Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” (Genesis 18:32)

Not Even Ten Righteous

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a divine judgment upon cities that were so wicked that their character and nature demanded the immediate wrath of God. Abraham was dwelling by the terebinth trees of Mamre when three men approached the man of God. He ran to the door of his tent and greeted them, prepared a meal for the strangers, and stood as they ate. The men asked where Sarah was telling the patriarch the promise made by the Lord to have a son would come to pass, even though she was past the age of childbearing. Then, the men rose and looked toward Sodom with a purposed plan that had yet to be revealed to Abraham.

It was not the purpose of the Lord to hide from Abraham what He planned for Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord told Abraham the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was great, and their sin was very grave. He did not want to hide from Abraham what He planned on doing. As the men turned away and began to walk toward Sodom, Abraham stood before the Lord, knowing what the will of God was for the city where his nephew, Lot, had taken his family.

Abraham asked the Lord a series of questions about the justice and righteousness of divine will. Seeking the redemption of the cities, if fifty, forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten righteous souls were found, would God destroy the cities? God assured Abraham that if fifty souls were found, He would spare them. The Lord would not destroy the cities if forty-five were found. Finally, when Abraham appealed for ten righteous souls to be found in the city, God promised He would spare them. The next day, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed when He rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah out of the heavens. He utterly destroyed the cities, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. The Lord could not find ten righteous souls.

There were many people in the cities and surrounding communities. The Bible does not suggest the number, but there were not ten people in all the population that could justify God relenting from what He purposed. Lot, his wife, and two daughters escaped by the grace of God. Lot’s wife disobeyed the voice of the Lord and was killed when she turned around to see the destruction. The two daughters of Lot committed incest with their father and bore sons from him. Four people escaped Sodom and Gomorrah, and three souls lost their trust in God.

Peter wrote about Lot and how he stood for righteousness in the midst of evil. It grieved his heart to see such wickedness as found in those cities. Lot’s heart was vexed every day with the immorality that permeated the fabric of society. The best thing for Lot was to leave the city, but he chose to stay at the cost of his family. God promised to spare the cities if ten righteous souls were saved. The Lord could not find ten righteous souls. Abraham watched the scene of the destruction, and it must have grieved his heart to see the conflagration of fire and brimstone wiping out the cities, knowing God could find enough people to save them.

God destroyed everyone with the breath of life in the days of Noah, except eight souls. Sodom and Gomorrah were wiped off the face of the planet because ten righteous souls could not be found in their midst. How many righteous are in a world of eight billion? Only the Lord knows. No one knows when the Lord will return to destroy the world. His coming will be like a thief in the night with sudden destruction. Everything will be destroyed, and nothing will be left. All the souls living at the time will be swept up in the resurrection; some to life and some to death. Will there be ten righteous on that day? It might be well to look around and start counting. The day is drawing nearer.