Chapter 10: Abraham Pleads for God’s Mercy
Q1 - In Genesis 18:20, the Lord told Abraham the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah had been great. Who do you suppose had cried out to the Lord? (Read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:1–29. Also see Ezekiel 16:49–50.)
A1 - It could have been Lot and his family who cried out to the Lord, although that doesn’t seem likely. He chose to continue to live in Sodom, and the angels had to grab him and his family by the hands and pull them away from there to safety. However, Lot did seem to know the two strangers would not be safe spending the night in the town square and, to his credit, insisted they come home with him (see Genesis 19:1–3). Also, the Apostle Peter called Lot “a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7–8, NIV). So it’s possible Lot cried out to the Lord concerning Sodom and Gomorrah.
When you read the account of the destruction of these cities in Genesis 19:1–29, you get a sense of how horribly the men of Sodom behaved toward the two strangers (who were really angels). They treated them as if they were fair game, so it seems they may have tried to take advantage of and brutalize whomever they felt they could for their own pleasure.
Ezekiel 16:49–50 (NLT) states: “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.” From reading this scripture, we learn their society must have degraded in many ways, and not just with sexual immorality. It’s likely the cries to God went up from various people who suffered all kinds of hurt there.
Note, too, in Genesis 19:4 (ESV), how pervasive this degradation was throughout the entire town: “But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.” Note the scripture says—every last man in the city—both young and old! How sad is that! So there really didn’t seem to be any righteous people left to save in the city, other than Lot and his family.
Q2 - Look back over the scripture reading for this lesson. What character traits does Abraham exhibit here? What do we learn about God’s character?
A2 - Abraham almost challenges God when he begins questioning Him. He said in Genesis 18:23, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Then in verse 25, he essentially tells God—You can’t just slay the righteous with the wicked! You’re the judge of all the earth, and You have to do the right thing! Abraham knew he was standing before God and yet he felt compelled to speak up for those who didn’t have a voice in the matter. Definitely, Abraham exhibited courage and boldness along with his strong sense of right and wrong. In fact, his sense of righteousness and justice was something God had already observed in him (see verse 19).
Then, Abraham shows his great humility in Genesis 18:27 when he acknowledges his own mortality. He admits that he is but “dust and ashes,” and yet he’s taken it upon himself to speak to the eternal Lord, his own Creator, the Almighty. Courage combined with humility make for truly powerful character traits.
God shows His great regard for the humanity He has created by giving His ear and His patience to Abraham’s pleas. Not only does He show forbearance toward Abraham, but He shows it towards Sodom as well in being willing to spare the entire city for the sake of a handful of good people. He exhibits His own righteousness in listening to Abraham and agreeing with him that the righteous of Sodom should not be killed along with the wicked. In fact, He sent His angels into the city for the purpose of discerning its true condition before destroying the city. And then He shows His sense of justice by destroying the evil cities when no righteous people other than Lot’s family can be found.
Q3 - Several Bible versions of Genesis 18: 23 state that Abraham “drew near” to God, while others say he “approached” God or “stepped forward.” What does it mean to “draw near to God?” How can you draw near to Him? (See Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 10:22, and James 4:8.)
A3 - The scriptures referenced tell us how to approach God. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) states: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 10:19–20 talks about how we now have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus, that by His blood a new and living way has been opened for us. Recall that under the Law, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and then only once a year. When Jesus gave Himself for our sacrifice, all that changed. We now have direct access to God through Jesus who serves as our high priest. Hebrews 10:21–22 (NIV) goes on to say: “…and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
The passage in James 4:1–10 would be good verses to study more in depth. In verse 6 (NIV) James quotes Proverbs 3:34: “‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’” Then in verses 7–10 (NIV) he continues his instructions and admonitions: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
How reassuring it is to know that if we come before God’s throne in prayer, we can do so with confidence. But notice also how we need to come with pure hearts and with the attitude of humility. God delights in hearing from His children, and while the outcomes of our prayers may not always be what we ask for, He still listens and holds us close. Pray that His will be done in all things, because in the end, God often takes care of things in ways that we could never have envisioned.