Day 13 of 21
Sodom and Abraham's Intercession
The friend of God pleads for the wicked
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Genesis 18:16-33 and Genesis 19:24-29. God reveals to Abraham his plan to investigate the wickedness of Sodom. Abraham responds with one of the most remarkable prayers in the Bible — a bold, persistent negotiation for the city's survival.
Reflection
God has decided to deal with Sodom. But before he acts, he pauses: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" (Genesis 18:17). God chooses to include Abraham in his deliberations. This is the intimacy of a covenant relationship — God treats Abraham not as a subject to be commanded, but as a friend to be consulted.
Abraham's response is extraordinary. He does not merely accept God's judgment. He intercedes. "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (18:23). Then begins the famous negotiation: What if there are fifty righteous? Forty-five? Forty? Thirty? Twenty? Ten? Each time, God agrees: "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it" (18:32).
Francis Schaeffer marveled at the scene: "Abraham's intercession for Sodom is one of the high points of prayer in the Old Testament. It shows us a man so close to God that he dares to reason with the Almighty about justice and mercy." Abraham is not being presumptuous. He is being faithful — exercising the relationship that God himself established.
At the heart of Abraham's prayer stands a theological conviction: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (18:25). Wright sees this as the key: "Abraham's prayer — 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?' — is not a challenge to God's character but an appeal to it. He trusts that God is more just, not less, than he dares hope." Abraham is not questioning God. He is counting on God to be who God says he is.
The outcome is sobering. Not even ten righteous people can be found in Sodom. Judgment falls — fire and sulfur from heaven (19:24). But even in this destruction, mercy appears: "God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow" (19:29). Abraham's prayer did not save the city, but it saved his nephew. Intercession is never wasted.
Going Deeper
Abraham stopped at ten. He did not ask, "What if there is only one righteous person?" Yet the New Testament reveals that this is exactly what God did — the one truly righteous person, Jesus Christ, absorbed the judgment so that the unrighteous might be saved (Romans 5:18-19). How does Abraham's intercession foreshadow Christ's?
Key Quotes
“Abraham's intercession for Sodom is one of the high points of prayer in the Old Testament. It shows us a man so close to God that he dares to reason with the Almighty about justice and mercy.”
“Abraham's prayer — 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?' — is not a challenge to God's character but an appeal to it. He trusts that God is more just, not less, than he dares hope.”
Prayer Focus
Pray boldly for others today — for those who seem beyond hope. Like Abraham, appeal to God's justice and mercy. Trust that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
Meditation
Abraham bargained from fifty righteous down to ten. What does this tell you about the boldness God welcomes in prayer?
Question for Discussion
Abraham intercedes for a city full of people who do not share his faith. Do you think God calls us to pray and advocate for the well-being of communities that may be hostile to our beliefs, or is our intercession primarily for fellow believers?