“I trust you to do the right thing.” A boss may say this to his assistant when he turns over control of the company, either temporarily or permanently. A father may say that to his young adult child as they set off to begin life on their own. Do the right thing. As we face the day each morning we hope that whoever we encounter through the day will be practicing that, but all too often we don’t see this in the world today. We find that too often we can’t trust our fellow man to be doing the right thing. Even in our courts of law, and in our churches, there are times that those we believed and trusted to do the right thing just don’t. There is One who we can rely on to do the right thing, and in today’s Old Testament reading for this week, from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, we read of His conversation with Abraham, as the Patriarch sought that the right thing be done.
Last week we read of when God visited Abraham, and renewed His promise to him that he would have a son. Then the Lord left to see if the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were as wicked as He knew them to be, and Abraham accompanied Him part of the way. The Lord shared with Abraham that He planned on destroying the two cities (vs. 20-21). The sin of those cities had reached the point of no return before God. Their sin was so great that the Lord had to destroy them before they contaminated all of that area. If we don’t throw out the one bad apple in the bag, very soon the whole bag has gone bad. One reprobate in a group can very quickly have the whole group following his bad thinking and behavior. If God didn’t remove the sin, the whole area would fall into their sin.
Abraham knew, though, that his nephew Lot and his family had chosen to live in that cesspool, and he sought to rescue him from the coming destruction. So Abraham pleaded with God for the lives of those who might not be sinful like he knew the city to be. He knew that Lot had lived there for many years. Surely in all that time he might have led some people to salvation in the Lord! (As we know, though, in all that time he never brought one person to the Lord! He and his family’s own behavior and morality began to stink from contamination!)
Would God destroy the cities if there were some people there who were not wicked like the rest of them were? Abraham knew that Yahweh would do the right thing. He even, when pleading for the lives of the righteous, told Him, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (vs. 25). Abraham knew of God’s mercy towards the righteous, and the distinction between the good and the bad. He also understood God’s character, being able only to do what is good and totally above reproach.
Abraham interceded for their lives, saying if there were fifty, would not God spare the city? God assured him that He would not destroy the cities if there were fifty (vs. 25-26). Abraham’s heart was burdened, and he interceded again for the city. What if there are only forty-five? God promises again that He would not destroy them (vs. 28). What about forty? Thirty? Twenty? Abraham continued to intercede for any righteous who may live there (vs. 29-31). The Lord God, the Judge of all the earth, must do right! When Abraham reached the number of ten, the Lord agreed that He would not destroy the city if He found even just ten people who believed and put their trust in Him (vs. 32). Abraham was not trying to be manipulative, but instead was humble and compassionately concerned for others. He was interceding, not only for his nephew, but also for anyone else whose heart was turned to the Lord.
We know as we read further in the Book of Genesis, God could not even find ten righteous or saved people in Sodom and Gomorrah, so the cities were destroyed. He did not let Lot perish, though, but He rescued him and his family (Genesis 19:1-29). But for the cities and their residents nothing more could be done. Judgment was inevitable.
God is just and He punishes sin. He is also kind and fair. We can be assured that God will always do exactly what is right. He will never make a mistake or suffer a lapse in judgment. Abraham asked the rhetorical question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The answer, as we know it to be, is always yes!
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