Abraham said, “You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25)
Abraham is called a “friend of God” in Isaiah 41:8. This passage shows Abraham’s comfort in praying to God, who at this time appeared to him in human form (theophany). Abraham knows that God is both just and merciful. God shares that he plans to destroy Sodom because of the evil in the city. Abraham is concerned that God would compromise his mercy by destroying the righteous with the wicked.
This passage teaches us to consider God’s attributes in prayer. We, like Abraham, are concerned that justice and mercy are in conflict. However, in God’s economy, justice and mercy exist in perfect harmony.
This passage encourages us to approach God as a friend. I think it is quite embarrassing that Abraham started asking for mercy if there were 50 righteous, then reduced the number to 45, 40, 30, 20, and finally 10. However, Abraham showed persistence and God answered with both justice and mercy. In mercy, he removed four people (Lot, Lot’s wife, Lot’s two daughters). In justice, he destroyed the city, and Lot’s wife who turned back.
While not stated explicitly in this passage, it’s easy to assume that Abraham was most concerned with the welfare of his nephew, Lot. He didn’t want Lot to be destroyed with the wicked in Sodom. God’s solution was both just and merciful, and saved Lot from destruction. When we pray for loved ones who seem to be making bad choices, we often assume that God must choose between justice and mercy when dealing with them. This passage gives us confidence to pray for our loved ones, trusting that God knows all things, and will deal with every person using his perfect combination of mercy and justice.