Why plead for the wicked?
Passage: Genesis 18.16_33
Since God the Judge has revealed his verdict on the wicked, those chosen to be righteous in Christ pleads importunely for them.
1. God’s inner thoughts: Should I hide my plan from Abraham?
2. Abraham’s importune plea: Will God be unjust?
3. Jesus: Ask, seek, knock for your enemies
One of the biggest movies last year was the movie ‘Wicked’.
Has anyone seen it?
It begins with a big musical piece.
I’ll say the lyrics but if you’re a theatre kid, resist singing it.
Good news, she's deadThe Witch of the West is deadThe wickedest witch there ever wasThe enemy of all of us here in OzIs deadGood news! Good news!
What an opening! It begins with the celebration of the death of the wicked witch of the West.
But as the song continues, the celebration become jarring.
Should they had really been celebrating the death of the wicked witch?
As Christians, we probably don’t get to meet many witches, but we do see and may even know some wicked people.
How should we act towards them? Should we celebrate when bad things happen to them?
Should we pray for bad things to happen to them?
How should we pray for the wicked, if at all?
Please open up your Bible with me to Genesis chapter 18 beginning from verse 16.
In today’s passage, we see a passage where Abraham seems to be pleading on behalf of the wicked city of Sodom.
We’ll see three things:
1. God’s inner thoughts: Should I hide my plan from Abraham?
2. Abraham’s importune plea: Will God be unjust?
3. Jesus: Ask, seek, knock for your enemies
But before we look into it, let’s pray, “Father, please soften our hard hearts as we hear from your word. Please don’t let the evil one take your word away, nor let the worries of the world strangle its work in us, nor let us be fearful of the hardship obeying your word brings, but let your word take root in our hearts. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.”
1. God’s inner thoughts: Should I hide my plan from Abraham?
Last Sunday, we read that Abraham was a good host.
In fact, he was the first man to ever host a meal for God, most probably without even realising that it was God himself until later.
Let that sink in: Abraham prepared for and ate a meal with God!
Sometime during the meal, God makes an amazing promise: Sarah, in her old age, will bear a son.
As we were reminded last week in Peter’s sermon, this is a wonderful reminder that God has made and will fulfil his promises, no matter how impossible it may seem.
After the meal, the men got up and looked over Sodom.
Abraham, the good host that he was, walked with them to see them off.
It’s here that we read something I find quite curious.
Look with me at verse 17, “Then the LORD said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?”
God is about to reveal his inner thoughts to Abraham.
In our daily lives, we guard our inner thoughts closely, much like using an Authenticator app to protect our sensitive information.
When I login to a new computer, or if I need to access something sensitive, I need the Authenticator app on my phone to verify that it’s me.
One of its functions is its ability to tell me how many unsuccessful attempts were made.
For the 24 hours leading up to the point where I was writing this sermon, there were 18 unsuccessful attempts from Vietnam, Brazil and Ecuador.
And there are probably humans and bots trying to hack into my account right now even as I speak.
We want to make sure our inboxes are kept safe because we’re afraid of what might happen if our inner secrets were exposed to those who want to harm us.
God has inner thoughts as well and he has every right to keep them private.
God doesn’t keep his inner thoughts private to keep himself safe for we cannot harm God at all.
God has absolutely no obligation to tell us anything about himself.
And yet, God reveals His thoughts to Abraham.
Why does God reveal His plans to Abraham?
It is because in God’s plan for the world, Abraham plays a crucial part.
God’s chosen Abraham to be the father of a great and mighty nation.
This choice is not due to Abraham’s goodness but due to God’s mercy and grace, his faithfulness and his love.
Look with me at verse 19, “For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. This is how the LORD will fulfil to Abraham what he promised him.”
Abraham’s role is to command his children and household in keeping the way of the Lord, by doing what’s right and just.
That is, God chose Abraham, promised that he and Sarah will have a son, through whom there will be many sons and daughters.
As these sons and daughters listen to Abraham’s instruction to follow the Lord’s way, the whole world will be blessed.
God has chosen Abraham and his household to be righteous.
God then tells his plan to Abraham, in verses 20-21, “Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. 21 I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”
The outcry against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great, that God had to come down and see them for himself.
When we think about Sodom and Gomorrah, we often think of sexual sins, and we’ll be looking into that next week.
However, the word ‘outcry’ is often used to describe the suffering of oppressed slaves.
Slaves throughout history both modern and ancient, cry out in anguish for being treated unfairly.
Their rights as human beings are often disregarded; they’re treated as things rather than human beings.
This is confirmed in Ezekiel 16:49, “Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy.”
The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah came from the cities themselves and it’s an outcry God cannot ignore.
Sodom and Gomorrah is guilty of sexual sins but they are just one of many.
Their sexual sins are under the bigger umbrella of the greater sin of pride, the love of comfort at the expense of others, and a lack of compassion.
And so, why does God tell Abraham about these plans?
God’s decision to reveal His plan to Abraham serves three purposes:
Firstly, they are lessons for Abraham’s descendants: Abraham’s descendants are to learn from the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, learning not to walk in their ways.
Second, God is showing Divine Compassion:
God could’ve easily and efficiently destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah without telling Abraham anything.
God knew exactly what the cities were up to and He was able to give them the judgement they deserved.
But God was mercifully not efficient with his judgement.
There was a Holy Delay in his judgement.
God delayed his judgement because he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Look with me at Ezekiel 18:23, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. “Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?”
Thirdly, God reveals his plan to Abraham to give him An Opportunity for Advocacy: Abraham is given a chance to do what’s right.
And the right thing to do was to plead with God for the sake of the righteous in these cities of wickedness.
Unlike God, who is the Perfect Judge, who knows everything and judges perfectly, we often rush to judgment based on rumours and gossips.
We might defend ourselves by saying, ‘it’s not gossip if it’s true!’
It is not loving to shame others, to spread gossip, or to celebrate the downfall of others, even if they are wicked.
Instead, learn from God’s holy delay, His patience, and His compassion do what is right.
God has revealed his inner thoughts, his plans, to us, not for us to celebrate the demise of the wicked but to invite us to do what is right.
What is the right thing to do?
In Abraham’s case, it’s to pray, to plead, on behalf of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. Abraham’s importune plea: Will God be unjust?
Look with me at verse 22, “The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the LORD.”
In Genesis 18:1, we saw that the LORD appeared to Abraham in the form of three men.
In verse 22, two men departed for Sodom, and one person was left who spoke with Abraham.
That person was identified as the LORD.
Does this mean that the LORD came with two angels to Abraham?
The Bible doesn’t say that; it only says that the LORD appeared to Abraham and Abraham saw three men.
The best way is to accept the words of Scripture as it’s written.
God is happy to keep this account of His appearance mysterious and I’m happy to accept what God’s word had recorded.
On this occasion, God’s chosen not to reveal to us exactly how he appeared to Abraham and it’s entirely within his power and sovereignty to do so.
We, like Abraham, can trust that God has shared with us exactly what we need to know.
When it was just Abraham and the Lord, Abraham initiates the conversation.
Look with me at verses 23 to 24, “Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it?”
Basically, Abraham was asking whether God will be just or whether there will be collateral damage to God’s judgement.
The word collateral refers to deaths and injuries that are a result of the fighting in a war but happen to people who are not in the military (Britannica)
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were bad. They deserve to be destroyed, but will there be collateral damage?
Will any righteous people suffer judgement that they didn’t deserve?
Abraham’s nephew Lot was in Sodom at the time.
Was he thinking specifically about Lot? It’s not likely that Abraham was just thinking about Lot.
He could’ve simply asked just for Lot and his family to be saved.
However, Abraham appeared to be thinking about the whole city.
The ancient cities weren’t big cities with millions of people like Sydney.
Some commentators said that it was possible for a place with 100 men to call themselves a city.
For argument’s sake, let’s say that Sodom had 100 people.
Abraham asked whether God would destroy a city if 50 of them, half of them, were righteous.
Abraham was so sure of God’s answer that he basically answered his own question in verse 25, “You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?”
And God said No, he won’t destroy the city but will spare the city if there were 50 righteous people there.
Abraham pushed a little more: How about 45 people? Would God destroy a city with 45 righteous people in them.
And God said No again.
Now if there were 100 people in the city, and there were 45 righteous people, how many wicked people are there?
55.
Don’t look at the notes; see if you can do some maths in your head.
Abraham asks: How about 40 righteous people and if there were 100, how many wicked people?
60
What if it’s 40/60? God says no, he won’t destroy.
How about 20/80? Nope.
And the last one, in verse 32, “Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose ten are found there?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of ten.”
That’s 10/90
What does this teach us about God?
This teaches us that God is perfectly righteous.
There will be no collateral damage when God judges Sodom and Gomorrah.
Each person who would be destroyed deserved it.
No wicked person would be spared; no righteous person would die.
What does this teach us about Abraham’s prayer?
True, intercessory prayers, that is the prayers that we pray for others, acknowledge God's character—His perfect justice.
Abraham’s prayer for Sodom is not one of asking for mercy upon the wicked but a plea for God’s justice to prevail.
God’s judgement will be severe and yet Abraham appeals not for God’s mercy but for God’s perfect justice.
Abraham repeatedly asks God to spare the city if righteous people are found within it.
His prayer is simply that God will not allow for collateral damage when he does judge Sodom.
What does this teach us about Sodom and Gomorrah?
The prayer and conversation Abraham had with God shows us the complete wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, highlighting that not even ten righteous people could be found.
If the whole city is destroyed, it’s only because the whole city was once full of wicked people.
It’s a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the seriousness of God's judgment.
This doesn’t mean everyone who died in a disaster was punished by God for their sins.
When wars destroy a city, it doesn’t mean God condemns everyone who lived and died there.
Jesus said those who died in the fallen town of Siloam weren’t greater sinners than the rest of those who also lived in Jerusalem (Luke 13:4,5).
However, in Sodom and Gomorrah’s case, their sin was so bad that God need to take direct action.
Abraham pleaded for the city, not for grace but for perfect justice.
He didn’t appeal to God’s mercy; he didn’t even ask God to save the wicked.
He only asked God not to destroy the righteous.
God responded six times in the affirmative to his prayer.
But that’s not how we usually pray for the wicked, isn’t it?
Firstly, we don’t usually pray for the wicked.
And in those rare incidences when we do pray for the wicked, we might pray for their demise or their removal.
Rarer still, we might pray for the wicked but appealing to God’s mercy and pray that the wicked will be saved.
But do we appeal to God’s perfect justice when we pray for the wicked?
To appeal for God’s perfect justice in his dealing with the wicked doesn’t necessarily mean that we like to see the wicked destroyed, only that God’s justice is done perfectly, with divine precision.
It’s a prayer that comes from a heart that understands God’s judgement against the wicked is serious.
But at the same time, it’s a heart that shares God’s concern for the righteous, that none should suffer God’s judgement unfairly.
Abraham’s job was to teach his children, his next generation, to do what’s right and just.
What’s right and just for Abraham to do in light of God revealing his plan to Abraham is to pray importunely for the people of the wicked city of Sodom.
The word ‘Importune’ is an old word.
It means persistence, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion.
It’s not that God was annoyed with Abraham, but that there seemed to be little point in Abraham keep asking God about being just.
Abraham could’ve just prayed, “God, please be careful and not kill any righteous person.”
And God could’ve replied, “Yes, I’ll be careful”.
That would be it!
But there’s something heartfelt and desperate when we come to God persistently, importunely, in prayer.
Abraham wanted to see God’s justice done well, so that not one righteous person would suffer.
There are some people who keep asking for something because they refuse to take no for an answer.
Abraham keeps asking God because he refuses to take yes for an answer.
As Christians, we know we should pray.
And we do, at church, at home, in prayer meetings, and in growth groups.
We pray for things like our health, exams, jobs, and families.
These are so common that when I ask someone for their prayer points, that’s often all I hear.
Some Christians pray for these things so often that I can guess exactly what they’re praying for, even using the exact words week after week.
And if everything’s going well, we say we don’t have any prayer points.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with praying for these things, but if that’s all we pray for, week after week, we risk praying generic prayers and not believing that our prayers would make a difference.
Now, let’s compare this to Abraham’s prayer for the wicked. He was specific in his prayers, even giving God numbers as he prayed.
He was like George Müeller, who instead of praying vague requests like “Father, please provide for our needs,” he prayed, “Father, we need 110 loaves of bread and 75 pairs of shoes—by tomorrow morning.”
Abraham’s prayers weren’t wishes; they were genuine prayers that showed trust in God.
He genuinely believed that God heard his prayers and that his prayers could make a difference.
Abraham prayed humbly, knowing he was just dust, but he was also dust who had dined with God himself.
He wasn’t praying and asking God as if he knew more than God or that he was better than God.
He simply prayed for God the Judge to act with justice, the very thing God is eager to do.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if our prayers were like that, appealing to God’s character and his plans?
‘God, you are the Judge of all the earth. Please, please act with justice and give the righteous and the unrighteous what they deserve.’
‘God, you are our Shepherd, please, please save my friend who’s gone astray.’
Wouldn’t these be prayers that God would want to answer because they align with who he is?
Next time when you pray, try something different.
Don’t just pray for your health, exams, job, or family.
Pray according to God’s character, his justice, his love, and his mercy.
Pray importune, persistent prayers for those who are living in wicked places, as we all are.
3. Jesus: Ask, seek, knock for your enemies
Abraham did the right thing by importunely asking God to judge fairly.
Jesus also told his followers pray to God.
Look with me at Matthew chapter 7:7-8, “ “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jesus tells us to ask, knock and seek because God will answer our prayers.
We have even a stronger reason than Abraham to trust that God will hear us.
Abraham prepared and had a meal with God, but Jesus himself prepared the Last Supper before he died on the cross.
That meal reminds us that God prepared for our relationship with him at the cost of his Son.
It’s a meal that we’re going to share soon after the sermon.
It’s a meal that reminds us that in Christ, we’re closer to God than Abraham ever was back in Genesis.
We have confidence to pray because of what Jesus has done.
There are many things that we can pray for.
But of all the things we can pray for, can I ask you to ask, seek, and knock for your enemies?
Look with me at the final passage, in Matthew chapter 5:46-48, “or if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Don’t just love those who love you back; love those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you.
Love them by praying for them.
Don’t love them with a sentimental love, but appeal to God’s justice for both them and you.
Pray that you will ask God to show you by his word where you might have gone wrong.
Pray that God will also show your enemies where they might have done wrong.
Pray that you won’t enjoy their troubles or demise.
Instead pray that you will rejoice when they trust in the Lord Jesus.
And pray for enemies that you don’t even know you have.
If someone is an enemy of Christ, they’re your enemies.
Do we go and attack them? No!
I don’t know where you were for the last hour, but if you think that our first response is to attack Christ’s enemies, you haven’t been listening nor have you understood the Bible.
What do you do? You pray for them.
And don’t just pray vaguely for them. Pray like you mean it.
Pray specifically, importunely.
As you heard over the past few weeks, I’m asking God to bring 500 families to serve and worship God with us in the next 10 years.
God’s already preparing our church to be a placed that can hold up to 500 people in about 20 months’ time.
In his providence, God’s started building a multi-million project next door to us and open up the potential for us to grow.
God really wants people around here to know the Lord Jesus through us.
What else do you want to do? Just ask him!
I know 500 families might seem like a lot, and it is impossible from man’s point of view.
But do you know what’s even bigger than 500?
80,000. That’s the number of families who live in our area.
Even if we take away the 4600 households who say they’re Christians (who might not come to church) that still leaves 75,400. Our field is huge!
Please pray for God’s justice to be done and that families around our area will turn from wickedness to righteousness as they come to Jesus Christ.
Start by writing the names down in your companion booklet and pray for them.
How should we pray for the wicked, if at all?
We need to intentionally pray for those who are wicked, especially those who are our enemies.
We need to appeal to God’s justice, and pray that they may be made righteous in Christ.
Friends, since God the Judge has revealed his verdict on the wicked, those chosen to be righteous in Christ pleads importunely for them.
How many people should we plead for God to save?
Or to put it another way, how many people are we comfortable with living around us who are not saved.
Take a look at this video:
It’s about what’s an acceptable number of deaths we are comfortable with on our roads.
What do you think would be a more acceptable number
70 maybe, probably 70
Can you send 70? Actually, this is what 70 people looks like.
That’s my family.
so now what do you think would be a more acceptable number
Zero, zero
Pray for God for a Kogarah that has zero as our goal.
Yes, zero road accidents, but even more importantly, zero souls lost.
One soul is lost to everlasting destruction is one soul too many.
Here are the three questions for this week:
1. Why does God seem to take his time before judging the wicked?
2. God is not happy when the wicked dies (Ezekiel 18:23), but do we take pleasure in the downfall and even death of the wicked?
3. Who are you praying importunely for? Write these names in your companion booklets at the back
Since God the Judge has revealed his verdict on the wicked, those chosen to be righteous in Christ pleads importunely for them.
Let’s pray, “Father, you are indeed the Judge of the world. You judge with perfect justice. Father, please forgive us for not having a heart like yours. Forgive us when we’re quick to judge and condemn when yours is quick to delay judgement and quick to forgive. Father, we pray for those who are Your Son’s enemies. There are many who are your enemies without realising it. They worship a false god, and they live lives that are wicked in your eyes. Father, please turn them to Christ, in whom alone is righteousness and salvation. May all who turn to Christ find refuge and safety in you. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.”