Context No. 2424 of 4322 · Genesis
Context · Reflection
Genesis 18:29-33: in context
29He spoke to him yet again, and said, “What if there are forty found there?” He said, “I will not do it for the forty’s sake.” 30He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?” He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31He said, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.” 32He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.” 33The LORD went his way as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Abraham is standing before the LORD, pleading for Sodom, and this is the end of a remarkable negotiation. He has been talking God down, from fifty righteous people to forty, to thirty, to twenty, and now to ten. Each time he presses, he also apologizes for pressing, do not let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more, and each time God agrees: I will not destroy it for their sake.
What we see is intercession that is both bold and humble at once. Abraham does not presume, but he does not stop either; he keeps asking on behalf of a city not his own, a place notorious for its wickedness. And God does not rebuke the persistence; he honors it, answering yes at every step. The scene teaches that prayer for others can push further than we think polite, that God is not annoyed by a heart that keeps pleading for mercy on people who have not earned it.
Whom have I stopped praying for because it felt presumptuous, when God may be waiting for me to keep pleading?
Sources
- Genesis 18:32: What if ten are found there? He said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.
- Genesis 18:27: I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.
- Ezekiel 22:30: I sought for a man among them who would stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it.