From Background Notes [BN] for February 4th/5th written by Pastor Bob Brown:
He is considered the “father of faith” to the three great monotheistic religions. His story begins with a call and unfolds as a series of tests, proving and strengthening his trust in Yahweh, his covenant partner.
Upon his arrival in Canaan, Abraham faces a significant challenge to his faith when God discloses His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family live in Sodom, and the threatened judgment calls into question the extent of the covenant for Abraham’s relatives. Unwilling to allow this blanket indiscriminate judgment to take the lives of Lot’s household, Abraham engages in what we can only refer to as a prayer of intercession in Genesis 18:16-33. What Abraham does is horse-trade the future of Lot through a series of proposals to God. He sounds like a tribal chieftain engaged in a merchant’s bargaining process, trying to get the best price for his goods. Only in this case (and it is a case) the matter on the table is the life of Lot’s family. Central to Abraham’s intercession is a strong affirmation about God that begins in 18:23a, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” It’s a rhetorical question that has the implied response, “Of course not!” Still, Abraham proceeds to narrow down the acceptable terms for a settlement of his dispute, starting with “What if there are fifty righteous persons….?” (18:23b) and ending with “ten” (18:32). All throughout this process, Abraham is interceding on behalf of Lot, seeking favorable terms from Yahweh that will spare the life of his own kinfolk. He is unwilling to allow an unfair sentence sweep away persons who are “righteous,” even though their choice of a neighborhood might be dubious. That God is Himself righteous also lies at the very center of Abraham’s intercession as seen in this highly significant query:
“Will not Judge of all the earth do right?” (18:25) [BN,1-2]
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