There is a wonderful story in
the Bible and even if you are not a Bible scholar or even a believer
in the Good Book most of you will recognize the story when I tell
you about it. Let me say that I make no apology for my beliefs and
even if you don’t, you can at least appreciate the story for all the
lessons it can teach. If you were or are a teacher of the Bible you
could take the 18th and 19th chapters of
Genesis and run a Sunday school class for a couple of years and
still never leave those two chapters. Every thing from intrigue to
sex is found there. Love and hate abound. Law and justice also can
be gleaned. If I am not careful I will start a class and its not the
motive or reason for this column.
Now as we join Abraham in his
digs in the hills outside of Sodom, he is chilling from the noon day
heat when all of a sudden he has some visitors. He knows right off
that these men are special and he bows before them and ask them to
partake of food and drink before they continue their journey. After
they are fed and refreshed he wants to know where they are headed.
The leader of the group says that word has reached them that the
city of Sodom is so wicked, they are on their way to destroy it.
Abraham’s favorite nephew Lot
and his family are living in the city and so Abraham starts pleading
with the men that if fifty righteous people can be found will they
spare the city. The men agree. Again Abraham says well now what if
there are only forty five? Again the men agree. Abraham without just
coming out and asking that they save his nephew and his family ask
if only ten are found would they spare the city. Again the men agree
and go on their way. Well according to the story, not even ten
righteous people could be found and so they did in fact destroy it,
but as a favor to Abraham they try to save Lot’s family.
So with that I come to modern
day America and lets play out this same scenario. Let us put Abraham
on the side of the road in a nice neighborhood in George County,
Maryland and he has three visitors come by and he sees them as
travelers from afar and offers them some relief from the summer heat
and he asks them to come into his air-conditioned house and feeds
them lunch and after the meal they are sitting by the pool and he
asks them where they are bound. They say they are on their way to
Washington, D.C. because it has come to their attention that the
wickedness of the government is so great that they are going to
destroy it.
Abraham thinks deep in his
heart and comes to the conclusion, that may not be a bad idea, but
comes to himself and asks if there are fifty righteous people in
Washington will they spare the city. I am sure that the men would
say, “If we find fifty righteous people in the halls of government
in Washington we will spare the city.” I am almost sure that even if
Abraham whittled the number down to just one that these men would
still not destroy the city and wipe it and its corruption from the
face of the earth.
What if Abraham was watering
his backyard garden in New Jersey and these men came by and Abraham
invites them in for some barbeque with ice tea and again after the
men have eaten and rested Abraham asks where they are destined. The
men might say they are on their way to Wall Street because the
wickedness of it has become so great that they must destroy it and
wipe it from the face of the earth. Again Abraham bargains with them
and again it comes down to one righteous man. Will the results be
the same? Probably.
Well, if we are going to dream
up scenarios lets narrow it down even further. Lets just take
Abraham completely out of the picture and put you or even me in his
place. Lets say you or I are out in the front yard mowing the lawn
or you are just returning to your home from a shopping trip or work
or what ever you do with your day out and there are three men at
your front door. They convince you they are not handing out watch
tower pamphlets or trying to sell you insurance or a vacuum cleaner
and you reluctantly ask them into your home.
After some small talk and the
men have had some refreshments and have rested for a spell you
finally ask, “Why are you here?”
They look you right in the eye
and say to you or me, “It has come to our attention...
