Between Visitation and Judgment: Abraham’s Intercession and the Cry of Sodom

Tikkun Global

Jerusalem, Israel

This past week, several of us traveled to Ein Bokek, the big resort area at the southern end of the Dead Sea. We were there for a prayer gathering, because of the massive LGBT+ festival that is scheduled to take place at the beginning of “Pride Month,” from June 1–4. It is being promoted as the largest such event in the Middle East—and by our government’s Ministry of Tourism!  The location itself is strikingly ironic: not in Tel Aviv, one of the “gay capitals” of the world, but right next to the traditional archaeological sites associated with ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

As we prayed, I found myself drawn again to Genesis chapters 18-19. What impressed me was not only the judgment of Sodom, but the larger context surrounding it: the visitation of YHWH to Abraham, the revelation of God’s heart, and Abraham’s remarkable role as an intercessor standing between mercy and judgment.

YHVH Incarnate

Genesis 18 opens with one of the most extraordinary scenes in Scripture. Abraham is sitting at the oaks of Mamre when three “men” appear.  Abraham apparently recognizes at least one of them, and shows them great honor and hospitality. As the story unfolds, we realize these are not ordinary visitors. Two are angels, but the third is YHWH Himself appearing in human form. The text moves back and forth seamlessly between “the men” and “YHWH,” until finally, in verse 22, Abraham is left standing alone before YHWH.

This is an astonishing moment. God does not merely send a message from heaven. He comes personally. He walks among men, receives hospitality, washes His feet, eats at Abraham and Sarah’s table, and converses openly with them. The scene is deeply relational and deeply human.

There is even humor in the story. Sarah laughs inwardly at the promise that she will bear a son in old age, and the Lord responds almost playfully: “Why did Sarah laugh?” When she denies it, He gently answers, “No, but you did laugh.” This of course foreshadows the name given to the miraculous son, Isaac—“laughter” or “he laughs.” 

The entire chapter reveals something profound about the nature of God. YHWH is not distant from the covenant family. He is willing to enter human space and relationship. In many ways, Genesis 18 becomes an early foreshadowing of the ultimate Incarnation of the Son of God — the God who finally and fully enters humanity through the promised seed, through Abraham’s own line, through David, through Miriam’s womb. 

But the timing of this visitation is not accidental.

The outcry of/from Sodom and Gomorrah

As the meal concludes and the visitors rise to leave, the focus shifts toward Sodom. Suddenly we learn why heaven has drawn near to earth in this moment: “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave” (Genesis 18:20).

Every town and village in Canaan was steeped in pagan idolatry.  But there was something uniquely evil from these towns/cities in the Dead Sea Valley, something that caused an awful “outcry” to rise (from the lowest point on earth!) all the way to God’s throne in heaven. 

The language suggests accumulated violence, corruption, oppression, and moral rebellion reaching a point that demands divine intervention. Genesis 19 then reveals the depth of the city’s depravity as the men of Sodom surround Lot’s house and attempt to homosexually violate the angelic visitors. The city’s sin is portrayed not merely as private immorality, but as a complete collapse of moral order, hospitality, restraint, and the sanctity of human relationships.

You know the rest of the story: the angels strike all the men of the city with blindness. At dawn, Lot and his family are ordered to flee so that the judgement—fire and brimstone raining from heaven—can begin. 

Yet the center of the story is not ultimately the wickedness of Sodom.

The center is the Abrahamic family.

Abraham, the First Intercessor

Before the judgment begins, God pauses and says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Genesis 18:17). This statement is extraordinary because it reveals that God, the Creator and Judge of all, seeks covenantal partners to rule and judge with Him. Ezekiel 22:30 says that the LORD looks for men and women who are willing to build a spiritual wall, and stand in the “breach” as He looks to judge and destroy the Land and its people. 

In response, Abraham stands before YHWH and appeals to His character: “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked.” Abraham knows the God standing before him. He understands that divine justice is not arbitrary wrath; that in the heart of God, mercy triumphs over judgement. (Jacob 2:13) And so he begins to intercede: What if there are fifty righteous? Forty-five? Forty? Thirty? Twenty? Ten?

This becomes a biblical model for all intercession.

Abraham stands between visitation and judgment; having experienced YHVH  as a “friend” to his own family, he longs to extend, to share, this blessing with others. But that can’t happen if they are all destroyed because of God’s righteous judgement. 

He does not deny the reality of sin. He does not celebrate evil. But neither does he respond with cold detachment. He pleads for mercy. He appeals to God’s covenant faithfulness and righteousness.

Our Present Situation in Israel

As we prayed near the Dead Sea this week, this became deeply personal for many of us. Israel is presently in the midst of war. Soldiers are still fighting and dying in Gaza and on the northern front. Iran and its proxies continue to threaten the nation. Yet at the same time, our government is sponsoring a massive festival, “proudly” celebrating values that directly contradict the Torah and the biblical vision of humanity.

Genesis 1:26–28 declares that humanity was created in God’s image: “male and female He created them.” Then God blesses them and commands them to “be fruitful and multiply” to fill and subdue the earth. The biblical vision of humanity is inseparable from covenant family, male and female union, fruitfulness, and the multiplication of life. The family is not a secondary issue in Scripture. It is central to God’s design for creation and redemption.

Do we need to state the obvious?  The LBGT+ lifestyle and agenda completely aborts the Creator’s plan for the human family.  It is the fullest expression of human idolatry, depravity and rebellion against God, our Father. (Romans 1:18-32)

All of this creates a painful tension for believers in the land.

How can we ask God for mercy, protection, and victory while openly celebrating what Scripture calls sin? We supposedly have the most conservative, “right-wing” government in our modern history. The governing coalition is full of ultra-orthodox and national religious leaders who regularly study Torah.  Why is no one speaking out!?!

And what about us—the remnant of faith in the Land and those who stand with us from the nations? Are we willing to stand in the gap like Abraham?  Are we willing to cry out for mercy, so that our cry will be louder in heaven than the outcry against the abomination of this festival? 

Will we stand in the gap between judgment and redemption?

At the conclusion of our gathering, we shared the Lord’s Supper together. We asked one young family to stand behind the communion table holding their baby, alongside several older couples. Holy Communion is not merely about individual salvation. Through Messiah’s death and resurrection, God is restoring humanity itself. He is restoring the divine image. He is restoring covenant family. He is restoring what was broken from the beginning.

In the end, the story of Sodom is not only about judgment.

It is about visitation.

It is about intercession.

And it is about the God who still seeks a people willing to stand before Him on behalf of their generation.