Genesis 18:29
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
The verse records Abraham speaking yet again in humble, persistent, earnest and compassionate pleading for Sodom, asking whether the city would be spared if forty righteous people — forty honest inhabitants — were found there. His pleading reveals a noble, benevolent disposition and benevolent concern for the people of Sodom. It shows his compassion for sinners and his confidence in appealing to God for mercy.
God answered that He would spare the city, withhold judgment, and not destroy it for the sake of forty. His willingness to spare the city for their sake shows that He takes no pleasure in vengeance and grants mercy before judgment. The verse illustrates that God extends mercy and stays judgment because of the righteous who love and fear Him.
As his requests were granted Abraham grew bolder and continued pleading further, until it was shown that only ten could be found. In this broader encounter Abraham acted as God's representative revealing the God of heaven to the inhabitants of Sodom. He did not shut himself away from the people around him but maintained friendly relations with the surrounding nations, so that his fidelity was a light in all the countries of his sojourn. His integrity and unselfishness, his valor and benevolence, represented the character of God in Mesopotamia, in Canaan, in Egypt, and even to Sodom. His example teaches compassion for those who have gone wrong and a willingness to intercede for them.