Tuesdays with Abraham

Read Genesis 18:22-26 – Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” (NKJV)

There’s something very compelling in Abraham’s effort to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah. While his thoughts might have been centered solely on his nephew, Lot, Abraham doesn’t ask for Lot’s rescue, but the possible preservation of the entire city. Do we care about those who do evil? Do we have compassion that hopes God will delay His judgment or do we live with more of a “get what they deserve” kind of attitude? Certainly our lives are surrounded by wicked people who often act in ways that are harmful to us, but do we wish for God to judge, or have we gained enough of God’s heart to long for their repentance?

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
National Light for the Lost Day . May 6, 2012 . www.men.ag.org