Génesis 18: Un pacto de amistad con Dios.

Génesis 18:16-33:
16 Los hombres se levantaron de allí y miraron hacia Sodoma. Abraham iba con ellos para despedirlos.
17 Entonces el SEÑOR dijo: —¿He de encubrir a Abraham lo que voy a hacer, 18 habiendo de ser Abraham una nación grande y poderosa, y que en él han de ser benditas todas las naciones de la tierra? 19 Porque yo lo he escogido y sé que mandará a sus hijos y a su casa después de él que guarden el camino del SEÑOR, practicando la justicia y el derecho, para que el SEÑOR haga venir sobre Abraham lo que ha hablado acerca de él. 20 —Además el SEÑOR dijo—: Ciertamente el clamor de Sodoma y de Gomorra es grande, y el pecado de ellos se ha agravado en extremo. 21 Descenderé, pues, para ver si han consumado su maldad, según el clamor que ha llegado hasta mí; y si no, lo sabré.
22 Los hombres partieron de allí y se fueron a Sodoma. Pero Abraham quedó todavía delante del SEÑOR. 23 Entonces Abraham se acercó y dijo: —¿Destruirás también al justo con el culpable? 24 Quizás haya cincuenta justos dentro de la ciudad; ¿la destruirás con todo y no perdonarás el lugar por causa de los cincuenta justos que estén dentro de ella? 25 Lejos esté de ti hacer tal cosa: hacer morir al justo con el culpable, y que el justo sea tratado como el culpable. ¡Lejos esté de ti! El Juez de toda la tierra, ¿no ha de hacer lo que es justo?
26 Entonces respondió el SEÑOR: —Si hallo en Sodoma cincuenta justos dentro de la ciudad, perdonaré todo el lugar en consideración a ellos.



¡No solamente Dios había hecho un pacto para bendecir a Abraham, también hizo un pacto de amistad!
Imagínese al Dios Todopoderoso, perfecto, santo y glorioso, queriendo establecer amistad con el ser humano, débil, inclinado al mal, con muchos defectos.
Sin embargo, el Señor busca personas que estén dispuestas a agradarle, que sean fieles a Él, que tengan la voluntad de buscar la perfección, aunque no seamos totalmente perfectos; y es que Dios no exige algo que no podamos hacer. Él mira la intención y la acción. Que la intención no quede solo en deseo y nada más. Eso es una fe muerta. Tampoco quiere acciones sin pasión, sin conciencia, sin propósito. Quiere que sea de voluntad propia. Si no es así, sería una fe de apariencia, una fe hipócrita.
Es por eso que el Señor se agrada de un ser humano que esté dispuesto a ser amigo de Dios. Abraham se había ganado ese lugar. Su humildad, su perseverancia, su obediencia, su visión, su dedicación, su forma de amar a Sara, a sus mayordomos y criados, su forma honesta de hacer negocios, y de tratar a sus vecinos, su valentía al enfrentar a los reyes tiranos y su nobleza. Características que atraen al Ser más grande y sublime para hacer un pacto de amistad.

Uno de los privilegios de ser amigo de Dios es que Dios le revela sus propósitos a esa persona. Dios le reveló a Abraham que iba a destruir Sodoma, donde vivía su sobrino con su familia, pero Dios no movió un dedo sin antes comentarle y advertirle de lo que iba a hacer.
Otro privilegio es que Dios escucha a su amigo. Lo atiende y es paciente al escuchar su clamor. También Dios toma el tiempo para explicarle el porqué de sus decisiones, aunque Dios es soberano, Dios le revela su sabiduría y su poder, cosas grandes y ocultas que muchos no conocen, pero el Señor lo revela solo con sus amigos más cercanos.

Por eso el Señor Jesucristo se juntó con el manso y humilde, con el necesitado y con los que decidieron seguir, depender y confiar en Él.
Jesús le reveló todos sus propósitos, no a los grandes sino a aquel que era vil y menospreciado por la alta sociedad religiosa de ese tiempo.

Conviértete en un amigo de Dios. Para hacerlo debemos seguir el consejo del apóstol Santiago en su carta en Santiago 4:4: "¡Gente adúltera! ¿No saben que la amistad con el mundo es enemistad con Dios? Por tanto, cualquiera que quiere ser amigo del mundo se constituye enemigo de Dios."

Que el Señor Jesús escuche tu oración y que seas un verdadero amigo de Dios.

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Genesis 18: A pact of friendship with God.

Genesis 18:16-33 NLT:
Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.
“Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”
So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”
Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”
“Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”
Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.


Not only had God made a covenant to bless Abraham, He also made a covenant of friendship!
Imagine the Almighty God, perfect, holy and glorious, wanting to establish friendship with the human being, weak, inclined to evil, with many defects.
However, the Lord looks for people who are willing to please Him, who are faithful to Him, who are willing to seek perfection, even if we are not totally perfect; and it is that God does not demand something that we cannot do. He looks at the intention and the action. That the intention does not remain only in desire and nothing else. That is a dead faith. Neither does He want actions without passion, without conscience, without purpose. He wants it to be of own will. If not, it would be an apparent faith, a hypocritical faith.
That is why the Lord is pleased with a human being who is willing to be a friend of God. Abraham had earned that place. His humility, his perseverance, his obedience, his vision, his dedication, his way of loving Sara, his butlers and servants, his honest way of doing business, and treating his neighbors, his bravery in facing the tyrant kings and their nobility. Characteristics that attract the greatest and most sublime Being to make a pact of friendship.

One of the privileges of being a friend of God is that God reveals His purposes to that person. God revealed to Abraham that He was going to destroy Sodom, where his nephew lived with his family, but God did not lift a finger without first commenting and warning him of what He was going to do.
Another privilege is that God listens to His friend. He attends to him and is patient when listening to his cry. God also takes the time to explain the reason for His decisions, although God is sovereign, God reveals His wisdom and power, great and hidden things that many do not know, but the Lord reveals it only with His closest friends.

That is why the Lord Jesus Christ got together with the meek and humble, with the needy and with those who decided to follow, depend and trust in Him.
Jesus revealed all His purposes, not to the great ones but to the one who was vile and despised by the high religious society of that time.

Become a friend of God. To do so we must follow the advice of the apostle James in his letter in James 4:4: “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

May the Lord Jesus hear your prayer and may you be a true friend of God.
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