And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
The verse closes Abraham's appeal for Sodom, coming after the Lord had revealed His purpose concerning Sodom and finished communing with Abraham, when the Lord departed and Abraham returned to his place. It belongs to the account of Abraham pleading earnestly for the people of Sodom, and that earnest pleading reveals his noble and benevolent disposition. His conduct in this encounter shows both faith in God and compassion for those who have done wrong.
In this passage Abraham acts as God's representative revealing the God of heaven to the inhabitants of Sodom. God had called Abraham and had prospered and honored him, and Abraham's fidelity was a light to the people in all the countries of his sojourn, including Mesopotamia, Canaan, Egypt, and even Sodom. He did not shut himself away from the people around him but maintained friendly relations with the kings of the surrounding nations, by some of whom he was treated with great respect. His integrity and unselfishness, his valor and benevolence, represented the character of God.
Together with the Genesis 18 and 19 account, the verse calls hearers to seek the Lord most earnestly and to take a more decided stand for the Lord. It calls them to move beyond merely professional belief in the truth to obedience to all of God's requirements, to come forward in confession, and to unite in earnest prayer. In that united earnest seeking, the Spirit softens and subdues hearts.
The verse closes Abraham's appeal for Sodom, coming after the Lord had revealed His purpose concerning Sodom and finished communing with Abraham, when the Lord departed and Abraham returned to his place. It belongs to the account of Abraham pleading earnestly for the people of Sodom, and that earnest pleading reveals his noble and benevolent disposition. His conduct in this encounter shows both faith in God and compassion for those who have done wrong.
In this passage Abraham acts as God's representative revealing the God of heaven to the inhabitants of Sodom. God had called Abraham and had prospered and honored him, and Abraham's fidelity was a light to the people in all the countries of his sojourn, including Mesopotamia, Canaan, Egypt, and even Sodom. He did not shut himself away from the people around him but maintained friendly relations with the kings of the surrounding nations, by some of whom he was treated with great respect. His integrity and unselfishness, his valor and benevolence, represented the character of God.
Together with the Genesis 18 and 19 account, the verse calls hearers to seek the Lord most earnestly and to take a more decided stand for the Lord. It calls them to move beyond merely professional belief in the truth to obedience to all of God's requirements, to come forward in confession, and to unite in earnest prayer. In that united earnest seeking, the Spirit softens and subdues hearts.