God was about to deal with Sodom, whose evil had been ongoing for a long time (13:13). God had a clear plan, but he included his friend Abraham in this. Why? God had chosen Abraham to be a great nation through whom all the earth would be blessed. But it would require directing his children and household to keep the ways of the LORD. God saw the situation with Sodom – and Abraham’s nephew Lot – as a time of revealing Abraham’s mind and heart. How would Abraham respond?

Hearing about God’s plan to visit Sodom (20-21), Abraham took it upon himself to plead for the righteous people in Sodom – not on the basis of their righteousness or his influence with God, but on the basis of God’s good and just character (25). It was hard for Abraham, who feared God, to continue to press the number down to ten, but he did so, and each time God fully agreed with Abraham’s request, even to spare the city for the sake of ten. In this way, Abraham demonstrated “keeping the way of the LORD by doing what is just and right,” as a good shepherd for his nephew. Jesus tells us our days are just like the days of Lot (Lk 17:28). We learn from Abraham how to model the way of the LORD in our times through crying out in mercy for sinners Jesus came to save.
Application: Father, thank you for your great mercy on me and my family. In days like these, help me cry out in prayer for even one lost soul today.
One Word: Justice tempered with mercy