# 157 Bartering With God

The Book of Genesis Day 157 Ge 18:24 "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 So the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes." 27 Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?" So He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it." 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" So He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty." 30 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 And he said, "Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?" So He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty." 32 Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten." 33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. Abraham has taken the position of intercessor. He is standing between the Lord and the problem, and then draws near to Him to probe the heart of God. “Father in heaven, would You spare these cities from destruction if you found just 50 believers in the population?” “To do so, Lord, would be out of character for the perfect judge of the earth!’ Shouldn’t you be differentiating between the wicked and the righteous? I mean, what will people think? What’s the point of being righteous?” Honest question! And as we note acts of terror, plane crashes, natural disasters, diseases, and the like, we may find ourselves wondering the same thing! But Jesus reminds us of the proper response to tragedy in Lu 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." What God was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah was a timeless reminder of this fact: “Unless you re pent you will all likewise perish!” Why are some spared catastrophe in their lives and others not? Quite frankly, it’s none of our business. God says in Ro 9:15, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." And in De 32:39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. You see, God doesn’t have to explain His actions to us. He is the Potter, we are the clay, but that doesn’t mean that He won’t listen to our pleadings. I believe Abraham sensed this truth as he exclaims, “Who am I to speak to the Lord,” who am I to tell God how to judge? “ Then Abraham started the bartering process and kept at it until he had peace. Surely there would be ten believers in the city! Why Lot, his wife, their two daughters and their husbands accounted for six! All that was needed was four more! Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah! He interceded for his nephew Lot, but in the end, as it is for all prayer, he wanted peace. So I encourage you to tarry with the Lord when you pray! Wait for His peace in whatever you are facing. For He is ever anxious to give it to you….not necessarily as the world gives peace, but rather His peace that passes all understanding. Jesus said in Joh 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Pray: Father, we have so much angst and stress in our lives, and the devil is more than happy to steal our peace. Help us to learn to tarry with You in prayer, waiting for Your perfect peace in whatever situation we may face.