‘And Abraham drew near and said, “Will you consume the righteous with the wicked? It may be that there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you consume, and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it? Far be it from you to behave in this way, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous will be as the wicked. Be that far from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” '
Although unaware of it the one who is being tested here is Abraham. Will he be concerned for his neighbours who are outside the covenant? But Abraham reveals that he has the right instinct and an understanding of God's character. He knows that God is merciful and will not be unfair in His behaviour towards men. Thus he makes this the basis of his plea. Can a righteous God destroy fifty righteous men in order to bring His judgment on the remainder? Never, says Abraham, it is impossible. Surely He Who is the judge of all the earth must do what is right. Only the guilty must suffer. The righteous cannot be treated in the same way as the wicked.
In view of the belief of the day in the solidarity of communities, so that they were seen as one in guilt or innocence, Abraham's view is refreshing. He separates the individual from the community. (Compare Ezekiel 18:20 etc). He believes that in the end every man is responsible singly before God.
It is telling that Abraham nowhere tries to plead that Sodom as a whole is not worthy of the punishment they are to receive. He is too well aware of what goes on there. But he cannot believe that there are not some who deserve mercy, and he hopes, in achieving mercy for them, to achieve mercy for all..
It is significant that Abraham sees Yahweh as judge of all the earth. To him there is but one God Who is over all. But equally significant is his confidence in the ethical nature of God. He knows God must do what is right, that He is unfailingly a righteous God. It is to his credit that his concern is not just for Lot. His concern is for Sodom as a whole. (The gods of the nations could not have been appealed to like this. Their standards were similar to men's and their portrayed behaviour often worse).