THE KING’S BUSINESS
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A b ram p ra y e d fo r Sodom , th a t G o d w ou ld sp a re it, while L o t in te rc ed ed fo r him self, th a t h e m igh t flee to a little city. A b ram “ lo o k ed fo r a city” while L o t lived in a city, an d c rav ed e a rth ly things. A b ram lived b y faith, L o t lived b y sight. O f A b ram it is said “ By faith h e so jo u rn e d in th e la n d ,” b u t y o u never re a d “By faith L o t sa t a t S o d om ’s g a te .” T hese co n tra sts em phasize th e G o ld en T ex t, which says, "C om e ye ou t from am o n g th em .” G o d ’s o r d e r fo r th e b eliev e r is alw ays se p a ra tion from th e w o rld . Sin sep a ra te s m en from G o d an d G o d sep a ra te s m en from sin a n d from jud gm en t. B efore G o d could d e stro y th e w o rld w ith w ater, N oah a n d his fam ily m ust b e in th e a r k ; b e fo re G o d could d e stro y S odom , L o t m ust b e d e liv e red from th e city ; b e fo re th e L o rd b ring s ju d gm e n t up o n th e ea rth , H e w ill ta k e th e C hurch to himself. This w o rld is set a p a rt o f G o d fo r ju d g m ent. T h e a tm o sp h e re o f th e w o rld is rep u g n an t to G od . W e w ho are believers a re le ft h ere to w a rn th e w o rld . W e a re in it, b u t n o t o f it; w e a re to k eep ourselves u n sp o tted from th e w o rld . o th e r places, d o e s n o t m ean w o rld a t all, b u t an “ ag e ,” a “d isp en sa tio n ,” “ a p e rio d o f tim e .” Thu s Jesu s an d H is disciples a re m a d e to te a ch th a t H is second com ing is a t th e end o f th e w o rld , while Jesu s is m a d e to say in M atthew 1 3 :39 , 40, th a t “ th e h a rv e st is th e en d o f th e w o rld ,” n e ith e r o f which is true. W h a t H e d id say in M atthew 13 :3 8 , 39, w as th a t th e field is th e “ c re a ted w o rld ,” a n d “ th e h a rv e st is th e end of th e ag e .”
he se p a ra te d him self from G o d an d jo in e d him self to his idols. H is h e a rt w en t S o d om w a rd from th e m om en t o f his choice o f th e w ell w a te re d p lain s of Jo rd a n , an d his fe e t c a r ried him w h ere his h e a rt w as c en te red . L o t p ro sp e re d in Sodom , b u t h e p ro sp e re d a t th e expen se o f peace, fo r “his righ teou s soul was v e x e d .” C o n tra st th e p ictu res in th e 18 th an d 19 th chap ters. In one A b ram is sitting a t noon tim e in th e d o o r of his te n t; in th e other, L o t is sitting as ju d g e a t th e g a te of Sodom . H e h as n o t ju d g e d him self b u t seeks to sit in ju d gm e n t u p o n o thers, like m any a re fo rm e r w ho seeks to re fo rm o th e rs b u t him self h e w ill n o t reform . T o A b ram th e L o rd a p p e a re d an d th re e p e rson s w e re m a n ifested ; to L o t th e re weTe b u t two. T o A b ram th e m en cam e in th e h e a t of th e day, to L o t a t th e close of day. T o A b ram ’s in v ita tion to p a r tak e o f his hospitality, th e re w as a co rd ial response, b u t to L o t’s th e re was a t first refusal. In th e one it tells us th a t th e L o rd knew th a t A b ram w ou ld comm an d his ch ild ren a fte r him an d in th e o ther, alas, L o t h a d no p ow e r w ith his children. T h e re a re fou r d ifferen t G reek w o rd s tra n sla ted b y th e sam e E n g lish w o rd “w o rld ,” an d th ey m ean som eth ing different, i. e., th e w o rd tra n sla te d “w o rld ” in M a tth ew 2 4 :4 , an d in one h u n d re d a n d tw en ty -sev en o th e r places, m ean s th e “ c re a ted w o rld ” ; th e w o rd tra n sla ted w o rld in M atthew 2 4 :1 4 , a n d in th irte en o th e r places, th e “ in h ab ited w o rld ,” o r th e p e o p le ; while th e w o rd in M atthew 2 4 :3 , an d in th irty -eigh t
The Word “World”
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