#49 Intercession Genesis 18

Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He  has spoken to him." And the Lord said, "because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know." Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?" So the Lord said, "if I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes." Then Abraham answered and said, "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 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 forty-five, I will not destroy it." 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." Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there." 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." 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." So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. Genesis 18:16-33 NKJV

The men from the previous passage are not just here to see Abraham and Sarah; they are also on a mission. When they were done with their meal and discussions, two of the visitors leave and Abraham stays standing before the Lord, Who has disclosed His intent to investigate the outcry against Sodom. This disclosure is not necessary for God to carry out justice, but rather to develop Abraham in the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice. 

The disclosure is immediately followed with intercession from Abraham to God on behalf of the Sodomites. Abraham starts with the number 50, 50 righteous men, but in humility and probably with the realization and knowledge of Sodom's sin, he pleads 5 more times for more mercy. The final number is ten, and God will not destroy the city if he finds this remnant of believers here. Abraham's Nephew, Lot, lives here with his family, and it is possible that Abraham thought ten to be a sufficient number between Lot, his daughters, his wife, sons in law and extended family. Surely, in all the city, God would find 10 who still believed, 10 who still feared God. I think we should all pray for those who are lost in their sin. God's word is clear that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; it is also clear that righteousness was accounted to men by faith, and not of themselves.  If we are not praying for the lost, if we are instead standing in judgment of that which has already been judged, then we are not humble before God. If we are not praying for them, then we are saying there is no hope for them.