January 13, 2026

Business by the Book

Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Few people like to deal with objections. Also, few people are highly successful, especially in sales. I believe these are related. Highly successful individuals usually have a few things in common; one of these is they know how to effectively deal with objections.

Abraham voiced an objection to the Lord God. Unbelievable, right! But he did. When Abraham said …Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? he voiced an objection. The objection was based on Abraham’s belief that the Lord, being a righteous judge, was wrong in what He proposed to do (at the end of the story we learn that the righteous were not destroyed, they were providentially protected). Abraham was wrong, but the objection was voiced nonetheless.

This objection that Abraham voiced was absolutely ignored by the Lord. Nowhere in Scripture is it recorded that the Lord even acknowledged it. This is one way to handle objections. Usually this is only possible when more than one objection is raised. In this case Abraham voiced two other objections That be far from thee to do after this manner… and …that the righteous should be as the wicked...  Three different objections, one based on the fact that it was not the nature of God to perform this deed, one insinuating that the Lord equated the righteous with the wicked, and one on the righteousness of the Judge of the whole earth. None of these did the Lord discuss or deal with in any measure.

Another way to avoid dealing with an objection is to let the one raising the objection continue speaking until the place wherein a concession can be made. This tactic usually lessens the need for dealing with an objection directly. Abraham did this when he continued to speak until he finally asked for a concession which the Lord granted. Sometimes objections simply need to be voiced just for the sake of saying them. After being voiced the one speaking often goes on to request a concession. It’s a way to lower the other parties’ confidence, strengthen their case, and hopefully win a concession, but it does not really need to be addressed or discussed further.

Dealing with objections within the framework of a negotiation is vital. Oftentimes, handling objections properly makes the difference between the success or failure in reaching an agreement.

Dr. William Howe