An exchange between Friends

Genesis 18:22-33

One of my weaknesses has always been not keeping quiet; I’ve never learned the art of counting to ten before voicing my thoughts on a subject.  That is not a trait I am proud of, in fact Proverbs has this to say about a person with this characteristic, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:27)  Restraint is a good thing, Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”  In my forty years working for one of the best companies in America, I had bosses that would listen to what the employee had to say, but he had the final say.  If your boss was open and valued your thoughts, often that conversation presented the opportunity and maybe even changed the approach of going to market.

It is important to recall that Abraham and God are friends, and God has let Abraham in on his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  At this point Abraham is thinking of his nephew Lot, and he asked God this question: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”  (I’m sure at this point Abraham does not take a breath)  “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city.  Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?”  I bet Abraham is thinking that Lot has a large household and surely fifty of them are in right standing with God. 

At this point Abraham does what I’ve also done to my bosses, he began to tell God what he should do and should not do, that is dangerous.  Verse 25 begins, “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!  Far be that from you!  Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?”  Can you imagine having that kind of talk with God?   In verse 26, the Lord replied, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”  Have you ever spoken to a friend, and then wondered was my response too strong?  That’s where Abraham finds himself.  Verse 27 gives this account of Abraham’s answer, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.”  But Abraham is on a roll and he keeps going down on the number of righteous people in Sodom.

Abraham has run the numbers in his head and Lot must have ten people in his household who are in right standing with God, so in a last effort in verse 32, we find this account, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once.  Suppose ten are found there.”  He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”  What we have witnessed is an exchange between friends, but we have also seen the grace of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice