Genesis 18:32 (NIV) 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.”

Abraham was known as the friend of God. God so favored him that when He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because the people's sin had become so grievous, He told Abraham what He was about to do. Abraham, thinking of his nephew Lot who lived there with his family, felt close enough to God to plead his cause with Him. He started out by asking the Lord if He would still destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there were fifty righteous people living there. God told Him that He wouldn't destroy it if He found fifty righteous people. Abraham kept asking the question, each time reducing the number a little. He asked if the Lord would still destroy the city if He found forty-five, then forty, thirty, twenty, and finally, ten. Would the Lord still destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if He found ten righteous people there? God told Him, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." Unfortunately, there weren't even ten righteous people there and the city was ultimately destroyed.

But one has to stand back and wonder about the God that we serve. His mercy and compassion are beyond what we can understand. While the population of Sodom and Gomorrah is not known, archeologists believe that this was a heavy-populated area based on excavation finds. That means that there were many thousands of people living there and that just about all of them were involved in incredibly sinful behavior. Yet, if God were to have found just ten righteous people, He would not have destroyed it for the sake of the ten. That's how much He loves and cares for the people that He created in His own image. Just think about the level of sin and evil that it takes to extract God's judgement of destruction when His heart is to save and bless his creation.

This also brings to mind another thought: it is so crucial to live righteous and holy lives before the Lord not only for our own benefit, but for the benefit of those around us. When the Apostle Paul was a prisoner on a ship heading to Rome, the ship ran into a fierce hurricane that lasted for fourteen days. All seemed lost, except that the Lord had sent an angel to Paul to let him know that he would not die, and that the Lord was giving him everyone else's lives as well. There was a total of 276 people on that ship, including Paul, and the 275 others would be spared their lives because of one righteous one, Paul. Think about this for a moment:  if there had been just ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, it would not have been destroyed. Let's remember the mercy and grace of our God who would hold back merited judgement on thousands of people for the sake of ten righteous ones and ask God to help us to live righteous lives through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit so that salvation can come to many through the testimony of our lives. Judgement Day is coming soon. May the righteousness of the people of God stay His hand a little longer so that more lost souls can find their way into the Kingdom and be saved.

Pastor Joey Vazquez