I have been occupied lately with this word as being a very descriptive display of the ground of intimacy on which the Lord sets His people with Himself. In the case of Abraham, the condition of the revelation put him in that place, but the testimony to us is, that we have the place in which he stood, though in a much higher sense. He stood on the earth, the place of judgment, but we are altogether out of the place of judgment, enjoying the blessing itself.
The men rose up and looked toward Sodom. The Lord directed them in judgment; and Abraham went with them to show them the way. The Lord makes His saints His companions; not invariably, but still He does. " Who hath known the mind of the Lord? but we have the mind of Christ." Thus in the communications God has made to us, He has made us His own companions in the best way; for I do not know a better way in which any one can show his love to another, than by communicating to him his thoughts and feelings. " Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." So we are to walk with Christ, until He comes and takes us up to Himself. The exercise and path of faith is down here.
Abraham went with the men to show them the way only. And mark, the Church is above judgment; I don't mean above discipline to do them good. Lot looked towards Sodom, but Abraham was out of it. Abraham being the Lord's companion is not only delivered out of the judgment, but when the Lord is going to judge He must tell Abraham about it. " Shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I do, for I know him," &c. So it is with us. The ground of this communication is the thought the Lord has about us. He has centered His love in us, therefore He lets us into His confidence. He says, If I have brought Abraham into this place, I will introduce him into it. So God has made known to us the mystery of His will, because of the place in which He has put the Church in Christ.
There is great blessing in this word, " I know him." The Lord does not talk about those He is going to judge in that way. When He talks about judgment, He talks about going down to see, and till He has fully investigated it, He won't touch them. It is not so with the saints. He has no need, so to speak, to go down to see about them, for He fully knows them. As He said of Abraham, " I know him." The cry of Sodom had come up before God; but before going to execute judgment, He will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it "which is come unto me."
" The men went towards Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the Lord." That is blessed. For if the Lord knows Abraham, so that he is able to get the blessing, he stays with the Lord Himself. He is going to bring judgment on the world, and He won't smite till He can't help it; but no judgment coming on the world can separate Abraham from God. God's eye so rests upon Abraham, that he rests quiet in God. So it is with us. Whatever trial may be coming on the world, our place is to abide with the Lord Himself; and then, like Abraham, the effect of having drunk into this grace will be, we shall be calm, quiet, and happy. Our place is not to go down to search out the depths of iniquity, bat to let the cry come up to us. There will be Lots many, but let us be with God on the mountain, abiding in perfect peace with the Lord Himself.
Abraham being in perfect peace had nothing to ask for himself, and was therefore free to intercede for others. So it was in the case of Abimelech. If Abraham be a prophet, if he has this intimacy with the mind of the Lord, let him pray for these. So it is with us. " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you." The possession of the Lord's mind gives the power of intercession for others, not like wrestling Jacob to get blessing for himself, though we may have to wrestle for ourselves and to get-individual blessing. Here it is communion, and the knowledge of this communion produces peace and joy. There is reverence of course, " I am but dust to ashes," but perfect intimacy. And the Lord went His way " as soon as he had done communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place." Abraham's position was with the Lord, in perfect peace, in unquestioned confidence, having nothing to settle with God, but on the ground on which he can enjoy perfect communion with Him.