It was said that Spurgeon was once walking with a friend down the street when they came upon a drunken homeless man prostrated on the street. Spurgeon’s friend proceeded to make some snide remark about the poor soul. He turned to see if Spurgeon would join in the heckling, yet he saw tears running down Spurgeon’s face and heard the great preacher say, “But for the grace of God, there would I be.”

I’m not sure about you, but I find stories in Scripture of God’s judgment to be quite dangerous for a similar reason. We can smell the sulfurous smoke falling on Sodom and snidely say, “That was deserved,” all the while I believe God’s means for this story to lead us to say with the Prince of Preachers, “But for the grace of God, there would I be.”

To help us do just that I want to consider two truths about God’s relation to man according to our passage.

How God Relates to Man

Our sin demands God’s retribution. This is the first step in what it means to be a Christian, to understand our sin deserves death. And Jesus says the story of Sodom is there to serve as an example and warning to us. As we read earlier tonight in Luke 17 the day of Jesus’s return will be a day of Sodom-like destruction for all who reject him as King. Oh, how I pray that we’d all today feel afresh the force of God’s justice—retribution we deserve. We must know the full terror of God’s wrath in order to love the full treasure of God’s mercy. Which leads to the second point . . .

Our rescue depends on God’s mercy. Look back at 19:16, “But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” Mercy rescues. Are you lingering today? Lingering in unbelief and unrepentance? Maybe you are lingering in secret sin or worldly fear. Oh, linger no more as you see tonight the retribution and rescue of God. His mercy is available through Christ, because the same wrath of that consumed Sodom crushed the Son. God’s judgment fell on His Son in the ultimate act of mercy to us.

But God’s rescue doesn’t stop at the cross. Our Lord continues to rescue us each day as he intercedes for us on high. Remember Abraham’s intercession back in chapter 18. The Bible gives unusual prominence to Abraham’s relationship with God, he is regularly called “the friend of God,” but our text tells us the “friend of God” is unable to fully intercede for Sodom—his intercession 19:29 tells us saved Lot, but not the city. Where the friend of God’s intercession was limited, the Son of God’s intercession is unlimited. It is unlimited because He didn’t just turn away God’s wrath due to us, instead He turned it into Himself. And thus the book of Hebrews says, “He always lives to make intercession for,” us, to plead our case, to rescue us.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

So we need not run in terror from God’s justice, we can instead trust the justice He poured out on Jesus in order so save us. Our God is the Lord of justice.

This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Lot,” on Genesis 18-19.