Genesis 18:16-33 NKJV
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Most in the world (and even some Christians) may be surprised to hear of Abraham’s pleading with the Lord to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The usual attitude evoked is one of judgment saying, “They should get what they deserve!” Or, “I’m glad that I’m not as bad as them.” Those who say such things are not realizing how they are being Pharisaical — thinking they are the measuring stick of morality or that they are ‘so good’ God must be impressed.
Here’s where yet another blessing of God working through the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther shines! Confessional Lutherans are so very blessed to have God’s biblical truth for their theology — because it holds to God’s truth and brings us to confess ourselves as totally depraved, with nothing good dwelling in our flesh. Our only goodness, and righteousness comes from outside of us. It is declared upon us through faith in Christ’s fully atoning merits for us. We hold to God’s Holy Scripture that proclaims: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:8-9)
Such a declaration of God loving us first, by sending His only-begotten Son to die for us, brings us to love our neighbor and do good works. So instead of having a judgmental attitude, we pray for them, that they would be brought to repentance and belief, just as we were brought to repentance and belief. We pray for them to turn from their evil ways, and wrestle with their sinful, self-centered flesh, just as we were turned from our evil ways and brought to wrestle with our selfish flesh. God’s Word proclaims: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and of great goodness” (Ps. 103:8). Therefore…
Let us pray: O Lord, let Your merciful kindness and truth be great toward us. Let our soul wait for You, for You are our Help and our Shield; our heart rejoices in You, and we trust in Your holy Name. Let Your mercy be upon us, O Lord Jesus, even as we hope in You. Amen.