Righteous Protection

 Good morning, and welcome.

 I’m reading a book by Marilynne Robinson titled, “Reading Genesis.”  In the book, Robinson takes a deep dive into the Genesis story.  The front cover states that the book “is a powerful consideration of the profound meanings and promise of God’s enduring covenant with humanity.”  It’s not a simple or easy read.  I read a few pages, then have to put it aside for a time in order to digest the contents.  It’s not a commentary…it’s much, much more.

 I’m at the point in the book where Robinson takes on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his family, and Abraham and his attempt to bargain with God for the safety of the cities.  If you are familiar with the story, you know that Abraham has been told by God that God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to sin and depravity.  Abraham knows his nephew Lot and his family live in the city.  Abraham asks God if he will destroy the cities if there are fifty righteous people to be found in them.  God says, “No,” he will not destroy the cities if fifty righteous people can be found.

 Abraham then lowers the number to 40, 30, and so on until he asks God if God would destroy the cities if ten righteous people could be found.  God again says, “No,” he would not destroy the cities for the sake of ten righteous people.

 Think about this for just a second or two.  The mere presence of ten God-fearing people in the cities is sufficient for God to spare the cities and all who live there from destruction.  Ms. Robinson says this about that part of the account:  When the Lord replies to Abraham that for the sake of ten God-fearing, righteous people, the cities will be spared,  (quote) The Lord replies in effect, that the innocent sustain, even shelter, the guilty.  “For ten I will not destroy the city.”  Unbeknownst to themselves or anyone else, presumably, the innocent stay the hand of the Lord.”

 Now think about this.  God does not change.  There are several scripture passages that say that very thing, but perhaps the one who wrote Psalm 102 says it best. 

 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them

and they will be discarded.

But you remain the same,

and your years will never end.

 Now, my question for you is this:  If indeed God does not change, and if Ms. Robinson is correct in her assertion that the innocent sustain and shelter the guilty, and, as she says, “stay the hand of the Lord,” could that be true today as well?

 Could it be that those who are God-fearing actually protect in some way by their very presence in society all the rest of us from calamity worse than we could imagine?  We will never know with certainty, though, because we would never know what things would be like without those righteous, God-fearing people in the mix.  However, if the story of Abraham, Lot, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are any indication, and if it is indeed true that God does not change, I think it could be fairly inferred that the righteous indeed have an effect on all the rest of us.

 “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus said.  “You are the light of the world,” he said.  Jesus here was speaking to those who would be his followers.  In a parable later in the book of Matthew, Jesus tells of the effects of leaven in dough, a small amount of leaven affecting the whole batch.  Could it be that it is along the same lines of thought that the righteous somehow, some way protect and even improve the lives and well-being of all in a society.

 Well, I leave the final answer to you.  For me, I believe it to be true.  It may not seem like there is much protection nowadays in many societies of the world.  But we must understand that we are looking at things from a very narrow, very limited, human point of view.  God’s viewpoint is much more broad and perfectly apprehending.  The creation operates on his viewpoint…not ours.  And thank God for that.  Operating by our viewpoint would have already doomed us long ago.

 This Thought is a little more cerebral and a little more faith-based than some, but I make no apologies.  Consider what has been said.  And may you be blessed this day and the rest of this week.