Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! As I type this, my three-year-old son is watching YouTube on my third computer screen. He's currently leaning on my arm, and while it's not the most convenient way to work, it is my favorite.
But I digress.
This Father's Day, I want to talk about our collective Heavenly Father. It's an interesting fact someone brought up the other day that I've been trying to wrap my head around fully, and the only way I can truly understand His action is by trying to see it through my own life experiences.
The story I want to focus on is Genesis 18:16-32, or as many of you know it, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
For those who don't know the context, Sodom and Gomorrah were home to some of the worst people humanity had to offer. Ezekiel 16:49-50 later noted the people of Sodom were "arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me."
What those detestable things were isn't fully listed out, but during the story in Genesis, we get a strong indication of some of what went on, as you'll see.
God is visiting Abraham with "two men," who are what we call angels. They're clearly there on a mission to destroy the city, and as they're overlooking it, God wonders if he should hide what he's about to do to Abraham and says something very interesting.
"Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him."
None of you should be surprised by this, but God already knew the plan He was going to enact to save everyone. He was going to establish Abraham's line, which would eventually give birth to Jesus, who would be sacrificed for us, and then we'd all be saved.
An incredible reveal. One that we got a hint of during the proto-evangelion, but this line shows us the path He's going to take.
ALSO SEE: Real Men, Real Impact: The Essential Role of Fathers in Society
Let's Bring Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving (and the Bible) Back
The two men go into the city, and as they do, Abraham asks God if he's going to destroy the righteous along with the wicked. He effectively tries to reason with God about punishing the good along with the bad, and asks if he will spare the city for the sake of 50 righteous people.
And it's here that something interesting happens. Abraham starts at fifty, but then continues to lower the number, going from 45 to 40, then subtracting ten with each number until he reaches ten.
But no matter what number Abraham throws out, God agrees. He never denies Abraham the opportunity to spare an entire city of wicked people if there were only a handful in there. He allows the number to reduce until it's almost a silly proportion of good compared to an entire city of evil. God was ready to spare it for the sake of a minute number of righteous people.
The implications here are many. A small group of people who keep to God's word and worship Him is capable of spreading the mercy they accept to those who never gave it a second thought. For God so loved the world. We are His children, and it's clear He doesn't want us to come to harm.
What's sad is that God wanted to have mercy on the city, but He couldn't. As the story goes on, you see that the people, young and old, were willing to gangrape the two men. Lot, Abraham's nephew, even offered up his own daughters to stop the people from dooming themselves by assaulting the two angels, but the people of Sodom chose damnation. Lot was led out of the city with what family would follow him, and God destroyed the city.
A father does what he has to, and it's not often something he wants to do, but it is his duty to keep order, peace, and prosperity. It's one of the hardest things about being a father. I don't like having to punish my son, but what father would I be if I didn't?
But no matter how merciful I think I am, or how merciful you've ever been, you have nothing on God. Not only was He willing to spare an entire city of bad guys for the sake of a handful of good people, but He sent His only son to die for that very wickedness.
