Genesis 18:22-33 And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.… No scene in English history is more familiar to us from our childhood than that of Queen Philippa kneeling at the feet of Edward III. to plead for the lives of the six burgesses of Calais, who had brought the keys of the city to the conqueror, barefooted and with halters round their necks, ready, by their own deaths, to save the town from the sword. It is chiefly by contrast that this scene illustrates the wonderful narrative now before us; but there is one point of resemblance upon which I wish to lay stress. We may well contrast the cruel ferocity of King Edward, as he cries, "Call the headsman! Cut off their heads!" — sending to death venerable citizens whose only fault was that they had too bravely defended their hearths and homes — with the mingled justice and mercy of God, devoting to well-merited destruction the foulest city on earth, and yet first going down to see (ver. 21), and even willing to spare it if ten good men could be found there. We may contrast Queen Philippa's petition that six willing martyrs might be spared, with Abraham's petition that fifty — nay, ten — righteous lives might avail to save thousands of the ungodly. But the point of resemblance is this — that the queen's intercession was accepted because she was the queen, and was dear to her fierce husband, and that Abraham's was accepted because he was in a peculiar sense the friend of God. The petitioner in each case had access to the throne, and could draw near to Him that sat on it. (E. Stock.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.WEB: The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh. |
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