Sodom and Gomorrah

For the next two days we read the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As we begin the reading we see the three mysterious visitors of Abraham preparing to continue their journey to Sodom. They subtly foreshadow the doctrine of Trinity: that God is One, and that God is Three Persons.

There is a delightful touch in today’s reading. As Abraham is seeing off his mysterious visitors, one of whom is identified as God himself with two angels as companions, God wonders to himself whether he should reveal to Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom. He knows how good and compassionate a man Abraham is, almost more kind and compassionate than God himself! But Abraham is now an important person in God’s plans.

Now, while the two angels continue on their journey, the third man, who is the Lord, tells Abraham he must go down to Sodom and Gomorrah to verify the reports reaching him of their terrible immorality.

Surely a God of justice will not wipe out the innocent with the guilty? Supposing there are as many as 50 good people in the city, will God destroy it? Abraham dares to tell God how he should behave! “Far be it for you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and guilty would be treated in the same way!” And then the punch line: “Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?” It would be unjust to condemn the innocent, however few in comparison with the many sinners.

God will, in fact, save Lot and his family. Abraham’s argument, then, is that since all will share the same fate he asks that even a minority of good people would be enough to win pardon for all. Even so, Abraham’s request does not go below the number 10. Beyond that would be too much to ask for. But later we read in Jeremiah (5:1) that God would pardon Jerusalem if only one just person could be found and the same is implied in Ezekiel (22:30). Then, in Isaiah 53, it is the suffering of the one Servant which will save the whole race but this was not understood until it was seen fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

God then agrees to spare the city, if he can find 50 good people in it. But, having got this concession, Abraham presses further, although he knows he is being very impertinent in speaking to his God like this. “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes.” But what if there are only 45 good people? No, the city would not be destroyed if 45 innocent people could be found. Abraham then continues his bargaining – 40? 30? 20? Even only 10? Each time God concedes and at the end replies: “For the sake of those 10 I will not destroy it.” With that, the Lord leaves Abraham and continues on his journey to Sodom, while Abraham returns to his home. However, on the following day, he will go back to the place where he spoke with the Lord and where he could look down on Sodom and Gomorrah in the valley below. Unfortunately, as we shall see, not even 10 good people could be found in the whole of Sodom.

Perhaps this would be a good time for us to reflect on the level of our own compassion with people who come into our lives. We may sometimes find ourselves doing the very opposite of Abraham, that is, condemning a whole group because of a small number of misbehaving people. We do need more of Abraham’s attitude of seeing as much good as possible in the world around us.