“Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:20-32 NIV)
Like yesterday, we have a long passage of Scripture to start off our daily meditation. It is long, but legitimately necessary. I’ll try to be brief as possible to make sure I keep your attention. Abraham, a righteous man is boldly bargaining with God, almost like a union’s chief negotiator at contract negotiations or at an arbitration case. He is trying to change God’s mind, interceding on behalf of the people living in Sodom and Gomorrah. He does seem to change God’s mind as he goes from finding fifty righteous people to the small number of 10 righteous people. He changed the measurement or the standard by which God would use to determine if the two cities would be swept away or not. It seems that there is a small, but important lesson here. If there are a few righteous people around, they are given a chance to win over the unrighteous. Note that because we are among the few righteous today and we have a responsibility of helping save the unrighteous.
Let’s get back to the question, “Can God’s Mind Be Changed?” God changed the standard, but God’s mind was not changed in regard to hating sin and it was not changed from the principle expressed in Romans, “The wages of sin is death.” God’s mind was not changed in terms of how the Psalmist expressed it at the end of Psalm 1: “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” God’s mind was not changed in terms of how He looks at those who revel in sin and regularly practice unacceptable, unrighteous ways in an unlimited way.
You know the outcome of the story. Except for Lot and his family, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. God’s mind was not changed in terms of the action He was going to take, primarily because there were not enough changed minds in the two cities that warranted God holding back on His destruction of the two cities.
The lessons for us are threefold. (1) As believers, we might be saved, but since we don’t practice sin, and only have failings as other believers do once and awhile, we have to try our best to live righteous lives to avoid negative consequences in this life. (2) As those who have a special relationship with God, such as Abraham had, we must try to bring more people into the camp of the righteous that they may not experience eternal destruction. Work for their deliverance! Increase the number of the righteous. (3) In the place where your relatives live, even in the same city or the same house, lead them out of darkness into the marvelous light. Help them find safety by their faith in Christ Jesus and find their future lives in this world different, characterized by righteousness. Let the Lord use you! Be blessed!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King