Genesis 18:20-32 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 18:20-32 on biblegateway.com
Verse 20Then the Lord said, "How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! Verse 21I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know." Verse 22So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
Verse 23Then Abraham came near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Verse 24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Verse 25Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" Verse 26And the Lord said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake." Verse 27Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Verse 28Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." Verse 29Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." Verse 30Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." Verse 31He said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." Verse 32Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."
Devotion
In today’s verses, God confronts the outcries of Sodom and Gomorrah as Abraham negotiates on behalf of the righteous. The next chapter details how angels were met with acts of attempted rape, and the city is destroyed. These passages remind me how violence against another angers our loving God. It tears at the fabric of community, and places us outside right relationship with one another.
Our God is relational. Violence not only violates the image of being made in God’s likeness, but it disrupts the sacred bond God desires between us. As a retired Police Officer, I am grateful that scripture does not dismiss the graveness of sexual violence. In the tension between God’s protection of those vulnerable to violence and Abraham’s plea for the preservation of life, I find reassurance in God’s promise of abundant life. God does not hope for us to simply live. We are created for good relational life with one another.
Prayer
God of Relationship, thank you for scripture that speaks truth and guidance into the harsh realities of sexual violence. May it grieve us as it grieves you, so that we may confront and respond to its harm. Amen.
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