Do You Care About Others? Genesis 18-19

Genesis 18:20-21 (New International Version)
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."

Genesis 18:22-26 (New International Version)
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."

Genesis 19:12-16 (New International Version)
12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it."
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."
16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

This week's lesson focused on Abraham's interaction with the three men who visited him in Genesis 18. When Abraham is told by the pre-incarnate Jesus of the impending destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (18:20-21), the question comes to mind...Why? Why did God tell Abraham his plans? I believe the answer is that God was inviting Abraham to pray, to intercede for Lot and his family who lived in Sodom at the time.

In Ch.18:22-26, we have a great picture of sincere and worshipful prayer on behalf of the righteous in Sodom, which presumably included Lot. So, why did Abraham pray? Was it simply out of love and concern for Lot? I think it is even deeper than that. I believe that Abraham was so convinced of the certainty of God's judgment that he was compelled to pray. His prayer was the appropriate response to the judgment to come.

Has God told us of coming judgment? Certainly. He has told us that unbelievers will spend eternity in Hell separated from God. He has told believers that "In this world you will have trouble..."(John 16:33). As I think of the judgment that others will certainly face, am I compelled to pray for them earnestly? Why not?

A great point was made during our discussion of these passages. It was mentioned that the focus of this story was how God was preparing Abraham to be the father of his chosen people. God used this circumstance to change Abraham. Lot and his family were saved from destruction, but the ultimate beneficiary of the events was Abraham. Isn't that often the case? Prayer often changes the one praying more than the one prayed for.

Abraham had no doubt of the certainty of God's judgment, and it drove him to his knees. What a picture of God's mercy, both to Lot and to Abraham!