Genesis 18: 20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”
22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”
30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?”
And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”
31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”
And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.
I can still remember when first time I read the story of Sodom, I was still an unbeliever and thought "wow... this 'God' was so cruel. why cannot he just destroy the evil people and spare the other living things such as animals and plants, and maybe the building in the city?"
But after I really got to know God, I started to taste the agony and unwillingness of God out of this story. It appears in the above verses I quote here. He would love to spare all if only there were 10 righteous people. See how mercy God was, and still is! Look back to us, we cry out around saying this is unfair, that is unfair. And we want to punish all the people that did wrong things. Forgive me, I am not saying wrong deeds shouldn't be punished or people shouldn't be disciplined. But what we lack is the heart of God. Not saying that, we don't even have the heart of Abraham.
And this several verses also reminds me that our Lord Jesus is not praying for us, "bargain" with the Father to spare us. Because of our faith in Him, we can be considered righteous. What a mercy and grace! There is nothing left to say but thank the Lord and our Heavenly Father!
Gen 19: 16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.
The angel seized his hand...
See, our God won't give up saving us. He always seizes our hands when we are on the edge of destruction. How thankful we can be!
Matthew 6: 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Keep this in mind: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
The Lord said to us, keep on asking and seeking and knocking. He didn't say just ask once and you will get your answer in any translation. He meant us to keep on. I like the translation here because it makes it clear. Yes, often the time, our prayers are not answered immediately, but keep in mind, the Lord is faithful and he knows our every needs, physically, mentally and spiritually. Most time, it just needs a little persistence and the door will open for you.
Psalm 1: 1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!Hallelujah!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
Proverb 2:6 For the Lord grants wisdom!Very important, I made unwise choices all the time. Result: put myself in a very unsafe place. What's the reason? Not walking in the light of God. We will get to that later.
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe
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