GOD JUDGES RIGHTLY
Opening Prayer
Majestic God, today I am open to You and longing for You. Reclaim, renew, re-enliven my heart with love and devotion.
Read Genesis 18:16–33
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[a] 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[b] 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[c] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
Footnotes
- Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Do you have real exchanges with God? Family conversations sometimes involve raised voices– but love preserves the relationship.We can only speculate about the details of this extraordinary and dramatic scene. The first section (17–19) seems to be delivered by God as a soliloquy which Abraham is prevented from hearing. But then (20) Abraham is fully briefed about the serious peril facing Sodom and Gomorrah, and he is provoked to action (23).
The cities face investigation and possible disaster because of their sin for which they are collectively responsible. Their sin is not specified here (although there are definite clues later on), but it is so ‘grievous’ (20, NIV) that God’s action to sweep them away is justified. This makes Abraham’s bold intervention before God even more remarkable.
Of course, this is no different from what happens when any Christian prays. Our intercession matters – and it changes things. The presence of a few righteous people in these cities would have saved them (32), though such people couldn’t be found and the cities were destroyed (19:24,25). Let us never forget that the presence of a few praying believers could have saved a city or a nation from God’s terrible judgment.
Apply
Is there someone whose eternal destination concerns you? Intercede on their behalf today, that God would transform their lives, that they would become part of God’s family.
Closing prayer
God of the Ages, I am amazed how You work in saving ways, bringing the seemingly impossible to pass. I give You my heartfelt praise.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.