ABRAHAM AND SODOM & GOMORRAH. For me, the most important part of this story occurs prior to the cities destruction. God calls Abraham into His confidence. Now this is not a one-off occurrence. Many ancient faith-traditions relate stories of their gods or God bringing a human being into their confidence. God chooses to reveal His decision to destroy the cities (and kill all of their inhabitants). I love Abraham’s response; the faith and courage (heart) it took is, for me, beyond the pale. Abraham had always received God’s word without any hint of questioning. Now he pauses – his pause, for me, moves his action from being reactive to being response-able. Abraham now brings his voice. What if there are fifty innocent folk living among all of these sinners? The King of Kings and the Judge of Judges cannot be so unjust as to allow these innocents to be destroyed; the innocent and the guilty should not suffer the same fate.
The King of Kings and the Judge of Judges agrees; if there are fifty good people in Sodom He will do more than Abraham asks, He will not destroy Sodom. Abraham pushes back (I try to image Abraham standing there, sweating a bit, striving to find his voice once more): But certainly the Lord of Lords is not rigid. What if the number of good folks turns out to be smaller? Would the King of Kings and the Judge of Judges destroy the city because there were only forty-five good folks? The Lord of Lords does not hesitate; He will spare Sodom if there are only forty-five good folk. Abraham pushes again and again; he bargains God all the way down to ten. The ten will be spared but not the city and the sinners. Lot attempts to convince the good folks to leave and some of his own family decide to remain behind and are consumed in the fire. The others flee with Lot and his wife sneaks a peek and the rest, as they say, is history.
A number of things about Abraham’s story grab and hold my attention, warm my heart and give me hope. The first is Abraham’s concern, compassion and care for all of the innocents. The innocents of Sodom are nameless numbers (50, 45, 10) AND they are worth his risking a tough conversation with God. How great is that! Another is his determination, his resoluteness.
In his concern for the innocents he puts his own life on the line (remember the Judge of Judges is more than a bit ticked off). Abraham lives in a world where challenging kings often results in bad things happening to the challenger and Abraham challenges the King of Kings, not just once, not just twice, but – how many times? Abraham has the courage (heart), care, and compassion to remind God about the moral law that might trump the law of justice (there exists that powerful tension between ‘Mercy and Justice’ which many of us – as parents, for example – have had to embrace). It is clear that Abraham is afraid (smart guy). His plea is rooted in the knowledge that his God could extinguish him with but a glance: Here I venture to speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes! …Let not the Lord be angry if I go on. . . . [to be continued…]
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