Too Many Questions?
by Jenny on June 7th, 2019
0
"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for." Matthew 7:7
I am the mother of six living children. Three of those children are ages six and under. I receive more questions in one day than I could possibly answer in a week. One child in particular overwhelms me with the sheer volume of his questions. Yet, I have come to realize my son asks questions with a sincere desire for knowledge. He has a curious mind. He wants to know how things work and what will happen next. And because of his age, he is not afraid to keep asking me questions until his quest for answers is satisfied. My son reminds me of a story I recently read about a man in the Bible who also seemingly asked too many questions.
In addition to being the father of many nations, Abraham was also the uncle of a man named Lot. Because both Abraham and Lot owned many flocks of sheep, goats and cattle and needed room for their animals to graze, they agreed to live in separate parts of the country. Lot chose the land known as Sodom and Gomorrah. By default, Abraham chose the land of Canaan.
Some time later 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." (Genesis 18:20-21)
Abraham understands that the Lord isn't just interested in observing Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Curious to know more, Abraham begins to ask questions.
"Will You sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?" Abraham asks. "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?" (Genesis 18:23-25)
The Lord affirms Abraham's concern. "If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake," the Lord replies. (Genesis 18:26)
Abraham continues. "Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?"
"What about forty . . . ?"
"Or thirty . . . ?"
"Or twenty . . . ?"
"Or ten . . . ?"
Does the line of questioning sound familiar? It does to me. But rather than growing frustrated with Abraham for the incessant questions, the Lord responds to Abraham with patience and sincerity.
I am the mother of six living children. Three of those children are ages six and under. I receive more questions in one day than I could possibly answer in a week. One child in particular overwhelms me with the sheer volume of his questions. Yet, I have come to realize my son asks questions with a sincere desire for knowledge. He has a curious mind. He wants to know how things work and what will happen next. And because of his age, he is not afraid to keep asking me questions until his quest for answers is satisfied. My son reminds me of a story I recently read about a man in the Bible who also seemingly asked too many questions.
In addition to being the father of many nations, Abraham was also the uncle of a man named Lot. Because both Abraham and Lot owned many flocks of sheep, goats and cattle and needed room for their animals to graze, they agreed to live in separate parts of the country. Lot chose the land known as Sodom and Gomorrah. By default, Abraham chose the land of Canaan.
Some time later 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." (Genesis 18:20-21)
Abraham understands that the Lord isn't just interested in observing Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Curious to know more, Abraham begins to ask questions.
"Will You sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?" Abraham asks. "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?" (Genesis 18:23-25)
The Lord affirms Abraham's concern. "If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake," the Lord replies. (Genesis 18:26)
Abraham continues. "Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?"
"What about forty . . . ?"
"Or thirty . . . ?"
"Or twenty . . . ?"
"Or ten . . . ?"
Does the line of questioning sound familiar? It does to me. But rather than growing frustrated with Abraham for the incessant questions, the Lord responds to Abraham with patience and sincerity.
Why?
I believe God knew the motivation driving Abraham's questions. I believe Abraham was likely concerned about the safety of his own family, his nephew Lot, but I think Abraham was also genuinely concerned about the heart and the reputation of his God. "Far be it from You to do such a thing! Far be it from You!" Abraham cries in verse twenty-five. Each time Abraham asked the Lord another question, he prefaced his question with a proper positioning of himself. "Let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes . . ." (Genesis 18:27)
I believe God answered Abraham's questions because God WANTS us to know Him.
Matthew 7:7 tells us, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."
In Jeremiah 33:3 the Lord tells us, "Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come."
James 1:5 says, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking."
Abraham did not ask the Lord questions out of doubt, frustration or accusation. Abraham asks the Lord questions out of a genuine desire to know Him more.
If you are anything like me, your questions are many. Although the Scriptures encourage us to ask questions, the Scriptures also warn about our motivations. James 4:3 reads, "When you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure."
What if our questions revolved more around God, around who He is, around His plan and His glory rather than our own comfort, safety and security? I wonder if we, like Abraham, would receive answers in abundance.
What do you need to know about God? He longs to be known by you. Go to Him, through His Word and in prayer, like a child wanting to know more. If our true desire is to know Him, there is no such thing as too many questions.
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I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling, Bible-teaching mom of six, and wife to my college sweetheart. I believe everyone can live a life of abundance through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and radical obedience to His Word.
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