their Addreſſes in Prayer to him.
Pſal. 55.17. Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud, and he ſhall hear me. God is not, will not be tired out, how often ſoever we come, but will hear and grant.
Abraham prayed, That if there were fifty Righteous found in Sodom, that it might be ſpared; and God granted that: and then, If there were five and forty; and God granted that: and then, If there were forty; and God granted that. As Believers are unwearied in asking, ſo is God in giving out grants to them.
Reaſons. 1. From God. 2. From Believers. 3. From their Prayers.
Firſt, From God. 1. He fainteth not, neither is weary, Iſa. 40.28. and if in other reſpects he fainteth not, neither is weary, then he is not weary in granting the deſires of his people, though they come often before him to ask more of him. The unjuſt Judge ſaid that the widow by her often coming would weary him, Luke 18.5. but God is not weary, how many Petitions ſoever they put up to him.
2. He hath commanded us that we ſhould pray and not faint, Luke 18.1. 1 Theſſ. 5.17. and if he would not have us faint in Prayer, then much leſs will he faint, and be weary in attending to the voice of our frequent Requeſts to him.
3. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaſeth ſtrength, Iſa. 40.29. and therefore cannot be weary himſelf when we pray to him, though we ſhould ask, and ask again, and put up many Petitions to him.
4. He delighteth in our prayers, Prov. 15.8. and how then can he be weary to grant our requeſts which he delights in. There may be a kinde of wearineſs attending other delights of ſinful men, but what the holy God delights in, he cannot be weary of.
5. He is a great King, Pſal. 47.2. Mal. 1.14. and ſhews himſelf like himſelf, and like a King: and as other Kings are unwearied in granting what their Favourites ſue for, how often ſoever they come, and how much ſoever they ask: ſo it is with the Lord.
6. He commands us to be unwearied in giving, Mat. 5.42. Luke 6.30. and this latter place, that it muſt be to every man that asks, holds out unweariedneſs in giving: and he that layes this charge upon us, that we ſhould not be weary of this, ſurely he muſt needs be much more unwearied himſelf in giving grants to us.
Secondly, From Believers. 1. They are not weary of asking, as Abraham here; and how then can he be weary of granting? We may weary ſome men this way, but not God.
2. They are ſome of them unwearied in giving; as it is ſaid of Mr. John Fox, That he never denied any that asked for Jeſus ſake. And if among men there be found ſome that are unwearied in giving, then much more is it true of the Lord, That he is unwearied in granting the Requeſts of his believing Suppliants, how often ſoever they pray to him.
3. They ask nothing but that which is according to his will, and they that ſo ask are ever heard, 1 Joh. 5.14, 15. God is never weary of ſuch men, nor of their Prayers, come they as oft as they will to ſue to him. If the Kings will be in the Petitions that are put up to him, he will not be tired out with ſuch Petitions, though frequently preſented to him: So here.
4. They ask in faith, and faith will carry all before it. God will be unwearied in granting what we ask in faith. They that doubt, get nothing, Jam. 1.6, 7. but they that pray in faith, every thing, Mat. 21.22. let them come as often as they will they ſhall be heard: God will not be weary of them, nor of their ſuits.
5. They pray fervently, and fervent prayers avail much, Jam. 5.16. Earneſt ſuiters are ever ſpeeders with men, much more with the Lord; he cannot tell how to turn them off, or to be weary of them that pray earneſtly, though frequently bringing ſuit after ſuit before him.
6. They pray ſincerely, Pſal. 17.1. their heart goes with their lips, and he takes pleaſure in ſincerity, 1 Chron. 29.17. Even good men delight in uprightneſs, how much more the Lord? and therefore he cannot be weary of ſuch Prayers, but muſt needs grant them.
Thirdly, From their Prayers. 1. They are pure prayers; ſo were Abrahams here: ſo Job ſayes, My prayer is pure, Job 16.17.
2. They are pleaſant Prayers, Cant. 2.14. and how ſhould the Lord then be weary of them? He took pleaſure in Abrahams frequent and renewed ſuits, and therefore could not deny a grant to them.
3. They are humble Prayers. Abraham all along, though bold in his ſuits, yet was very humble, and God takes it well to ſee us humble when we pray to him.
4. They are zealous Prayers: ſo were Abrahams here; and this holy fire ever aſcends and prevails, when our Prayers are offered up with it, 1 Kings 18.37.
5. They are argumentative Prayers, as Abrahams were; and God is pleaſed when we argue the caſe with him in Prayer. So did the woman of Canaan, and got what ſhe would.
6. They are inwrought Prayers, Jam. 5.16. ſuch were Abrahams here; he did not word it with God, but what requeſts he made were inwrought, and came from the heart, and God was not weary of them.
Ʋſe 1. for Information. 1. We ſee what great encouragement we have to come with ſuit upon ſuit before the Lord, for he is unwearied in granting the requeſts of his believing Suppliants, how often ſoever they make their addreſſes to him, Pſal. 65.2. So it is with them that come before gracious Princes, when they finde them willing to grant what they ſue for, and are not wearied out with their Requeſts that they put up to them, they will come again and again, and venture upon their Clemency, and bring ſuit upon ſuit, and are encouraged to follow them with their ſupplications: ſo it ſhould be with us in our ſuits to a gracious God, we cannot tire him out, but he is unwearied in giving out grants to us
2. We ſee what cauſe we have not to be weary of well-doing, Gal. 6.9. for if he be unwearied in granting our deſires, it were a ſhame for us to be weary of what he would have us do for him in ſuch a way. We are apt to be weary of any thing that is good, and are ſoon tired out, but Gods unweariedneſs in doing for us, ſhould make us bluſh when we are weary of that wherewith we may ſerve him, or do good to others for his ſake.
3. We ſee how happy the ſtate of the bleſſed Angels are, that as they never yet trod a wry ſtep, but have been conſtant and unwearied in a way of obedience; ſo they ſhall keep an unwearied courſe therein to all Eternity, Pſal. 103.20, 21. God hath been unwearied in his favour to them, and they are unwearied in their duty to him, and this is their height of Happineſs.
4. We ſee what longings we ſhould have after that time, when we ſhall be unwearied in our ſervices and duties to him. Here we are ſoon weary and tired out with what he calls for, and tread many a wry ſtep in what we do in way of duty to him; but when we come in Heaven, we ſhall never be weary more, but ſhall praiſe, and love, and obey him to all Eternity. This ſtate we ſhould long for, and be weary of our wearineſs in our duties here.
5. We ſee what our duty is, to imitate and follow him in being unwearied in anſwering the deſires of his poor ones that ſue to us: though they ſhould come often to us, and bring one Requeſt after another to us, if it be in the power of our hand, we are to take pattern by the Lord himſelf, and not to turn away our ears from their cries, Prov. 3.27, 28.
6. We ſee how unworthy we ſhould count our ſelves of ſuch a mercy as this is, that God ſhould be ſo unwearied in granting the Requeſts of his poor ones: Who are we, that we ſhould bring ſuit upon ſuit before him, and have all granted? This ſhould lay us low before him, and we ſhould judge our ſelves (as Jacob did) leſs then the leaſt of all his mercies, Gen. 32.10.
7. We ſee what cauſe Believers have to exalt Grace, that goes on in an unwearied courſe and way of granting what we ſue unto him for. Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men may ſay, Grace, Grace, for this. What loud acclamations are made to Princes by their People when they make great Grants to them? Oh what ſhoutings, and loud acclamations then ſhould we make for this great Grace of his towards us? See for illuſtration of this, Zech. 4.7. and Pſal. 149.6.
8. We ſee what height of praiſe we ſhall come off with in another world, for theſe large grants made to us here. Here we do a little, but we do but bungle at this duty of praiſe; here we can cry like children for what we want, but in Heaven we ſhall be men, and perform our duty of praiſe to purpoſe: There Songs will be in our mouthes and hearts, and new Songs of praiſe.
Ʋſe 2. for Terrour to Unbelievers; They get nothing for all this bounty, they are weary of praying, and God is weary of them, and will not hear them, Pſal. 66.18. Joh. 9.30.
Ʋſe 3. for Humiliation to the Saints, that do not ſo often put up their Requeſts as they might, nor bring ſuit upon ſuit, as Abraham here did; they miſs of many a grant which they might have made over to them, for God is unwearied in granting what we ask of him.
Ʋſe 4. for Exhortation: 1. To love the Lord, that is ſo unwearied in giving out his grants to us. What love would we not expreſs to a man that ſhould ſo do with us? Oh! but God deſerveth infinitely more.
2. To be unwearied in our praiſes to him, we can never do it enough, nor long enough, till the doors of Eternity be opened to us, Pſal. 145.2.
3. To follow him with ſuit upon ſuit, we ſhall not loſe our labour, nor pray in vain. This King is not he that can deny us any thing that we ask.
4. To be followers of God, in attending to all the juſt deſires of friends or poor ones, and not to be weary of doing them good, Luke 6.30. we cannot follow a better pattern.
5. To abound alwayes in the work of the Lord, 1 Cor. 15.58. according as he abounds in mercy to us, in his frequent and renewed grants to us, and his unweariedneſs in them.
6. To be unwearied in every duty and ſervice to him and men, that he calls for from us.
7. To be unwearied in ſuffering, Heb. 12.9. 2 Tim. 4.5.
8. To be unwearied in ſtriving againſt ſins, Heb. 12.4.