Gen. 18:22-33 is one of the first recorded “prayers” in the Bible. However, it is not what we’d typically refer to as a “prayer.” It is really more of a dialogue between God (through angels) & Abraham. Nevertheless, Abraham is talking to God and is interceding, much like is done in many of the prayers in scripture. Abraham intercedes for his nephew Lot, but also for the rest of the people in Sodom.
At this point in the story, Abraham & Lot had parted ways, and Lot had “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Gen. 13:12, KJV). Eventually, Lot had moved all the way into the city of Sodom, which was full of men who were “wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD” (Gen. 13:13, NASB95). Nevertheless, the NT describes Lot as “righteous Lot” and says that he was “oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds)…” (2 Pet. 2:7-8, NASB95). Lot was trying to live righteously before the LORD, but the place he chose to live was full of wicked people. Seeing wickedness around him, constantly was a reality that oppressed and tormented him. So, in Genesis 18, God had decided to bring judgement on this wicked city. However, He would first show His justice by sending two angels to see the sin of the city, and he tells Abraham this, which opened the door for Abraham to intercede for the people.
Abraham could have just interceded for the righteous within the city. He could have just interceded for his nephew. Praying something like, “Go ahead and destroy the city, but first let the righteous escape, or at least let my nephew Lot be excluded from the judgement to come.” But, Abraham didn’t just pray on behalf of his family, or even just the righteous. Abraham goes through a series of “bargaining” for the lives of the entire city, if there would just be found 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, or 10 righteous people within the city. Abraham displayed a deep care and concern for his family, for the righteous within the wicked city, and even for the wicked people who had been oppressing and tormenting righteous Lot.
Do we care for others, like Abraham did? Judgement day is coming for the entire world. Do we care that many will be found guilty on that day and be condemned and judged for their sin? Do we care about our family, the righteous around the world, and even the wicked who are oppressing and tormenting the righteous? God does. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23; 33:11), and He desires for all people to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). Jesus prayed for those who were actively oppressing Him on the cross (Lk. 23:34). Do we care for, intercede for, and pray on behalf of the oppressed and for the wicked who are oppressing them?
Nevertheless, even though God was willing to hear Abraham’s request and promised to save the city if 10 righteous people were found, the city ended up not being rescued because there were not 10 righteous people remaining. Abraham boldly (yet humbly) interceded for the city of Sodom, but it didn’t work! “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty…” (Num. 14:18, NASB95). God wants the wicked to repent and then He is eager to forgive them, but God will not force the wicked to repent against their free will, and God will not forgive the unrepentant sinner. God’s justice demands that the wicked receive the judgement due to them. When we see people around us who are living in sin, we should care deeply for them and pray for them to repent and be forgiven. However, if they do not repent, then we cannot pray them into heaven against their will. As John puts it, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (1 Jn. 5:15-16, NASB95).
In the end, the wicked men of Sodom did not repent, and they received the judgement of God. However, God delivered Lot & his family. And “…if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah… and if he rescued righteous Lot… then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgement” (2 Pet. 2:6-9, NASB95). Lot was oppressed & tormented by the sin of the people who surrounded him, but God delivered Lot from the wicked by bringing destruction to the wicked. We should care deeply and pray for the oppressed AND for the oppressors, but if the oppressors refuse to repent, then God will deliver the oppressed through His righteous vengeance on the oppressors.