What if there are a few good people there?

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 18.

Luke Skywalker insists that there is still some good in his father, Darth Vader. Luke is determined to rescue him from the dark side. The joyful people of Whoville change the heart of the Grinch with their Christmas day song. Gru turns out to be a pretty good dad in Despicable Me. Ebenezer Scrooge can change his ways with the help of a few Christmas spirits in A Christmas Carol.

Knowing that judgment is coming, Abraham asks the Lord, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Genesis 18:23) He puts in a plug for what is arguably the wickedest city that ever existed. What if there are some good people there? Why should they have to suffer? Maybe it’s not as bad there as everyone says.

A former corrections officer told me that most prisoners he talked to thought of themselves as good people. They were in prison because of a bad choice, they hung out with the wrong people, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other than the crime they were convicted of, they believed themselves to be decent people.

I think it’s interesting how reluctant we are to accept God’s diagnosis of our condition. Paul collects a few Old Testament references when he write to Christians in Rome and reminds them that no one is righteous, no one seeks God, and no one is good. (Romans 3:10-12). I’ve never heard a eulogy expounding on how bad someone was. Rather, the deceased is characterized as nice, generous, unselfish, kind, and loving. I’ve sometimes wondered if I was at the right funeral, since the description didn’t sound at all like the person I knew!

I’ve got to hand it to Abraham. He’s always open and honest with God. He’s not afraid to challenge the Almighty’s motives and actions.

God humors Abraham. “If you can find some righteous people there, I’ll spare the city.” Fifty? Sure. How about 40? Okay. By the time Abraham works his way down to ten, he gets it. This isn’t a movie. There’s not going to be a happy ending.