Abraham’s Bargaining with God: A Reflection on Divine Mercy and Justice
The LORD reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, now that he is to become a great and populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him? ~Gen 18:17-18
Today, we read about Abraham’s bargaining with God for Sodom’s salvation. A few chapters later, we learn that while a deal was made, Sodom isn’t saved because only one “just” man available: Lot.
Some questions come to mind as I envision this scene:
- Why would God, creator of the universe, be wondering to hide from Abraham what’s going to happen to Sodom?
- Why does God even “need to come down to check the situation”?
- Who dares to bargain with the Lord?
- Is there a meaning to the numbers used in the story?
I perceive the beginning of the story as if God didn’t want to be influenced by Abraham. Nevertheless, the conversation happens and a deal was made: “…For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.” ~Gen 18:32)
For some reason, this interaction reminds me of Mary’s intercession at the wedding of Cana. Jesus appears to not want to begin his mission, but Mary gives him a little nudge.
I digress.
As then conversation continues, we see Abraham humbly bargain with the Lord six times. The bolder the request, the more humble the demeanor. How often do we demand that God answer our prayers and do what we want?
As the conversation continues, Abraham stops bargaining at 10 just people. It was the ancient culture to consider 10 people to be the minimum number to be considered a community. Hence, what Abraham aimed for was to save the entire community by asking for the bare minimum.
The fewer the righteous required, the greater the mercy God is willing to show.
We are talking about an entire town being wiped from the face of the earth getting saved by 10 just people. Would I pardon an entire city for the sake of just 10 people? Given that I often find myself judging an entire population by the acts of one foolish person, I don’t think I’d score well on this question.
Lastly, note that God never got to Sodom because he leaves after his chat with Abraham. Aside from God not needing to check things out “in person”, it’s almost as if He was preparing Abraham for the years to come. The conversation allowed Abraham to gain confidence to ask from God for the good of the people while also revealing to him the amount of mercy God is willing to grant.
it is comforting to know that we believe in a merciful God that’s willing to attend to our supplications for the good of others.
Take a few minutes to ponder God’s mercy in your life.
In peace,
~Juan
