This chapter is fascinating for bible language nerds because of the apparent ‘mistakes’ in the translation. It begins with “The LORD appeared to Abraham….” Next sentence: “He looked up and saw three men.” Abraham ran to greet them but then spoke to him. Abraham speaks to a single visitor but the narrative always refers to more than one guest. Much later in the chapter, it says, ” the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing there before the LORD.” What is going on? Are there four men plus Abraham? And let’s not forget that it is possible that the LORD in the passage might be Jesus himself. In the New Testament, Jesus tells the pharisees that “Abraham saw my day.”
So, thanks for indulging me. I really want to talk about Abraham’s discussion/negotiation with the LORD regarding Sodom in the last portion of the chapter. I’ll just come right out and say that, to me, the band room equivalent of a city of evil men with just a few worth saving is a band class that is turned into a ‘dump’ class by counselors or administrators. I’ve had two such classes in my four years at my most recent school and it is hell on everyone. The kids who don’t want to be there show their dissatisfaction in multiple ways, all of which interfere with the progress of the students who do want to learn. They suck the energy out of the room and take away time you could be spending on the kids with goals. Now that the picture is painted, consider these:
- Unlike the biblical story, it may be possible to ‘convert’ some of the disruptors into learners, so try being firm but positive. But do not wait too long to move on.
- Try as much as is possible to focus your energy on the ‘learners.’ This may draw in those potential converts who need your attention even more than they need to know to count eighth notes.
- Some classes might not be worth saving. I once had five students who signed up for beginning band, but had 38 in the whole class. If I could have, I would have ‘saved’ those five by putting them in another band class and going ‘fire and brimstone’ on the rest.
- Consider also the idea that if you are Abraham in the band room, you might need to humbly bargain with your administration, arguing to save those few somehow. Just have a plan!