Because of the righteous, your city is saved

"Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord."
Helaman 13:12

Background
Samuel the Lamanite is on Zarahemla's wall prophesying to the wicked Nephites. As he prophesies, he is speaking for the Lord.

My Thoughts
Basically, Samuel is telling the Nephites that if it weren't for the few righteous people among them, the Lord would destroy them. He clearly states that the majority of the inhabitants are wicked, which means the city is ripe for destruction.

This reminds me of Abraham's conversation with the Lord in Genesis of the Old Testament. In response to the Lord's intention to judge and possibly destroy Sodom and Gomorrah:

"And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?"
Genesis 18:23

Abraham convinces the Lord to spare the cities if there are enough righteous people found therein. Originally they agree on 50 people (in a large city), but Abraham soon haggles the number down to 10. As we know from the next chapter (Genesis 19), Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their wickedness and lack of righteousness.

Basically what I learn from this is that in modern times, the righteous people of the earth are insurance for the wicked. I believe that the times we live in are every bit as wicked as the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Perhaps the only real difference between now and then is the strength of the righteous people upon the earth. If there is ever a time when a city, state, or country decides to exile or kill all of the righteous living within its boundaries, there will be nothing to stop God from destroying the entity just as He did Sodom and Gomorrah.

So, to those of us who are striving to live righteously- you are protecting the lands in which you live. To those who live in wickedness- you had better show some respect and appreciation to those around you who are obediently living God's laws because without them your fate would be no different than those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Luckily for you, there is still time to repent and change. You can still be counted among the righteous. Click here for more information.