And Abraham came near and said, “Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” Genesis 18:23 NKJV
The Lord had come to Abraham to give him the joyous news that he and his wife would have a baby within a year. As he was leaving, he let Abraham know of his plans to destroy the city of Sodom because of all the wickedness that was going on there.
Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom and even though he didn’t always speak and act like a believer he was a believer. So, Abraham not only asks God this question in our Scripture passage but goes on to bargain with God to plead and intercede on behalf of the city. He starts at asking God to not destroy the city if he finds 50 righteous men there and then bargains down to 10. God agrees to not destroy the city if He can find 10 righteous men there.
Abraham interceded for Sodom. What does it mean to intercede? The dictionary defines it as intervening on behalf of another. It is also defined as using your influence to persuade someone in authority to forgive or save someone from punishment. There were many great men in the Bible who were intercessors including the Lord Himself.
Warren Wiersbe points out several important things about interceding. First, he says we are never more like our Lord than when we are interceding. It is our duty as Christ followers to seek to win a lost world and bring sinners to the Savior.
He also points out that we must know the Lord personally. In Genesis 18:17-19 the Lord decided to let Abraham know of His plans to destroy Sodom because He knew Abraham. He was in a personal relationship and had made a covenant with him. How is your relationship with the Lord? He knows each and every one of us including how many hairs we have on our head. Do you know Him?
It’s much easier to go to someone in authority to plead someone else’s case if you are in a close personal relationship with the person in authority.
The other important factor is compassion. You have to care enough to intervene on that person’s behalf. As Christians we should care for each other and also care for the lost. We are told in Philippians 2:3-4 to be humble and to consider others better than ourselves and to be concerned about the needs of others.
Abraham appealed to God’s justice not His mercy when He asked God will you destroy the righteous with the wicked. We know we serve a God of justice. Abraham did not plead for God to not destroy the wicked. He prayed for God to spare the righteous.
As Christians, we know God will destroy the wicked, the Bible tells us this in Psalm 94:23. It’s not our job, however, to judge but to pray for those who are lost, no matter their sin. God wants each and every one of us to be saved, but He never forces salvation upon us. He leaves it to us to decide.
Are you an intercessor? Do you care enough? Are you close enough in your relationship with the Lord to go to him earnestly seeking to intervene on the behalf of others?
You can’t save a drowning man if you are drowning also. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Trust in Him and enter into a close, personal relationship with Him. This is not just so you can intercede for others but so you can be assured of your own salvation.
In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus said that the greatest commandment was that we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind and that we love others as we love ourselves. If we love the Lord, we will want to be like Him. We will be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1). We will be concerned for our fellow man or woman. We will not only pray for ourselves but for others.
Have a great day!