Pray In A Hurting World (Genesis 18)
God Visits Abraham
Our story begins with Abraham sitting by the door of his tent in the heat of the day. While he is there waiting for the day to cool off a little bit, he sees three men. The author tells us that these men are angels accompanied by the Lord. So he goes crazy. He asks them to come into his tent, washes their feet, and refreshes them. Then, he runs everywhere to make arrangements for these men. He prepares a calf and runs into the tent, telling Sarah to make a cake. How would you act?
They come bearing good news, saying, “About this time next year… Sarah, your wife shall have a son.” Abraham has been waiting for twenty-four years, hoping God would provide all the promises. So, it appears that Abraham hears these words and believes them, but Sarah laughs because she is so old that it doesn’t seem likely for her to have a child at ninety years old. Then, the Lord calls her out on it and lets her know that he understands, sees, and hears everything.
But after the discussion about the baby is over, things get interesting. God has one more thing he wants to do before leaving.
Genesis 18:16–21 (ESV) — 16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
God starts to walk in the direction of Sodom, and Abraham follows. Then, God asks the men, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” We don’t typically ask that question unless we plan on telling the person. So, God is making a special note that he doesn’t have to tell Abraham what’s going on, but he wants to.
A Deeper Relationship
In this, we see that God wants to have a deeper relationship. He wants to reveal to Abraham all that he is planning. In this case, God plans to evaluate the evil in Sodom. We get the sense that the evil has reached a point where God will wipe out the whole city. God speaks in this case like he still hasn’t decided yet or doesn’t know just how bad it is. We know that’s not true. God sees and knows everything. That’s what makes all of this odd. Why does God share his plans with Abraham?
He Is Worthy
First, notice that God considers Abraham to be worthy of inclusion. Abraham isn’t a random person. Abraham has been faithfully following and trusting God for twenty-four years. Verse 18 says, “Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.” God has chosen Abraham to be great, and he has grand plans to accomplish through Abraham.
Teaching Children
Second, God shares this information because he wants Abraham to teach his children to be righteous. Imagine knowing that God hears the cries of the righteous receiving injustice. Imagine seeing him visit the city and deciding to wipe out the whole city for the evil they have committed. Wouldn’t that make you want to teach your children?
Genesis 18:19 (ESV) — 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
God wants Abraham to know the intimate details of this so that he will be even more drawn to righteousness and holiness than he had previously.
Feedback?
Third, we see that God wants to share this with Abraham because he wants Abraham’s feedback. Wait? Why would God want to hear anything from Abraham? Isn’t he just a man? He’s only been alive for 99 years. What could he possibly add to God that isn’t already known? It’s not about that. It’s about developing a deeper relationship. This is what God is after with Abraham. Listen to Abraham’s response.
Genesis 18:22–33 (ESV) — 22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 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? 25 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?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “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.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Abraham’s Prayer
Notice how bold Abraham is throughout this. Also, notice how he somehow remains humble. He isn’t irreverent or anything. He’s trying to relate his thoughts and feelings to God about this severe news. When Abraham begins to speak with God, he asks some penetrating questions.
He says, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” He wants to know how God could wipe out an entire city and condemn the righteous and the wicked. That doesn’t seem fair to Abraham. He wants righteous people to have a chance to live and turn things around. So he is bold enough to say, “Far be it from you to do such a thing.” The picture that Abraham has in his mind of God is contending with the news that God has revealed to him. How could God be righteous and just while bringing death to the righteous?
So, he calls for God to explain how many righteous people would be needed to save the city. He starts with fifty. The city might have been pretty significant. It could have thousands of people, so fifty isn’t very many. God takes that number and says he won’t destroy the city for the sake of the fifty. But then, Abraham pushes the envelope. He negotiates with God and brings the number down to ten. This whole interaction is excellent! Abraham continues to express himself to God boldly, patiently, and mercifully listens, and he grants Abraham’s wish.
Lessons Learned
As we study through this conversation, we learn some fascinating truths about God and prayer. This interaction reveals how God relates to those who love and serve him. I’m not saying that God will appear to you in human form and reveal his plans, though he could if he chose to.
But this text shows us the nature of God. He is not unreasonable or unrelatable. He is interested in developing a deep relationship with those who follow his will and love him. In the same event, he brings this picture of love and faithfulness by telling Abraham the promise will come true and a picture of justice by revealing his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. We cannot see God any other way. He’s not a God who only gives good things to everyone, nor is he only dishing out punishment and destruction. God is complex.
We see God caring about Abraham’s opinion in this text. Why does he do that? Throughout the Bible, we get the sense that God doesn’t listen to the prayers of the wicked but hears the prayers of the righteous. Listen to this text from Ezekiel. Ezekiel has the elders of the exiles come before him to seek a word from God and make requests known, but God’s not interested in them.
Ezekiel 14:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?
He Trusts God
God listens to Abraham because he trusts in God’s goodness and power. He doesn’t have any idols to worship like those elders. So, we see the first reason God listens to Abraham is that God wants to hear from those who trust him. He cares about their thoughts and feelings. He wants to maintain the relationship he has with them. That’s important for any relationship.
He Shares God’s Compassion
Second, we see that Abraham is moved with compassion to speak. God loves Abraham because Abraham is like him. He doesn’t want the wicked to perish. He wants them to turn from their wickedness and repent. The heart of Abraham is pure and full of mercy and love. He knows that Sodom and Gomorrah are wicked. He didn’t take any of their riches from them in Chapter 14. But he still doesn’t wish for them to be destroyed. He is interceding and appealing for them to be given longer to repent. That is the very nature of God. He wants the wicked to repent, and the only reason why we are saved today is because he was patient enough to let us figure it out.
He Speaks With Bold Reverence
Third, we see that God cares about Abraham’s opinion because Abraham knew how to sound very religious when he prayed. Not really. Did you notice that Abraham spoke boldly, saying things we might only say to a friend or someone we know? He didn’t act like God needed him to speak in an eloquent language. His boldness was tempered with reverence. He doesn’t try to demand things from God or speak out of line, but he tells him how he feels, recognizing that he doesn’t feel worthy of bringing these thoughts before God. This is a beautiful lesson for us to learn.
How Did He Pray Like This?
When we look at Abraham’s prayer, we might ask how he could speak this way with God. The answer is that he knows who God is. He isn’t speaking boldly because he is self-righteous or based on some hunch about what God might be like. The words of Abraham are based on his understanding of who God is and how righteous and good God must be. Abraham knows that God is always good and cannot be guilty of injustice.
God has always been with him and provided for him in his time of need. He has also promised to bless all the nations of the earth through him. His overall desire is to bless, not curse. That’s what Abraham believes is true about God, so that he will pray this way. Everything he says is in line with what God himself wants.
Could We Pray In This Way?
What about us? Will we pray like Abraham? In a growing increasingly wicked land, will we pray for our city to turn things around? Things are happening close to home that we might have never believed would happen. Generations are growing up who have no idea who God is. There are a lot of churches, but not a lot of knowledge about who God is. It’s terrifying to look at the status of our country and even the world. Social media has made our iniquity even more apparent than it’s ever been before.
But do we look for and pray for the goodness of God to shine through? Do we hope for more time for lost people to find the truth and receive salvation? We must believe that God wants the wicked to repent and for us to have enough compassion and mercy to pray for time. God wants a relationship with people who have a heart like Abraham’s heart.
Conclusion
As we see Abraham stepping up and boldly praying for God’s mercy, it’s unfortunate that God didn’t find ten righteous people in the city. It seems like he only found one. Lot’s wife couldn’t obey God’s command, and his daughters committed incest with him—just one righteous man in the city.
In the New Testament, God sacrifices one righteous man for all sinners who turn to him for salvation. If we are honest, none of us are righteous. We all fall short of what God wants us to be. We can all find hope and salvation in Christ and are called to pray for one another and those around us with compassion and love.