"to do justice and judgment"- Genesis 18:17-33

Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? 

Why would the Lord God ask such a question? As I read through this chapter I believe I felt that this one verse became the most significant verse of the entire chapter. 


Consider that when Abraham pitched his tent he built an alter to the Lord. When Lot  pitched his tent, its toward Sodom. Lot was not Abraham's equal. 


God knew this. But Abraham loved Lot. He had traveled with Lot from Chaldea, through Egypt, and finally to the land where, rather than quarrel they separated themselves from one another.  Abraham had sacrificed both for and with Lot. He had risked his life to return Lot from a life of slavery. (Gen 13) Was it hard for him to consider the Lord's "justice and judgement?" (vs 19) In my mind when he asks the Lord, "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous and the wicked," he is asking what the Lord will do with Lot and his family. 


As I read this chapter I did not consider that before the negotiation began, God knew how it would end. But when you think about it, as a God of mercy and love, God knew how he would answer Abraham. So for me, it is more about Abraham's tutelage in justice, judgment and mercy than it is about the destruction of Sodom. 


Consider these points as you read: 

• Abraham's covenant was sure: He had just been promised that Isaac would be born to Sarah. vs 16  
• God trusted Abraham:  the Lord acknowledges this in vs 19
• Devotion verses justice: Abraham was perplexed for his love and devotion to Lot. He knew that Lot and his family resided in Sodom. He did not want them to perish. And mostly he did not want to believe they were to be counted among the evil of Sodom. 
• Justice verses Mercy: The Lord had a responsibility to justice and mercy because "the cry was great and their sin very grievous." 
• Protection: The Lord is trying not only to give lesson to Abraham but to also protect Abraham from destruction. Evil that is not controlled will eventually destroy its host. Verse 18 and 19. Seeing that Abraham will surely become a great nation. AND THAT ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED BY HIM. The evil that lurked in Sodom threatened the blessings that Lord had for Abraham's family. 

Consider how the lesson evolved: 

1. God considers weather to tell Abraham about Sodom. v 17
2. God weighs the perspective of his choice. Who exactly will be affected by Abraham's lesson on justice and judgment. v 18.
3. God considers what he knows Abraham understands: v 18 
4. God considers how he himself is constrained in bringing to Abraham what he is promised vs. 18   "that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."  Genesis 18:19
5. God considers that he must weigh out the cry of Sodom against what is actually happening. He says he must go down and see for himself and "he will know." In other words their actions will speak for themselves. 
1. If the commission of sin is great. And the omission of doing the right thing is great. What is it to both commit grievous sin and to omit righteous action from your life? 
6. The prophets depart and Abraham stands beside the Lord. God grants Abraham audience. 
7. The Lord does not speak. He allows Abraham to learn on his own ground. 
8. Abraham questions "wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked?" 
1. This would have been a good time for the Lord to describe what he defines as righteousness, but he does not speak.
2.  He allows Abraham to bargain for the lives of the righteous thus gaining a deep understanding of the Lord's mercy and love. v 23.
9. God teaches Abraham a valuable lesson on mercy. When Abraham asks if the Lord would save Sodom if he could find 50 righteous the Lord says Yeah.. I will and so on until Sodom is saved for the righteousness of ten. In this process God is teaching Abraham how to ask for mercy. Mercy is granted. If it had not been asked for .... would God have granted it? 
1. The key is that God allowed Abraham to act in a merciful way by asking. 
2. In asking for the lives of the righteous, Abraham learns to judge those who show their love for God by their actions.
10. God teaches us how to ascertain the correct justice for righteousness. Can you put a number on righteousness? What is the worth of one soul? Abraham asked for the lives of ten, but only 4 were found? And these four did not obey willingly, they had to be lead from Sodom by the hands of the angels. Once away Lot's wife turns back and his daughters bring the immorality of Sodom with them and cause Lot to unknowingly commit incest. Was Lot the only righteous man? 
11. God teaches Abraham about righteous judgment. Is it based on familial association? Is it based on obedience? Is it based on which way we pitch our tent? So great was the sin of Sodom that it threatened the hope of a righteousness nation (Abraham's). 

Love the Sinner. Condemn the sin. 

Sin has the capacity to destroy hope. When sin overtakes the balance of our life we are no longer able to obey the Lord's commandments. In order to be rescued we must be led by the hands of angels from evils influence. Think of a bad habit. One that has hold of you and you cannot let it go. You must let go and take the hand of the Lord as He leads you to higher ground. 

One more point. In discussing this with my husband, he found it interesting that Abraham chose to start high and go low. In most negotiations or bargaining you start low and go high. Think of buying a car or a house. Would the story have played out differently if Abraham had asked God, If we can find but one person will you still destroy Sodom? 

The answer is that in teaching Abraham about mercy he also emphasizes the Lord's love for each one of us. If the Lord will save 50, he will save 1. Mercy knows no number but 1. You cannot bargain for the worth of soul as you do for merchandise and as children of God we are not merchandise.

God's love is for all of us. God's mercy comes to us as we bestow and pray for mercy for those we love. Those that are entrapped in the walls of sin. Those that need help in walking to higher ground.
God's love knows no boundary. But justice does. When our sin becomes so powerful that it deafens our ears and numbs our ability to act for ourselves then we have lost God's ability to save us. He will not save us at the risk of overtaking our agency to act for ourselves.

Corruptness of law Helaman 8: 1-7

Helaman 8: 1-7

"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government."

Henry David Thoreau

Growing up, my brothers and the kids on our street would get together to play Monopoly ( Milton Bradley.) We could set the game up and play it all week long until someone finally won. The joys of playing meant learning about choices, one another, and life. The downside of playing came when someone became power-hungry and would try to change the rules mid-game, or cheat by throwing the dice while someone was distracted and unaware of the consequences. Inevitably we would pull the game box lid out and read through the rules one more time. At that point, we would either decide we had had enough for the day and leave it for tomorrow or we might forge forward with the "power hungry" player put back into their place. Why do we do this? Why are human's so drawn to power plays?

Our Western beliefs and culture bases its beliefs of justice upon Judea-Christina morality. Nephi is about to delve into the beliefs that God has always protected us when we live his laws, and now the people have allowed the system of laws to become corrupt. The laws of his land no longer lead them to a greater understanding of God's love, but have veered to a journey of the selfish pursuit of gain.

Christianity teaches that each of us is responsible for our own agency. In our constitution we are reminded of our individual rights so that we can have justice. Justice cannot come without mercy and mercy cannot work without justice. If we have all mercy and no justice we have chaos. If we have all justice and no mercy we have no rights.

Rights must come with limitations. The limitations come in the form of privileges for obeying the law and punishment for disobeying the law provided we get caught. Law's act as a kind of contract (either with God or with man). When we break the laws of God we receive the consequences. Likewise when we break a law of the land or step over a boundary that society has set, society will punish you for your choice.

So how do laws become corrupt? When someone gets into power who wants mercy without justice, he changes the law, or he changes the circumstances so that society will no longer want to punish him. The laws do not become corrupt. Laws are philosophical morals that lead the people who set them. They are the rules of the game that we play with one another that guarantee we will all find justice. It's when the players decide to change the rules so that they have the advantage that the corruptness begins to set in. Once one player decides to "cheat" , another sees him and must either tell or join him.

I remember the feeling of watching one player throw the dice while another was distracted and unaware of that a certain player was on his "property". I wanted to tell, but remained quiet. I now knew that when my turn came I could do the same because I had an ally. It would save me from having to pay "rent" and help me "get gain" so that I might win. If I chose to tell, then I would have made an enemy. If I kept quiet then I would have become an accomplis. What to do? Pressure? Peer Pressure. No one wants another to think badly of us?

Sometimes we think that corruptness of the law is a difficult and complicated thing. But it is not really. It really is as simple as a game of Monopoly. We can choose to remain quiet and become a part of the corruptness, or we can choose to stand up for what we know as justice and rightness. At the end of the game, if we all played fairly, then all who played can feel good about their efforts to play fairly, to help another, and to learn valuable life lessons.

Words and Phrases

vs. 1 men who were judges ... secret band - Are there secret bands in our government today? Yes there are? Where-ever the place for pride, greed, and power exist unchecked there will be secret bands who seek to get gain. And just like the players of my youth who became angry when we called them down on the "rightness" of their rule changes, or remembrance of the rules, they become angry at being called out. Most importantly.. they have turned the tables on a righteous man. So empowered they are with their social position they believe that all whom they serve have lost their sense of justice (as they have).

vs2 against our law - here they have called the laws "our law", but if it were truly "our law" there would not be the corruptness that steals the justice from some to give advantage to another.

vs 3 corruptness of the law - laws do not become corrupt without a "judge" or other leader helping to make them so. Judges make rulings on the law setting precedences of the law. Judges need to be checked in the power they have over the laws. Without the checking of their power they have power to dictate the law according to their own moral position.

vs 3 contrary to the commandments - What Nephi said was the truth. Those who do not live or know the truth have a hard time accepting it when it is before them.

vs 4 they feared the people - here we have a good idea of how far the corruptness had gone. not so far as they did not fear the people. The people still had some say in their rights, their justice, and their understanding of the laws.

vs 6 our enemies have no power over us - the thing about corruptness by power, is that you are unaware of just who your enemies are? and even if you have a good understanding of them, you are so empowered by your own sense of greed, and strength among the people that you become blinded to your own strength or weaknesses.

vs 9 if he had not been a prophet - there were some who still believed in the power of Nephi's words. Here we have the reason why we need prophets. We become so blinded by the trees that we cannot see the forest. Without the prophet to help us gain perspective, we lose sight of the eternal goals that we strive for (not only personally but as a society). We need one another, but most importantly we need our prophets (who stay close to God) to be our Heavenly barometer. If we chose to ignore the readings of the barometer we set ourselves up for destruction.

Justice unto the Children of Men Helaman 7: 1-10

Helaman 7: 1-10

Justice: justice |ˈjəstis| just behavior or treatment: a concern for justice, peace and genuine respect for people. the quality of being fair and reasonable:

Just: adjective based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair

Synonyms: upright, equitable, fair, imparital, legitimate, legal, accurate, exact; honest, merited, appropriate, condign, suited, apt, due.

Who determines what is just? Where do humans get their sense and definition of justice?

From a mother's point of view, justice is very important.

Without justice in a family, a family lacks security.

There are many instances in a young families life where justice is called into question.

"He hit me", "He got more than me", "She's not telling the truth" "Do I have to?" "Why"

When children are born into their families, the society within which they come determines many things that help determine the justice. But even without a community to help determine what is right or wrong, Life itself dictates that all human's require air to breathe, food to eat, clothes, shelter, and emotional companionship. Without these there is not life, or at best no quality of life. When, who, how, where, and what are determined by the society within which we are born. The leaders of this society help set the precedent for others to follow.

This is where Nephi (the son of Helaman) comes in. He understood the importance of teaching laws of equity and justice so that the peace could be maintained. A mother must see to it that she and her family live laws that bring justice. It is by living the laws of justice that she and her husband are able to teach them. This began to disappear in the land. One of the most important thing for justice is that you need strong leaders who can help determine the equity, fairness and balance of judgments.

Words and Phrases

vs1 reign of the judges - the judges purpose was to meet out fair judgment of justice. So when disputes arose there was someone who could determine who had fallen out of balance with the laws and morality of the people.

vs.2 did preached the word of God - the word of God when followed promises justice to all. The word of God helps assure that those who learn to love others will want justice not only for themselves but for those they live with and near.

vs 2 did prophesy many things - When we are living our lives in balance and have justice within our lives then we have peace. When life becomes unbalanced with too much selfishness, pride, etc. then it is not difficult to predict where life will take us. Many of us marvel at those who can tell the future. The future (like all of life) is a cycle. It is dictated by the actions and reactions of people with regards to God's law. When God's law is followed, the society within which it lives has peace. When God's law is not followed, the society within which the unbalance exists can be predicted to follow a certain pathway. It's like having a stream of water that follows the concrete path you give it. If the concrete dike breaks, or shifts from its course, then you can predict many outcomes based on the circumstances of its environment, location, and others etc.

vs 4 having ^ausurped the power and authority of the land- when a society has justice it is because the leaders of the land have agreed upon certain laws and traditions that makes it so. When this is usurped (upset) then the justice that was set in place is upset.

vs 4 doing no justice unto the children of men - Who does justice? The leaders? The Judges? The parents? One another? As we learn the laws of God, we understand how to accept justice, give justice, and teach justice. Without God's word to act as a balance, men fall quickly into the pitfall of "doing no justice unto the children of men.

vs 5 Without justice men turn unto themselves, a sense of selfishness

1. they vs condem the righteous

2. let the guilty go free

3. bribery

4. rule according to their own wills

5. rule to get gain

6. rule to get the glory of the world

7. Rule according to their own wills. not considering the wills or rights of others. Not considering the needs of others. Within a family.. if this were to occur then the family would cease to exist.

vs 6 in the space of not many years - how long does it take to raise a child up unto himself. to spoil him/her so that they have all that they want and care not for the needs of others. 6 years. The first 6 years of a child's life are the most important for it is in these years they learn the lessons that will stay with them all of their life.

vs 7 joyed with him in the promised land - I believe that Nephi is hoping for a family of man that puts honor, justice and righteousness over and above "getting gain". He is hoping and wishing for a time when he believed men loved each other more than themselves. I understand his lament.

vs 7 slow to do iniquity - slow to forget justice, slow to forget equity, slow to forget fairness and rightness.

vs 8 joy in the righteousness of my brethren. - When brethren choose justice and righteousness, it is shared and felt by all of men. When there is not righteousness there is no sharing of the joy.

vs 10. garden of Nephi - what better place to lament with sorrow for the wickedness of those whom you hold dear and who lead the people of the land you live in. Gardens have often been places of solace and therapy for the soul who has been wounded and hurt. Gardens help us remember the creation of God, his love for men, and how he set up the cycles of earth like unto the cycles of a man's soul.

Growing up unto the Lord (Helaman 3: 19-22)

Grow up unto the Lord

Helaman 3: 19-22

In 2004, we had the opportunity to visit the Philippines to retrieve our son who was serving a two-year missionary service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our son (Lacrosse-Guy) wanted to share with us the sights, sounds, feelings and tender hearts he had experienced on his mission. We agreed to fly there and tour the area(s) he served in. He would thin return with us to the states finishing his service time of two years.

For several days he drove us through the top tourist spots and the beautiful surroundings areas around the city of Angeles. My husband and I took in the sights, sounds, politics, and as much of the Philippines culture as we could squeeze into our whirlwind trip. The Philippines are a set of beautiful tropical islands filled with an amazing history and an amazing people. All of our visit left a lasting impression upon my heart. Of all that we saw and visited though, it was the tender-hearts of the members our son had helped teach and convert that caused me to pause and reflect, on how my son had truly "grown up unto the Lord."

My husband had not served a mission. In this respect, my son did not see an example in his father or grandfather (either side) for him to follow. His grandfather did serve a couple's mission, but not a young adult mission. Why then did he want to give two years of his life to help others learn the truths of the Lord’s Gospel?
When he took us to the home of the Relief Society president who was coincidentally also the ward organist and wife of the Bishop, I was touched. Not because of their home’s humble and meager circumstances (cinder block and tin roof) but because of their love for my son. They cried with joy when we arrived. They shared a special meal with us, showed us their electric organ,(used to help her learn music for R.Society) and did their best to honor and respect our visit so that we might feel of the great love they had for our son. This scene was repeated numerous times during our visit. He had served those he taught well. He had learned to love as the Savior loves, deeply. I could see that his heart was breaking when he thought of never seeing these people again. For he had developed a great respect and friendship with so many of them.

What had happened to prepare our son? How was it that he was able to "grow up unto the Lord" as Helaman's sons Nephi and Lehi? Just as the time that Helaman ruled, when there was contention in the land, our home was far from perfect. We have known great contention, difficulties and stress. So what had come together to give our son the faith he needed to serve others with a selfless love of the Savior?

I believe it wasn't because we did everything right. I believe it was because we tried to do everything right. That is all we could hope for. Like Helaman who tried to serve with "justice and equity", as his parents we did our best to raise our family with justice and equity. Like Helaman who "looked to the standards (statutes), and judgments, and commandments of God, we too looked to God for answers when we didn't understand the complexity of our own lives.

Our son set high standards for his life and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He served as a priest in his Priest Quorum at church, blessing the sacrament and taking it to those who were unable to attend meetings. He set goals, achieved high grades, and learned the computer sciences. He loved his sisters, and helped his friends reach their goals. He played sports that taught him the value of team building, rules, and sportsmanship. He did many secular things to prepare him.

But I believe, the most important thing was that attended early morning seminary where he learned with other youth his age to love the word of God, to listen to the spirit that guides, and to want to understand the workings of God in his life.

He was not perfect. There were many trials in his young life that might have thwarted his desire to serve, but his faith held strong.

Today our Lacrosse-son is a leader in his community. He sets a good example for young boys that he coaches and he helps gather community support for the organization of Lacrosse. He is a wonderful brother to his siblings and has worked hard to pass his professional exams. And like our visit to the land where he served God, all of these accomplishments pale in existence to his willingness to remain true and faithful to what he believes. He continues to serve and strive to live a life that helps others.

If it sounds like I am proud of him, I am. He is a good example of a young boy who was taught "in the way that he should go" and then chose to follow the path that God prepared for him. He brings such great joy to my heart. He brings calm peace to my heart. Not because he has finished college, not because he is and will be a successful business man, but because he has grown up unto the Lord and has learned to have a joyful, loving heart that loves to serve others.

He truly is an example of what it means to "grow up unto the Lord".

Words and Phrases

vs. 19 great contention in the land - I wanted to point out that there can be contention in the land and still have people and family who are doing all that is right. As the verses continue, we see that the contention begins to subside. I see a direct correlation between the ability to focus on God's word and the amount of contention a family might go through.

vs. 20 justice and equity - this was accomplished by 5 things

a. observe (look) to keep the standards - when you don't get to do what you want, (or your child doesn't) look to the standards and use them as your guide. I remember times when my son wanted me to cave in and let him do what he wanted. I told him..in our house we serve the Lord.

b. try to understand the judgements of God ... we don't always understand the why's of our life, but if we have faith we can find peace in knowing that God does what is best for us.

c. know and keep the commandments of God. - I was impressed with my son this past week. He had a plane to catch, he could have skipped church, but he chose to attend. He knows how to lead and keep the commandments.

d. did do...... what? that which was right. It's hard to do what is right all the time, but we can try.

e. example.. of his father. ... a family.. affair. For those of us who don't have a family example to follow, we have the saviors, the ones that can rescue us by giving us a good example when our family cannot. This is why we attend church. Not only to rub shoulders with those that serve God, but to get and be examples of God's love.

vs 22 they began to grow up unto the Lord - With Helaman as a righteous leader and example, how could they not? But Alma had a son who did not, so we know that it is possible. But I really love this phrase. As a parent, I want to always raise my children so that they grown up unto the Lord. This is not so strange.. People raise their children unto ??? ... baseball, music, math, sports, apprenticeships for their business. We all raise our children to something.. if we don't choose to raise them to the Lord, then they will be raised to the world.

vs 22 contentions began to cease - When we strive to keep the commandments of God, to understand his judgements, we find peace. Peace is not found in the fast pace, selfish, man eat man world. The world teaches every man for himself. God teaches help everyman and you will help yourself. When we learn to help others, others help us and our contentions begin to cease. When we learn to understand the true meaning of contentment, we find we have little need for contention.