God is Holy and believers are called to be intercessors

God is Holy and will Judge sin (Gen 18:20)

Explanation: The LORD and the 2 angels make ready to leave Abraham’s tents at the Oaks of Mamre and depart for Sodom. God is setting out to bring judgment upon the grievous wickedness of Sodom and He chooses to reveal His mission to Abraham.

Illustrate: events do NOT just happen - there is a cause

Argument: God chooses to reveal His actions before they take place so that we will know they aren’t just random. Amos 3:7

Consider all the warnings in the OT and the NT re: the Day of the LORD. There is coming a time at which God will enter final judgment with the world. He has repeatedly revealed this truth. He is Holy and just and will not bear with mankind’s rebellion forever.

Application: God told Abraham prior to His action so that he (Abraham) would instruct his children / descendants about the ways of God. We are called to the same task of transmitting knowledge about the Holiness of God to the next generation. Ideas have consequences - we CAN give the good and godly ideas to our children!

The Transcendent Creator God if the Universe is involved in His creation (Gen 18:21a)

Explanation: It is very interesting to notice that God is personally involved in HIs created world. The God of the Bible is transcendent - He is the Only Eternal Being and He exists prior to, and outside of His creation. He is Spirit (John 4:24) and He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). Yet our God is also imminent - He is near to those on the earth and He is personally involved in the business of humanity. God chose to take on a temporary form to converse face to face with Abraham and He tells Abraham, “I will go down now” to Sodom.

Argument: This is the language of accommodation for Abraham’s benefit. The LORD God of Eternity did not need to physically descend to the earth in order to ‘discover’ if the reports about the wickedness of Sodom were really bad

Example: When the US becomes aware that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, we have to send a fact finding team to the country to investigate. The purpose of the team is to gather evidence to build a case one way or another.

God, however, knows everything! (Ps 139:4; Prov 15:3; 1 John 3:20;) The Scripture often uses language that helps us to understand His purposes and His ways, but is not meant to be literally understood (cf. Gen 11:7)

The point is that God has not wandered off into the far reaches of the Cosmos. He is intimately aware of what takes place on earth and He is involved in the lives of humanity. This truth of God’s imminence is most clearly seen in the Incarnation.

Believers have the privilege of intercessory prayer (Gen 18:23-24)

Example: Abraham’s behavior is instructive. When he learns that God is fixin to destroy Sodom for its wickedness, he intercedes on behalf of the city. Abraham literally takes his stand before God and pleads for those he does not personally know. Abraham begins his intercession by asking that destruction be averted if 50 righteous are found in the city. Note that Abraham did not ever mention his nephew Lot and his family.

God hears Abraham’s plea and agrees with it. God declares that He will NOT destroy Sodom IF the 50 righteous are found. Abraham is emboldened by success and starts lowering his number [Evidently Abraham knows something about Sodom and he considers 50 righteous in the city too high for a reasonable chance]

Argument: The process of Abraham’s ‘bargaining’ with God is not to be seen as a Abraham in the role of the ‘good’ guy trying to soften up a ‘cranky and mean-spirited’ God. Not at all. This account reveals the graciousness of God in His holiness. God shows Abraham the extent of the wickedness contrasted with how far He is willing to go prior to bringing destruction. God is seen as being long-suffering and patient.

Application: We are called to pray and intercede for others. (Dt 9:18-19; 1 Sam 7:5-9; Luke 18:1; phil 2:4) We do not know the outcome for anyone, so we should be steadfast in praying for the salvation of individuals.

Our intercession is to be based on the moral character of God (Genesis 18:25)

Explanation: The basis for Abraham’s intercession for the people of Sodom is the character of God. Abraham did not have exhaustive knowledge of God (no one does), but he had learned that God was both gracious and just. Abraham makes his appeal to God’s justice when he affirms that God is too holy & just to fail to make a distinction between the wicked and the righteous. Abraham knows that God will not treat these two groups in the same identical manner, therefore he asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” A rhetorical question that assumes that yes, indeed, God will do that which is just and righteous.

Argument: Abraham is also acknowledging God’s authority in his prayer (the Judge of ALL the earth) and he is asking graciously, not making demands. We are called to intercede and pray for others, but we must remember that our prayers are ultimately under the fullness of God’s will. Jesus taught the disciples to pray: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10)

Application: We CAN pray for others who are outside of Christ. We CAN ask God to bring the prodigals home, we CAN ask God to deliver those who are blinded to His goodness, and we CAN pray for those who are currently under His judgment. We are called to share the Gospel with ALL and pray for ALL, while leaving the results to the Righteous Judge of all the earth.

There IS a point of no return with rebellion against God (Genesis 19:13)

Explanation: Abraham intercedes with God to the point of God agreeing to divert judgment on the entire city if only 10 righteous persons are in the city. This is no explicit mention of Sodom’s population in the Bible and no historical records either. An simple ‘guestimate’ of a population of 5,000 people will serve as the basis for a percentage - .002% of the population.

God already knew that Sodom did not have 10 righteous citizens. The LORD was fully aware that Sodom had exceeded the ‘tipping point’ for judgment.

Argument: God destroyed the earth through the judgment of the Flood and only 8 people were delivered. God brought judgment on the nation of Israel through the Assyrians in 722 B.C. God brought judgment on Judah in 586 B.C through the Babylonians, and He allowed the 2nd temple to be destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. There is a point when God says, “enough is enough” and He brings judgment. When that point is reached, there is no going back and it is too late for escape.

Conclusion: God is Holy and when levels of human rebellion and wickedness rise to His understanding of fullness, He WILL judge a nation or a people group.

We need to heed the chilling words that God delivered to Jeremiah when Judah had reached the tipping point of sin. God told His prophet, “pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” (Jeremiah 7:16)