Thank you for the biblical question, “What did Abraham mean by “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” in (Genesis 18:25)? Was he calling God’s judgment into question?”
As one reads Genesis 18, God tests Abraham to reflect his character: is he a self-center man or an other-center man? It is not that God does not know Abraham’s character, but does Abraham knows himself.
- God has already indicated that Abraham will bless all nations (vs. 18). That Abarahamic Covernant/promise is made in Gen. 12:1–3. The question is how will he bless all nations and in particular Sodom and Gomorrah. Will he allow them to perish or will he intercede for them?
- God has appointed him to direct his children/descendants in the ways of the LOrD God (vs. 19). Abraham was to direct his children and descendants to do what is just and right. Abraham can be just and right but will he demonstrate mercy and grace.
- God reveals his plan to visit Sodom and Gomorrah for he heard the outcry against those two cities (vs. 20–21.) God does not say that he will go down to destroy those cities, but to see if that is true. Abraham already knows that it is true. The reputation of Sodom and Gomorrah preceded them. It is not that Sodom and Gomorrah were righteous cities at all.
- Abraham knows that God will be just and righteous in sweeping away the evil, but what if there are some righteous people in that city like his nephew Lot or others (vs. 23). It is almost inconceivable in such a city that there would be less than 50 righteous people in those cities. Certainly there would be some. So Abraham intercedes with God to finding 10 righteous people that he will spare those two cities.
- Abraham knows that God is just. Abraham appeals to the justice of God that the righteous should not be swept away with the wicked people. That certainly would be unfair without giving the righteous an opportunity to escape. (vs. 25). Thus Abraham appeals to God based on the righteousness of God to spare the cities for the sake of the 10 righteous people. God agrees with Abraham and will spare that city if 10 righteous people were to be found.
Sadly, the angelic beings didn’t find ten righteous people, and yet God show mercy and compassion to those who were blameless. God spare Lot and his daughters but regrettably his future sons in law didn’t take him seriously.
God gave time for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to reflect on their behavior and even when Lot offered his daughters, they were not satisfied with that and wanted to abuse him as well.
SUMMARY: Abraham was appealing to God to spare the cities based on finding 10 righteous people in those cities. God didn’t find ten righteous people but he spared those who were righteous.
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