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Sunday, August 5
Pastor Oliver R. Blosser, M.Div., Ph.D.
Faith Community Church
Pipestone, MN
Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
II Peter 2:6-9 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
In Genesis 18, three heavenly visitors approached Abraham as he sat in his tent door at Hebron. The visitors were the Angel of the Lord accompanied by two other ordinary angels who had taken on human form. It was a typical custom among nomadic desert people to offer visitors a morsel of bread. Abraham's 'morsel of bread' for his heavenly guests turns out to be a meal of fresh cakes, curds and milk, and the best veal. So Abraham properly offered his guests rest and refreshment, which they accepted.
Either during or after the meal, one of the visitors gave the promise that in due time Sarah would truly have a son, an heir to the Abrahamic Covenant. This promise was repeated to challenge both Abraham and Sarah to trust in the Lord in this area of their lives, Genesis 18:9-15. The promise was eventually fulfilled in Isaac.
At this point in Genesis 18:16-22, the three visitors and Abraham began to walk in the direction of Sodom. As they walked, the Angel of the Lord informed Abraham of the impending destruction of Sodom. This punishment was because of the "cry of Sodom," cf., vs. 20, which was a cry for punishment due to sin, Jude 7. Understanding the impending judgment, Abraham now began an unusual plea for Sodom's deliverance.
As the two angels walked toward Sodom, Abraham and the Angel of the Lord stopped. Abraham stepped nearer the Angel, in a gesture of deep sincerity, to intercede in Sodom's behalf.
Certainly, Abraham's primary interest was in Lot and his family, but no doubt, he was also interested in the preservation of all the people of the city. His intercession was based on his belief that the presence of a certain number of righteous people in a city should be enough reason to spare it. Abraham apparently had noticed the closing words of the Angel's declaration, which said, in effect, that He was going to "go down now" and determine whether the cry for punishment had been serious enough to call for the punishment itself, Genesis 18:21.
In his intercessory prayer, Abraham appeals to the goodness of God's character as a moral and just God. In His goodness, Abraham believes that God could never destroy the righteous with the wicked, Genesis 18:23.
In the Bible, the righteous are those who do not trust in their own merit. They have sought God's forgiveness for their sins and by faith are covered with the righteousness of God through the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.
God's goodness is that quality of being good in the praiseworthy character of His moral excellence. God's goodness consists of His righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy and love. The Bible often speaks of the goodness of God - Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19, cf., Exodus 33:19; 34:6-7; Psalm 27:13; Romans 2:4. So Abraham appeals to divine goodness by asking that Sodom be spared from judgment if it contained fifty righteous people.
Not knowing the number of righteous in Sodom, Abraham continues His prayer of intercession. What if Sodom lacked fifty righteous? At this point, Abraham makes an appeal to God's forbearance, which is a plea for divine tolerance or mercy upon the wicked. Although man's sin deserves divine punishment, God in His forbearance, or longsuffering patience, gives an opportunity for repentance.
God shows mercy upon those who have broken His law, Daniel 9:9; I Timothy 1:13, 16. Such mercy is selective, demonstrating that it is not deserved, Romans 9:14-18. God's mercy on the miserable extends beyond punishment that is withheld, Ephesians 2:4-6. Withheld punishment keeps us from hell, but it does not get us into Heaven. God's mercy is greater than this, for Titus 3:5 declares, According to His mercy, He saved us. Consider Lot's words when the Lord ultimately rescued him from Sodom -Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life, Genesis 19:19a.
Abraham was persistent in his intercessory prayer for Sodom. He reduced the number to forty-five, and then forty, and finally to as few as ten! Each time His reply was that even as few people as mentioned would be enough. Abraham did not go to a lower number than ten, no doubt believing that surely a city where Lot lived would have at least this many whom God could consider righteous. Since the city was destroyed, it is clear that ten righteous people were not found.
But Abraham's prayer was answered in so far that Lot and his two daughters, the only righteous of the city, were spared from Sodom's destruction. The implication of the text, however, is that God was pleased with Abraham's attempt. He made the intercession in full humility and demonstrated true compassion for others. The fact that fewer than ten righteous people lived in Sodom, however, provides a sad commentary on the ineffectiveness of Lot's witness, cf., II Peter 2:6-9.
Instead of influencing the people of Sodom, Lot and his family were influenced by them. So much so that Sodom had such a grip upon Lot's wife that she could not leave the city behind. That is why Jesus said, Remember Lot's wife, Luke 17:32. How important it is to be willing to turn our backs on the world, and the things that the world has to offer!
It is worth noting here, that the Sodom and Gomorrah catastrophe was directed toward the Sodomy of the people. In Genesis 19:5, the men of Sodom desired to "know" Lot's visitors through homosexual relations. God clearly viewed this behavior as sinful.
Today, archaeology confirms that the southeast end of the Dead Sea was emptied of settled occupation after about 1900 B.C., the time of Abraham. Nothing could save those cities from the Lord's judgment, yet for Lot's sake the Lord spared Zoar and delayed the cataclysm until Lot was safe, Genesis 19:22. Thus, God in His goodness, grace and greatness always delivers His people from evil, Psalm 34:15-17.
Jesus compared the day of His coming to the time of Lot, Luke 17:28-30. The conditions of Lot's time are returning to the world with its homosexual agenda for the younger generation and emphasis on materialism. All of this confirms the accuracy of Jesus' prophecy. We can apply the principles of Abraham's intercessory prayer in our world today -