January 24th, 2013
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Engaging with God

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Opening Prayer

Gracious God, change my heart that I might seek You; change my ears that I might hear You through Your Word.

Read Genesis 18:16-33

[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. [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. [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 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.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor be afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich” (Alan Paton, 1903-1988).

Think Further

For a third time in Genesis we see human societies that have sunk into such evil that God intervenes to destroy or break them up (Gen. 6:7; 11:7). This passage opens with Abraham walking alongside his heavenly visitors as God ponders and decides to admit him to the heavenly council, giving him advance warning of his plans. This is how Hebrew prophets like Amos and Jeremiah pictured their role (Amos 3:7; Jer. 23:16-18). They had to warn their generation that disaster or exile were urgent possibilities, though God is always willing to hold back judgment if there is repentance. But what if some repent and others don’t? 

As founder and leader of God’s chosen people, Abraham must teach and nurture right and just behavior (19). So he wrestles with the moral question: is it just of God to allow innocent people to be swept away with the guilty ones (25)? Abraham has good reasons for caring about the fate of these cities. His nephew lives there. He fought a war to save them (Gen. 14:14-16). He engages with God in a conversation that follows the conventions of bargaining. It would seem almost playful if the issue were not so serious. Abraham challenges God that his reputation is on the line (25), while acknowledging the great gulf in their status (27). He begins with 50, which might have been about half the population of one of these small settlements, and works down to a mere 10 before he feels he can go no further. 

Perhaps, as others have suggested, Abraham stopped there because he recognized there will always be innocent individuals who suffer when corporate sin is dealt with. Repressive regimes are rarely brought to justice without civilian deaths. We have to make tricky decisions; God had to find a balance, too.

Apply

Pray for some places that seem to be hotspots of evil. Pray for those living there who can make a difference for good.

Closing prayer

Compassionate Father, may my heart beat with Your love for the disadvantaged, the marginalized, the victimized. Show me practical ways in which I can minister in Your name.

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