Behold the Kindness and Justice of God

BEHOLD THE KINDNESS AND JUSTICE OF GOD

An Exposition of Genesis 18

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: November 20, 2022

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture, says,

¹ And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. ² He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth ³ and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, ⁵ while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” ⁶ And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” ⁷ And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. ⁸ Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

⁹ They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” ¹⁰ The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” ¹³ The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁵ But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

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.”

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. (Genesis 18:1-33)

INTRODUCTION

Genesis 18 is a remarkable passage that invites us to think about both the kindness and the justice of God. The whole chapter should be understood as a divine visitation: “the LORD appeared to [Abraham]” in verse 1, and His interaction with Abraham runs through all thirty-three verses, concluding with the statement that “the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” (v. 33)

ABRAHAM SHOWS HOSPITALITY TO THE LORD (v. 1-8)

Let’s get started: Abraham shows hospitality to the Lord – and to the Lord’s two companions. Abraham was “[sitting] at the door of his tent in the heat of the day” – that is, in the afternoon, the warmest part of the day. Abraham was still living “by the oaks of Mamre” (v. 1), the same place near Hebron where he had settled many years ago, back in Genesis 13:18 and Genesis 14:13. Now, in that same place, “the LORD appeared to him” (v. 1).

The passage describes God’s visit to Abraham in terms of a mystery. While we know that the three persons who visited Abraham were the Lord (v. 1) and two angels (Genesis 19:1), throughout Chapter 18 these three persons are referred to as men: “He [Abraham] lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.” Why does the passage say “three men” when elsewhere these three are referred to as actually being the Lord and two angels? Well, the Lord and two angels appeared to Abraham in human form, and thus to Abraham’s eyes they looked like men. Further, Abraham may not have immediately known that the three persons who appeared to him in human form were actually one divine and two angelic persons. Even when Abraham says “O Lord” in verse 3, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Abraham knew that he was speaking to Yahweh. “Lord” is the English translation of adonai: sometimes adonai is used in reference to Yahweh, but sometimes it isn’t. For example, in Chapter 19, Lot uses the same expression to refer to the two angels: “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house” (Genesis 19:2). Genesis 19:2 sounds a lot like Genesis 18:3. Also, Sarah uses the same term when she calls Abraham “my lord” (Genesis 18:12). The use of the term “Lord” communicates respect.

Although we know what was happening because we have the benefit of having the whole thing explained to us, we must remember that Abraham was experiencing it in real time and had to discover who it was that was visiting him. Eventually Abraham realizes that he is interacting with “the Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25).

In any case, Abraham’s instinctive reaction is to show hospitality to the three mysterious visitors. Abraham bows down and pays them respect (v. 2). Then Abraham prevails upon them to stay a little while and be refreshed (v. 3-5). Next, Abraham mobilizes his household (Sarah in v. 6 and a young man in v. 7) to prepare bread and beefsteak for the three guests. Finally, Abraham set the food before the three men (v. 8). The section concludes, “And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.” Don’t miss the marvelous fact that the Lord and two angels ate ordinary food in the presence of Abraham.

Note well that it is profoundly right for you to show hospitality to strangers in whom you recognize goodwill and who have come in peace. The author of Hebrews may have had Genesis 18 in mind when he wrote, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)

THE LORD PROMISES A SON (v. 9-15)

As wonderful as it is to set your food before guests, the grace of mealtime is at its best when it sets the stage for constructive conversation. In the next part of the passage (v. 9-15), the Lord promises a son.

Of course, just a matter of days earlier the Lord had promised Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear a son (Genesis 17:15-21). What makes the reiteration of this same promise in Genesis 18:9-15 stand out is its focus upon Sarah. In Chapter 17, we got insight into Abraham’s reaction to God’s promise. Now in Chapter 18 we get insight into Sarah’s reaction to God’s promise. Interestingly, their reactions were very similar.

The three visitors asked Abraham, “Where is Sarah your wife?” Abraham replied, “She is in the tent.” (v. 9) Following Abraham’s answer, it is now time for Yahweh (the LORD) to speak. The first time the three visitors spoke to Abraham, all three spoke: “So they said, “Do as you have said.”” (v. 5) The second time the three visitors spoke to Abraham, all three spoke again: “They said to him, Where is Sarah your wife?” (v. 9) But now two of the three visitors recede into the background, and the focus is on the divine person, Yahweh (the LORD). The Lord makes this promise: “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (v. 10) The promise is twofold: first, that the Lord will return to Abraham in one year’s time; and second, that when He does return in one year’s time, Sarah shall have a son.

Verse 10 goes on to tell us that “Sarah was listening” to the conversation. Then we are reminded that both “Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years” and that Sarah was beyond the normal childbearing years: “The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.” (v. 11) Then, just like Abraham had “fell on his face and laughed” (in Genesis 17:17), so now “Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”” (Genesis 18:12)

A Laughing Matter

So what becomes very clear is that the promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah in their old age is literally a laughing matter. Abraham laughed in Chapter 17; Sarah laughs in Chapter 18. And a detail I passed over last week is that the name of Isaac the promised son – the son’s name is identified as Isaac in Genesis 17:19 – the name Isaac means ‘he laughs’. Abraham and Sarah were humored by God’s promise, and going forward the name Isaac shall stand forth as a memorial to the grace of God who humors His people with promises that seem too good to be true. But these promises are true and good and altogether lovely, and these promises ought to be humbly believed, not resisted with the laughter of disbelief.

Responding to Sarah’s laughter: “The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (v. 13-14) In the first part of verse 15, Sarah was afraid and denied that she had laughed. But the Lord got the last word: “No, but you did laugh.” (v. 15) Don’t miss the Lord’s gentle firmness with Sarah. In that moment, Sarah was afraid, and – strictly speaking – she lied to the Lord. But the Lord did not criticize her harshly. The Lord did not give her a stern rebuke. Instead, the Lord spoke the truth in a gracious manner to a woman He had promised to bless.

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Even so, let the words “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” sink in. Do you live your life and consider life’s possibilities according to what you can accomplish on your own? According to what human beings can achieve on their own? According to what worldly resources are able to do? According to what ordinary probabilities suggest as likely outcomes? Or are you learning to fix your eyes and your hope on the Lord, who is able to do far more than you can think or imagine? Are you learning to look at the “worn out” condition of this world as no obstacle to the sovereign Lord doing whatever He wants, wherever He wants, whenever He wants, in and through whomever He wants? Are you learning to look at the “worn out” circumstances of your own life as no obstacle to the Lord making you like a fruitful tree that bears good fruit and brings blessing to many people? That new thing that the Lord wants to produce in you; that new leaf that He wants you to turn over; that new step of obedience that He wants you to take; that good work that He wants to do in the world through you – hear this: nothing is too hard for the Lord; with the Lord all things are possible. Let it be to you according to God’s Word, and you go forth on the strength of His promise!

THE LORD INFORMS ABRAHAM OF TROUBLE IN SODOM AND GOMORRAH (v. 16-21)

After the conversation with Abraham and Sarah was complete, the three visitors took leave and turned their attention toward Sodom. As they “set out from [Abraham’s tent]”, Abraham gave them the courtesy of accompanying them down the road a short distance in order “to set them on their way” (v. 16)

But before the Lord departs from Abraham, the Lord takes counsel:

“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.”” (v. 17-19)

Verses 17-19 are presented as a rhetorical question, and the implied answer is ‘No, I shall not hide from Abraham what I am about to do.’ But before we get to what it is that the Lord is about to do, we need to understand the reason why the Lord decides to share this information with Abraham.

The Lord Wants His People to Understand His Ways

The reason is simple to understand: the Lord wants Abraham to have insight into the Lord’s impending action because of the relationship that He has with Abraham and because of the special role that He has given to Abraham. “For I have chosen him” or For I have known him.Because of Abraham’s relationship with the Lord, Abraham will become a great nation; Abraham will be a source of blessing to all nations; and Abraham has a key role in building up his descendants into a righteous and just nation.

To put the matter simply: the Lord wants His people to understand His ways. The Lord wants you to understand Him and His ways and His doings. The Lord wants His people – the people called by His name, the people that He has known and loved, the people that He has chosen and redeemed, the people that He has commanded to walk in righteousness, the people that He has commissioned to be light to the world – the Lord wants His people to understand His ways. And the Lord’s ways are made known not only through moral instruction but also through acts of judgment. Although the world is often blind to the righteous ways of the Lord, the Lord wants His people to have their eyes wide open to understand what He does and why He does it.

As it says in Jeremiah 9:

“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

The earth is the theater of divine action: “[He] practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” The Lord wants Abraham to understand and know the Lord, who performs justice and righteousness in this world.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know that his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15) In Genesis 18, God is treating Abraham like a friend and, therefore, He chooses to tell Abraham what He is about to do.

Abraham has been called by God to be a vehicle of blessing to all the world. And yet, toward the east there were two cities in the Jordan Valley that were about to be destroyed. Abraham living as a vehicle of blessing to all the world requires that he “keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice” and that he “command his children and his household after him to keep” this very same way. In other words, Abraham has been called into God’s kingdom of righteousness and justice. And yet, precisely because of the rampant unrighteousness in Sodom and Gomorrah, these two cities are about to be justly removed from the earth. The man who through righteousness will inherit what God has promised must understand that unrighteousness brings people and cities and nations to ruin.

The Lord Reveals What He Is About to Do

So, since the Lord wants His people to understand His ways – since the Lord wants His people to understand His specific actions – the Lord decides to reveal to Abraham what He (the Lord) is about to do:

“Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come up to me. And if not, I will know.”” (v. 20-21)

As we shall see in verses 23-32, Abraham rightly discerns that the Lord “[going] down to see” two cities steeped in “very grave” sin carries the implication that the Lord is going to bring judgment upon those rebellious cities. Perhaps Abraham remembered what happened in Genesis 11: “the LORD came down to see the city and tower” (Genesis 11:5) in Babel, and afterward He went down to bring judgment by confusing the language of the people (Genesis 11:7-9).

“[The] LORD came down to see” (Genesis 11:5). “I will go down to see” (Genesis 18:21). And don’t forget Genesis 16, where Hagar called Yahweh El Roi, the God who sees. In Genesis 16, God seeing Hagar in her affliction was a comfort to Hagar. But in Genesis 11 and 18, God seeing the cities of Babel, Sodom, and Gomorrah in their rebellion is not a comfort, but a critique leading to an act of judgment. Whether God seeing is a comfort to you or a terror to you, depends on whether you have a heart for God or a heart against God – whether your life is characterized by righteousness or rebellion.

While God always sees His righteous ones from afar, from heaven above, He may choose to draw near to you – as He has drawn near to Abraham in Genesis 18 – in order to bring comfort, encouragement, and instruction. Likewise, God always sees the wicked from afar, from heaven above, but at times He chooses to draw near to them – as He is just about to do in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah – in order to close the investigation and execute judgment.

The flow of thought from verse 20 to verse 21 goes like this: in verse 20, the Lord has heard “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah” and He knows that “their sin is very grave”. God has heard this outcry (v. 20), and now He is to “go down to see” (v. 21), thus giving these two cities a close and personal inspection. The Lord is speaking to Abraham in human terms: it is not as if the God who hears accurately from heaven the outcries on earth, is unable at the same time to see clearly from heaven what earthlings are doing. The Lord knows. But the Lord has condescended in human form to Abraham, and the Lord speaks accordingly: “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.” Be assured: the Lord knows if the outcry against a people is accurate. If the outcry is inaccurate and amounts to false witness, the Lord knows. But if the outcry is accurate and constitutes truthful testimony, the Lord knows.

ABRAHAM EXPRESSES CONCERN FOR THE RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SODOM (v. 22-32)

In Genesis 18, the appointed time of action against Sodom and Gomorrah has drawn near. The Lord is “about to do” something about the exceeding wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. After giving Abraham some insight into these things, in verses 22-32 Abraham speaks frankly with the Lord about Sodom. It is no wonder why Abraham cares about Sodom: his nephew Lot lives there (Genesis 13:12, 14:12). Back in Genesis 14, Abraham had rescued Lot because the city of Sodom had been sorely beaten in a regional military conflict, and people from Sodom had been captured as prisoners of war. But now, the ongoing unrighteousness of the city spelled disaster under the judgment of God. In view of this reality, Abraham felt compelled to speak and express concern for any righteous people who live in Sodom.   

Verse 22 sets the stage for a one-on-one conversation between Abraham and the Lord. Up until now, the whole chapter has involved several people: the three visitors (the Lord and two angels), Abraham, Sarah, and Abraham’s servant who helped prepare the meal. Once we get to verses 16-21, Abraham is with the Lord and the two angels. But now in verse 22, “the men” – that is, the two angels – “turned from there and went toward Sodom”. We will meet them again at the beginning of Chapter 19: “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening” (Genesis 19:1). With the two angels having departed, Abraham was now alone with the Lord: “but Abraham stood still before the LORD” (Genesis 18:22). This is a holy moment: all other persons have left the stage, and Abraham has an audience with the Lord alone. Abraham ventures to speak to the One who created all things, the One who had called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, the One who is God Almighty and had promised to protect him and bless him, the One who is “the Judge of all the earth” (v. 25), the One whom Abraham worships. “Abraham drew near” to the Lord (v. 23), and this is what he 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?” (v. 23-25)

Understanding Abraham’s Concern

Let’s be very clear as to the appeal that Abraham is making. Abraham has no objection to the wicked being swept away. Abraham has no objection to the wicked being put to death. It is perfectly reasonable and profoundly right for the unrighteous to be consigned to punishment. Abraham has no objection to this. Inasmuch as a city or nation is wicked, it deserves to be decimated.

The potential problem in Abraham’s mind is that there might be righteous people living in the wicked city. What about them? Only the wicked deserve to be swept away, not the righteous. Only the wicked deserve to be put to death, not the righteous. The righteous do not deserve to be destroyed – not because of their own moral achievement, but because God rescued them out of their former wickedness, brought them into fellowship with Himself, and transformed their lives. As beloved recipients of God’s wonderful grace, the righteous now walk in increasing obedience to the Lord, and they don’t deserve to be treated like the wicked who remain stuck in their wickedness. As Scripture says, “[The] LORD knows the way of the righteous, but they way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6)

So, Abraham asks: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham knows that it would be unjust for the Lord to treat the righteous and the wicked in the same way: “Far be it from you… to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous far as the wicked!” Abraham believes that the Lord would do no such thing. Abraham has confidence that the Lord, who is “the Judge of all the earth”, will in fact “do what is just”.

So, the principle to which Abraham is appealing is a principle of righteousness, a principle of justice: the Lord will not treat the righteous and the wicked in the same manner; the Lord will punish the wicked but preserve the righteous; the Lord will undo the wicked but uphold the righteous. The Lord’s response to Abraham reveals that Abraham’s reasoning is sound, and numerous Scriptures testify to the fact that the righteous Judge saves the righteous when He sweeps away the wicked. The principle is true, and it will be most clearly on display at the final judgment, when every human being stands before the Judge of all the earth. On that day the Lord will make a clear separation between the righteous and the wicked: the righteous will be welcomed into God’s forever kingdom, but the wicked will be sent away into everlasting punishment.

But when it comes to punishments that get handed out in this present life, things can be quite messy. Abraham’s concern is not the difficulty of the Lord separating the wheat from the chaff at the final judgment at the end of history. That’s not what Abraham is thinking about, but if he was thinking about it, he would know that there is nothing difficult to understand about the clear separation between the righteous and the wicked at the final judgment. What Abraham is thinking about is how justice is maintained in a temporal judgment – that is, a judgment that the Lord brings upon a particular place in the here and now of the present time. If the entire city of Sodom is decimated with judgment in the here and now, or if the entire United States is decimated with judgment in the here and now, how does this judgment maintain justice toward any righteous people who are living in Sodom or in the United States when judgment is executed. Do you understand the problem as it occurs to Abraham’s mind?

Will the Lord spare a wicked city because of the righteous who live in it?

In light of that problem, Abraham wants to know if the Lord will spare the wicked city for the sake of a small number of righteous people living in it? Abraham puts the question this way: “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?” (v. 24) The Lord’s answer comes two verses later: “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” (v. 26)

Once the Lord affirms that His operating procedure includes a willingness to spare a wicked city for the sake of the righteous people who live in it, the only question becomes how many righteous people have to live in it in order to justify sparing the wicked city for their sake? So, Abraham proceeds to ask what would happen if less than fifty righteous people are found. Abraham maintains a posture of humility through the interaction: “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.” (v. 27) He says, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord” again in verse 31. And twice he says, “Oh let not the Lord be angry” (v. 30, 32). Abraham speaks frankly, but not proudly. He remembers his place.

In that posture of humility, Abraham wonders what will happen if less than fifty righteous people are found in the city. Suppose there are forty-five righteous within the city? “I will not destroy it” (v. 28). Suppose there are forty righteous within the city? “I will not do it” (v. 29). Suppose there are thirty righteous within the city? “I will not do it” (v. 30). Suppose there are twenty righteous within the city? “I will not destroy it” (v. 31). Suppose there are ten righteous within the city? “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (v. 32) Abraham is unwilling to push the matter past ten.

Of course, the numbers would be more instructive if we knew the total population of Sodom, but we don’t. However, given the fact that all “the men of Sodom… to the last man” surrounded Lot’s house in Genesis 19:4, it couldn’t have been a large city with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people in it. Perhaps Sodom had several hundred or a few thousand people in it, thus being small enough for every man “to the last man” to converge on Lot’s house. But whatever the exact population of Sodom might have been, the point that the passage is making is that the Lord is willing to spare a wicked city for the sake of a very small minority of righteous persons who live in that city.

And this point is very instructive. When it comes to how the Lord deals with cities and nations at this present time, He is not inclined to “sweep away the righteous with the wicked”. In fact, the Lord is inclined in the opposite direction – the Lord is inclined to physically preserve the wicked with the righteous. Do you see? The Lord is apt to spare entire cities full of wicked people, not for the sake of the wicked, but for the sake of the righteous people who live in the city. Instead of putting the righteous to physical death for the sake of the wicked who deserve death, the Lord preserves the physical life of the wicked for the sake of the righteous who deserve life. Do you see what a blessing the righteous are to the cities and nations of this sin-sick world? God treats the world far better than it deserves to be treated for the sake of His righteous ones who live in it.

APPLICATION: THE WORLD SITUATION TODAY

This lesson, that God treats cities and nations far better than they deserve to be treated for the sake of the small number of righteous people who live there, helps to explain the world situation today. When the floodwaters of judgment came upon the world in Genesis 7, there were not ten righteous people in the world. There was one righteous man, Noah; and Noah and his seven family members were preserved through the ark. When judgment is finally poured out on Sodom in Genesis 19, there are not ten righteous people in the city. There is one righteous man, Lot; and Lot and his three family members were brought out of the city before the city was decimated.

But if you look at the situation of the world today, the situation is very different. The world is still steeped in very grave sin. The corruption, unrighteousness, idolatry, deceit, immorality, greed, pride, unfaithfulness, and indecency of our world is as great as the sin of Sodom. The Lord would not be unjust to devastate the United States, Canada, Russia, or China, along with a number of other countries. Surely the outcry is great against these and other countries.

But here’s the thing: Abraham and Sarah had a son, the promise of life in a world of death, a down payment of blessedness that would bring joy to the nations. The Lord confirmed His covenant with their son Isaac, and then with Jacob, and then with Jacob’s sons. Although Israel was often just as wayward as Sodom, nevertheless the Lord preserved a remnant, and through that remnant He kept alive His promises, and through that remnant He brought forth His Son, and through His Son He began to reclaim the world. The serpent-crushing, death-defeating, sin-atoning Lord Jesus Christ declared to His disciples:

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47)

And so, the word of Christ has gone forth and, like good seed, has taken root in many places in this sin-sick world. If you think that the United States or Canada or Russia or China deserves to be swept away, you would be right. But now is evidently not the time for that, because there are not ten righteous persons here, there are not twenty righteous persons here, there are not thirty or forty or fifty righteous persons here. On the contrary, there are millions of Americans who have sworn allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are tens of millions of Chinese who have pledged fidelity to God’s beloved Son.

In terms of percentage of total population, we are in the minority. But this significant minority is precious in God’s sight, and our God is willing for the sake of His small remnant to spare entire cities and nations for the time being and to delay His justice, so that we can continue to declare the wonders of God’s grace, so that we can continue to demonstrate the excellence of righteousness, so that we can continue to embody the beauty of steadfast and sacrificial love. We warn of the judgment that will inevitably come, but we give this warning under the sunlight of God’s merciful providence that treats the world far better than it deserves to be treated, and God extends this merciful providence for the sake of His beloved Son, and for the sake of His Son’s bride, and for the sake of anyone who will eventually call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. 

“[The] Judge of all the earth” always does what is just. Sodom and Gomorrah are going down. Lot will be rescued. And mercy will go forth to bless all the nations through Abraham’s seed. Praise be to the God of Abraham!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Assohoto, Barnabe and Samuel Ngewa, “Genesis.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Zondervan Edition (first edition published in 2006).

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Book of Genesis (Ariel’s Bible Commentary). Fourth Edition. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2020.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.