Genesis 18:16-33 “Abraham Intercedes for the Lost”

“Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?…Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:23-25 (NKJV)

God considered Abraham to be his friend, and He did not want to withhold from him what He was about to do. Friends are like that. God told Abraham that because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was great, He would go down to investigate. No doubt Abraham immediately thought about his nephew Lot who was living there with his wife and two daughters.

What would you do in this situation? I mean Lot had caused Abraham much grief. Abraham had already risked his own life and the lives of his servants to deliver Lot from the four kings of the east. Yet despite the risks, Lot continued to live in the wicked city of Sodom. But Abraham had a tremendous heart for his nephew. So he began to intercede–not only for Lot, but also for the entire city.

Abraham’s intercession was based on his knowledge of God’s character. In his mind it was unthinkable that God would slay the righteous with the wicked–to treat the righteous and the wicked alike. So Abraham began to negotiate with God. He wanted God to spare Sodom for the fewest number of righteous people living there. His exchange with the LORD is a study in the art of negotiation!

Do we intercede for others in prayer? Do we care about the lost? God is looking for intercessors to stand in the gap so that He will not bring judgment against sinners but rather salvation.

“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them.”
Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NKJV)

“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.”
Isaiah 59:16 (NKJV)

I am amazed and humbled by Abraham’s intercession not only for Lot and his family but also for the wicked city of Sodom.

May God fill our hearts with His love for the world and compassion for the lost. May we purpose in our hearts to stand in the gap for others who cannot or will not help themselves. This is the spirit of Christ who laid down His life to save us and who is even now interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25).