{"id":676,"date":"2012-10-31T10:16:23","date_gmt":"2012-10-31T14:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=676"},"modified":"2012-10-31T10:22:41","modified_gmt":"2012-10-31T14:22:41","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjavascript-ga-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=676","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">  var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);  (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();  <\/script>  <\/heat> Gen. 18: 16 \u2013 33 &#8211; Abraham\u2019s Intercessions &#8211; Held on Sunday, October 28, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Gen. 18:16 &#8211; 33 &#8211; Abraham&#8217;s Intercessions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Review<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We started off focusing our attention on a remark that Ken had submitted on our blog last week.\u00a0 As I heard Ken, he assumed first of all that from an unknown but earliest period in humankind \u201chospitality\u201d as portrayed in the passage would not have been present, a value for the earliest human beings.\u00a0 He also felt that \u201cdebauchery and wickedness\u201d would have been more prevalent in these earlier times and is present but less prevalent today.\u00a0 One of the most critical values in our group\u2019s gathering is the freedom and comfort to say whatever we are thinking.\u00a0 I personally believe that without that climate the very Word of God is hindered from entering into our lives.\u00a0 The only place to begin is where we actually are.\u00a0 Having said that, it doesn\u2019t mean that what we assume or think is correct or true.\u00a0 In fact, most adult learning is from ignorance or error to truth.\u00a0 As adults we already have a rather well formed world view in which we live and handle the triumphs and tribulations that fill our life.<\/p>\n<p>The question then for each of us, Is the direction of human history one of ongoing growth and development, slow and back forth, but essentially moving forward; forward not within the field of knowing, that is science, nor in the field of making, that is technology but in the field of practical living, that is in our moral and, for we believers, in our religious life, our relationship with God in Christ Jesus?\u00a0 What is your opinion on this question?<\/p>\n<p>Faryl offered her take on the question.\u00a0 She thinks that we have and will continue to advance in both knowledge and technology but our moral being is pretty much as it has been from the beginning.\u00a0 When both of these factors are at play we find ourselves having potential for ever greater good and ever greater evil.\u00a0 In conclusion she feels that history is evidence of both the ever greater good and evil occurring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A first step in learning about the background to this and any of our passages is to read the notes,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/18\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/18<\/a>, as they apply to vv. 16 \u2013 33.<\/p>\n<p>This passage can be further broken down into three subsections.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>In verses 16 \u2013 19, God is talking to the other two men [Abraham can hear but isn\u2019t part of the conversation.\u00a0 The key verse is verse 19: \u201cIndeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his children and his household in the future to keep the way of the LORD\u00a0by <strong>doing what is right and just<\/strong>, so that the LORD\u00a0may put into effect for Abraham the promises he made about him.\u201d I have bolded the heart of this whole passage, and in some sense of the Jewish Covenant.<\/li>\n<li>In verses 20 \u2013 22, we can note the transition taking place,\n<ol>\n<li>First looking back at verse 16 we are told that the three men \u201clooked toward Sodom\u201d<\/li>\n<li>And now in verse 22 we read that two of the men \u201cwent toward Sodom,\u201d leaving God and Abraham together and setting the stage for the ensuing dialogue between them.<\/li>\n<li>If we look forward to chap. 19:01 we learn that the two mean \u201ccame to Sodom.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We also learn that the LORD intends to find out if things are as bad as they have been reported.\u00a0 In verse 21, there is a very telling phrase, \u201cIf not \u2026\u201d placed by the author on the lips of the LORD. \u00a0The \u201cif\u201d reveals that our future is open and dependent in part upon us; for \u201cit\u201d [life as we live it] can be different and the LORD intends to find out.<\/p>\n<p>3. In verses 23 \u2013 33 we come to the heart of the whole passage, Abraham interceding, assuming and beginning to fulfill his role as a blessing for all the nations and thus fulfilling the LORD\u2019s promise.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong>Our Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For the sake of completeness I will include in our blog the basic questions that guide us in hearing the passages we study each week.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>First who are the characters and what role does each play? To the extent that we can identify\n<ol>\n<li>what the characters say and do, or<\/li>\n<li>don\u2019t say and do but we would expect them to do so, and<\/li>\n<li>finally when they enter into the passage and leave it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>we can more easily and more accurately know what their role is from the point of view of the author and \/ or the editor of the passage.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The \u201cwhen\u201d question is quite complicated and again for the sake of completeness; there is\n<ol>\n<li>The \u201cwhen\u201d within the story \/ passage itself,<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cwhen\u201d of the editor, and most importantly,<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cwhen\u201d of our life at the time we are actually reading \/ studying the passage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>What is the plot, the point of the passage?<\/li>\n<li>Finally, because each passage is at one and the same time the word of human being and the Word of God, there is revealed the values that are part and parcel of the human beings in their time and place and there is the values revealed by God for the believer.\u00a0 Our final question is to discern which values in the passage are attractive to us, we are drawn to and which are we repulsed by, inclined to reject?\u00a0 The more difficult task, if we do identify these two responses in us of the values revealed, which are of God and we are being challenged to embrace and which are not of God and we are being challenged to develop.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>My Refrain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before we read though, let&#8217;s quiet ourselves, remember whatever we can from the background, our questions and, most importantly, pay attention to what happens inside of us as we read.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reading of the passage\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/18\"><strong>http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/18<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussion Gen. 18:16 &#8211; 33 &#8211; Abraham&#8217;s Intercession<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The discussion of this passage will continue in our next session but a couple of points seem important to me.\u00a0 First in the version we read in the study group, verse 23 and the following translate the \u201cright\u201d in verse 19 as \u201cinnocent\u201d whereas in version it is translated as \u201crighteous.\u201d\u00a0 In the scholars I use to guide me, justice and righteousness are critical terms to understand in their full breadth and depth.\u00a0 They\u00a0hearken\u00a0back to the creation story, run through the whole of the Jewish scripture and invite us to maintain and promote all our relations to include our relationship with the earth and all that fills it; the earth itself, the plants, the animals and all of our fellow human beings.<\/p>\n<p>A second point came into focus when we wondered why Abraham stopped at \u201cten\u201d righteous persons.\u00a0 Like most numbers in the scripture the number \u201cten\u201d in this account is symbolic, means more than one thing.\u00a0 For example, it might have meant that Abraham was now convinced that God would be faithful to his way of justice and righteousness.\u00a0 It could have meant that any lesser number would imply treating the situation on an individual rather than a social basis.\u00a0 There are other possible meanings but these two might give us a taste of the richness of the author \/ editor.<\/p>\n<p>Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed.\u00a0 See \u201ccomment\u201d link below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen. 18:16 &#8211; 33 &#8211; Abraham&#8217;s Intercessions Review We started off focusing our attention on a remark that Ken had submitted on our blog last week.\u00a0 As I heard Ken, he assumed first of all that from an unknown but &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=676\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,5],"tags":[18,19],"class_list":["post-676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-scripture","tag-religion-and-culture","tag-scripture-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=676"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":680,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}