Implications for Judgment

Scripture: He wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?” “For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.” Genesis 18:32

Observation: As God is leaving Abraham with his angels to determine the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham seeks mercy on the city (likely because he knows his nephew Lot lives there). He asks the Lord for mercy if he were to find any good men there, beginning with 50 but eventually ending with just 10 ... would God kill everyone if there are 10 good men there? The Lord replies he will not. We know that, in fact, 10 good men are not found.

One interpretation of this can be that no one is truly "good" and thus good men could not be found. However, despite his shortcomings, Lot was spared, and he certainly did not participate in the evil being perpetrated by the others in the city. It seems most clear that the Lord was using a generous definition of "good" - perhaps just those who believed in the existence of God, or even just those who didn't actively try to commit terrible sins - and 10 such men were not found. With the total population of these cities being in the 1,000-2,000 range, this means less than 1 percent were good.

Application: The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is confusing, especially when it comes to the definition of "good" and the implications of God's judgment on sinners. The implication is that there is a threshold - a good-to-bad ratio - God uses to judge societies. Another implication is that there is a singular definition of "good" that perhaps is tied to specific types of sin. These all feel wrong.

Instead, it seems the lesson of this section is that the Lord DOES judge, but also that his threshold for forgiveness is a low bar. If we are just trying to be a little good, the Lord will forgive and take other actions to correct and restore us. It is only in the presence of total sin-based rebellion that he judges decisively.

Prayer: Lord, I am not good. I know of my sins and my shortcomings. However, I do try to be good, and I am very, very thankful in forgiveness and salvation found in Jesus. Please forgive me of my sins, washing me clean through that faith in Jesus' blood. And may I be better every day. I ask that you not just correct my actions, but direct my thoughts. Amen.