Jan

15

From the Word: Why Did God Have to “Investigate” to Know?

Posted on January 15th, 2010 in From the Word by Fred McKinnon

Ever read a passage in the Word and just pause .. because it doesn’t make sense?

This one stood out to me this morning:

Genesis:  18:21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.
(context:  the Lord (appearing as a man to Abraham) will go and investigate the city of Sodom to see if it’s really as bad as the “outcry” that comes to him is)

Scholars agree that this man was a Divine Manifestation of God.  He calls him “Lord”.  So, why then, did God have to go investigate Sodom in person to know whether or not their sin was as bad as He’d heard?

My ESV Study notes say:

I will go down to see. These words reveal that the decision to destroy the cities of the plain was undertaken with careful scrutiny of the evidence. This remark should not be interpreted as indicating limited knowledge on the part of God, any more than do the similar and ironic words in 11:5. All that is implied is God’s direct attention to the matter.

OK.  But it still makes me scratch my head.  Huh?  Have you ever noticed that before?  What’s your take?


  • http://www.robmckinnon.net Robert McKinnon

    I think God was messing with us. Still is. I think He wants to keep us on our toes.(Nah, I’m kidding there).

    I believe He knows all. “Nothing is hid from His sight”. The overall context of the bible shows Him as omnipotent and omnipresent.

    And even though He is still all of that, He CHOOSES to come and dwell . . . . come and see . . . . call our names even though He knows where we are hiding . . . .

  • merry

    I never thought about that before. Hmmm. Thanks for pointing it out so I can ponder.

  • http://www.deepershopping.com RabbiJo

    All through the Word God asks questions-Jesus asked the disciples and Pharisees questions. And yet we know God never asked a single question because He needed an answer. Why “..go down to see..” maybe so Abraham knows: a)God is actively involved in mankind, and does not just randomly zap or obliviate people or cities. Imagine that, God has the power to just Sodom-and-Gomorrahtize every place massive sin exists, yet He withholds. b)God may have been demonstrating a principle seen hundreds of times elsewhere-people, should also be actively involved in being God so to speak, to other people. God works through people. Why do we, even faith/charis-whatevers, still make such a HUGE deal out of an undeniable miracle? Because they don’t happen every day. The overwhelming majority of the time, God uses people. After God went down, Abraham still got involved. I love that God engaged Abe in a debate. “How about 50..45..40..30..20..10???” SOLD to the bearded guy with the glowing friends!” Guess he got the interaction thing. How does God “think”? He thinks in terms of how can I spare people, not destroy them. Salvation is the ultimate act of God coming down to “see” if mankind will accept the deal…. for me, it’s sold!

    • http://www.fredmckinnon.com Fred McKinnon

      Love, Love, Love your response. Very thoughtful, I’m sold, too!

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