Abraham

January 23

Genesis 18:31-33, 19:15-26

A city in flames

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had moved into the wicked city of Sodom.

God told Abraham that He was going to destroy the whole city. Abraham pleaded with God, saying, “Are you really going to destroy the innocent along with the guilty? If there are fifty innocent people, won’t you spare the city to save them?”

The Lord replied, “I will spare the city.”

Then Abraham continued speaking to the Lord. “What if there are forty-five? Or forty? Or thirty, twenty, or even ten? Would you destroy the city along with the rest?”

The Lord replied, “I will not destroy the city for the sake of ten good people.”

Can God’s people keep the world from becoming worse?

Did you know that long ago, when sailing ships went out to sea, sailors had no way to keep their food frozen? Instead, they used salt to keep their food from going bad.

Abraham knew that God is a just God. Because He is completely fair, He would not destroy a wicked city if there were good people living in it. So Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city if He could find just a few good people there—but there were not even ten.

Where there is goodness, there is life. If there had been goodness in Sodom, God would have spared the city. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. We help keep schools and cities from becoming rotten with sin, and God is holding back His judgment while He patiently gives people time to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

Verse for today

You are the salt of the earth… Matthew 5:13