Then the men set out from there, and they looked towards Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’ Then the Lord said, ‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.’

So the men turned from there, and went towards Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’ And the Lord said, ‘If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’ Abraham answered, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?’ And he said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.’ Again he spoke to him, ‘Suppose forty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of forty I will not do it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.’ He answered, ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Prayer is one of the cornerstones of Christianity. Through prayer, we bring our concerns and petitions to God. We give thanks and praise, and we also request God’s direction and sometimes God’s interaction in our lives. Prayer is many things and as anyone who hasn’t fully prepared for a test, exam or other anxiety-producing experience knows, prayer is striking a bargain with God.

“Dear God, just get me through this “meeting…exam…interview” and I promise…”

Perhaps this sounds familiar to you. Maybe you have done it once or twice in your life. I, for one, know I have resorted to this type of prayer. But the thing is, bargaining with God is actually a time honoured tradition.

After having just struck the covenant with God, Abraham begins to bargain with God to preserve the life of Lot and his family who lives in Sodom. Abraham knows that Sodom is a sinful place. But Abraham also knows that there are righteous people who live amongst the sinners. And so he bargains with God to spare Sodom. What if there are fifty good people, or thirty, or twenty or even ten? Will you destroy good people who happen to be amongst the bad?

This profound insight by Abraham and gives us an inclination into why he is often called the Father of Faith. Yes, Abraham receives that title from humanity when he is willing to offer his Son Isaac, but we are not that far along in the story yet. For now, Abraham displays a profound faith in the nature of humanity. A faith that believes there is always good people, even amongst the worst of us. And those good people are worth bargaining with God for.

Abraham’s bargaining is also hopeful. It foreshadows for us, the reader, the redemption that will be found in Christ. Christ who seeks the lost and saves them from eternal torment. And this also helps us see and understand the character and nature of God as well. God is willing to bargain with Abraham to save the righteous. God’s displays compassion and love, a love that will be fulffiled in Christ, when even the sinner is brought back to the family of God as Christ seeks all the lost sheep.