Genesis 18:22–33 (ESV)
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.
28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”
31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”
33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

We live in both perilous and prosperous times, we have every modern convenience man can imagine and an abundance of leisure time for pleasure.
Sodom and Gomorrah have nothing compared to our generation according to Ezekiel 16:46-49 and many profits in the shadow of wickedness yet waiting for someone to negotiate for their salvation and deliverance. Would you?
Abraham the negotiator!
Are you Negotiating with God?
Abraham exemplified James 5:16 in his anxious sympathy for Lot in fervently negotiating with the Lord for deliverance. Abraham believed that God allows His purposes to be influenced by prayer and repentance: so, he prayed, we see that God’s sentence upon Sodom was not yet passed in verse 21, and God could answer Abraham’s prayer if the necessary conditions were met.
We all negotiate in some form daily, often without considering it a negotiation, and I like to think of myself as a good negotiator, but my children think I’m a bargain fanatic, yeah, maybe I am but the truth is that we all negotiate with or over somethings, especially with God. Abraham shows us what it’s like to negotiate with our heavenly Father.
Abraham began by acknowledging his unworthiness to even think that he could negotiate with the Living God in verse 27, yet he felt the need to intercede on behalf of his “people.” This he could do because of his relationship with God.
How about you? Are you a negotiator? Would you negotiate with God to save a loved one?
Moses the negotiator in the case of the golden calf in Exodus 32:9-14. The Lord contemplated destroying the Israelites, but Moses pleaded with God to spare them, his argument compelled God to spare them.
Another word for such negotiation is what we call intercessory prayer. Can you imagine being bold enough to negotiate with God? When you’re negotiating with a trader, you hold the money, and he holds the product. You both have something the other person wants, so you have some negotiating power. But when it comes to God, He holds everything. Who could imagine negotiating with the God of the universe? Yet, surprisingly, God wants us all to feel comfortable in negotiating with Him, as stated in Isaiah 1:18-20. God say in Isaiah 41:21 to bring our strong reasons for negotiation. In other words, argue your case, show why you should have that desired result.
It’s only in prayer that the Lord reveals His will and covenant, see Psalm 25:14.
It is an incredible privilege that God the Father will stop to listen and allow us to negotiate on a loved one’s behalf.
At first glance, it seemed as if Abraham was taking the initiative with God. But God took the initiative with Abraham by broaching the subject in verses 17-21, then waited for Abraham to negotiate verse 22, God drew Abraham on from fifty on down to ten and chose when to end the conversation in verse 33.
Like Abraham, we ought to be aware that God is merciful and will spare even the wicked-on behalf of a few righteous ones, but He is also just. He sees and will judge all sins, even those done behind closed doors. Abraham negotiated for Lot. Would you stand as the negotiator on behalf of someone today?
Shalom