Abraham’s visitors are going to leave him and move on to their next target destination of Sodom. They have a conversation among themselves about if they should tell Abraham what they are up to. They decide to share with him because of who he is. And who is Abraham? Chosen.

They say that he surely has been chosen to become a great nation. It is a sure thing because Abraham was chosen. He was chosen so that he could teach his children to keep the way of the Lord.

And what’s the way of the Lord? Doing righteousness and justice. The way of the Lord is right and just. We walk in the way of the Lord by doing what His Word says is right and by judging rightly according to His Word.

How do we do that? We know His Word so that we know what to obey. We know who He is so that we never question His truth and demands. We know who we are in Christ, receivers of mercy, so that when we are called on to judge, we act humbly, love mercy and act justly. Walking in that humility, of knowing God and knowing ourselves in Him, is how we keep on the way of the Lord.

Why is it important for Abraham to keep on the way? The Lord says he needs to keep to the way so that He can bring about all of His promises. At the same time, the Lord has just said that surely Abraham would be a great nation; the promise would be fulfilled because he was chosen. Abraham had to choose to walk in the way, and God had chosen that Abraham would walk in the way.

God brings about His Word. We play our part and agree with His Word. He does His part and works His Word in and through us.

It’s the mystery of salvation, the mystery of prayer, the mystery of God’s ways. We choose Him; we choose salvation. He chooses us; He chose us before the foundation of the world. He has His plans in place. He uses our prayers to make them come about. He acts. He requires us to act. But He is the one who accomplishes it.

It’s the mystery of the balancing act of keeping the way of the Lord, but in keeping the way of the Lord are all the promises of God.