For the Sake of Ten

So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:22-32 ESV). Some people think God was changing His mind as Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom. Actually, I believe God was allowing Abraham to learn something that God already knew. If I someone would have predicted forty years ago that today over half the marriages would end in divorce, do you think anyone would have believed them? In the 1920’s, if someone had described the AIDS virus, would they have understood? If in the 1950‘s, when television would still new for most people, someone had described the content of programming for prime time viewing we must sift through each evening, would they have believed it? Could Abraham have possibly imagined that there were not at least fifty people who were righteous in Sodom? He knew of God’s ways. He had left everything to follow God. He knew He was not a harsh God, but a loving God. So, after God declares His plan of destruction, and Abraham offers God the fifty people deal, and then God agrees to it so quickly, he must have realized that there must not be fifty righteous people; and so he begins to gradually lower the number. When Moses sent the twelve men out to search the Promise Land, only Caleb and Joshua came back ready to go into the land. That’s two out of twelve. That’s one in six. That’s about 17%. Folks, that’s not good, but that’s what God went with. What percent are you in today? Are you among the faithful few? Are you ready to go all the way with Jesus? You can. Turn and see him today!