Chapter 25 – Old Testament Stories
Story No. 7 of 28 (Genesis 18:16-33)
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are thought to have been located at the southern end of the Dead Sea, now submerged. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lived in Sodom with his wife and two daughters. They were God-worshiping people, unlike other residents who had drifted towards sinful pleasures and vices.
When God told Abraham of his intentions to destroy Sodom because of the people’s wickedness, Abraham prayed and pleaded earnestly with him saying:
“Will you sweep away the Godly along with the wicked?
What if there are fifty Godly people in the city?
Will you really wipe it out and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty Godly people who are in it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the Godly with the wicked, treating the Godly and the wicked alike!
Far be it from you! Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:23-25)
As God mercifully agreed not to destroy the city if he found fifty good people, a compassionate Abraham tried again and again! He slowly reduced his number to forty-five, then thirty and finally ten. When God agreed to ten surely, Abraham must have thought, the city will now be saved!
But God could not find ten good people so, he sent two angels to forewarn Lot and his family and take them to the safety of the nearby town of Zoara. Then he rained down sulphur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. Only Lot and his two daughters were saved. Lot’s wife died when she “longingly” looked back against God’s command at the burning city of Sodom. (Genesis 19:26)
How compassionate am I? Do I search for “ten” small acts of kindness or react to the “nine-hundred and ninety” mistakes?
Lord Jesus, increase my awareness of the needy, help me to be a voice of reason for the victimized and use me as a voice of compassion for the outcasts. Amen.
Prayer: Bookmark of St Teresa of Avila
Let nothing disturb you,
nothing frighten you.
All things are passing,
God never changes.
attains all things.
Whom God possesses,
in nothing is wanting.
Alone God suffices.
|Music Suggestion: You Are My…|
Listen and reflect… pause and talk.
Human Rights Day
Everyone in our world should have equal rights. Do you agree? Yes!
Pray for those who are “walked upon and kicked into the gutter..” and there are many. It will happen again today, in probably every country across our world.
Read More: Jesus’ Life – See All 365 Stories
(Note: The story order represents an approximate timeline of events in Jesus’ ministry; Biblical Scholars views vary.)