The LORD reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
The LORD is training Abraham to have a heart like his heart. He wants Abraham to be merciful even as he himself is merciful. He puts Abraham in a situation where his prayers are the only thing between Sodom and Gomorrah and destruction. And Abraham understands that these are wicked places. They more or less deserve what they have coming. It is unclear why Lot ends up in such a place to begin with. Whatever the reason, the LORD has a higher purpose. He uses Lot to give Abraham stake is there. Abraham intercedes for the entire area because Lot's presence there means that there is more than the evil visible on the surface (which indeed runs deep).
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Although the LORD appears to be in a position of condemnation he only allows this to call forth mercy and repentance. If the cities are spared it will be out of mercy which pleads for them to have more time to repent. Slightly longer lives will be meaningless if they come to destruction in the end. But Lot lives there among them. There is a glimmer of hope in his presence. And the LORD wants Abraham to hold fast to this hope as he himself does.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
We prefer it if we eventually find out what "merciful enough"entails. Seven times seven? More? But there is no formula or fixed destination for us. The only way to truly know what mercy means is to go as far as God is willing to go. There is no rest anywhere else.
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
Who is to say if Abraham had decided to continue past ten righteous what the LORD would have done. Perhaps the cities would have been spared just for one. After all, strictly speaking, God saved us all for the sake of Jesus. Let us give our all to following him. His mercy is infinite, and so is his love.
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