Reflections on Genesis 18

Genesis 18 (Contemporary English Version)
1. One hot summer afternoon Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, when the LORD appeared to him.
   
2. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground,
   
3. and said, "Please come to my home where I can serve you.
   
4. I'll have some water brought, so you can wash your feet, then you can rest under the tree.
   
5. Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honored to serve you." "Thank you very much," they answered. "We accept your offer."
   
6. Abraham quickly went to his tent and said to Sarah, "Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread."
   
7. After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared.
   
8. He then served his guests some yogurt and milk together with the meat. While they were eating, he stood near them under the trees,
   
9. and they asked, "Where is your wife Sarah?" "She is right there in the tent," Abraham answered.
   
10. One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son." Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent.
    
11. Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children.
    
12. So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?"
    
13. The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age?
    
14. I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son."
    
15. Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." "Yes, you did!" he answered.
    
16. When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
    
17. The LORD said to himself, "I should tell Abraham what I am going to do,
    
18. since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth.
    
19. I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised."
    
20. The LORD said, "Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things.
    
21. Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I want to know about it."
    
22. The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the LORD stayed with Abraham,
    
23. who asked, "LORD, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good?
    
24. Wouldn't you spare the city if there are only fifty good people in it?
    
25. You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right."
    
26. The LORD replied, "If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed."
    
27. Abraham answered, "I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, LORD, for daring to speak to you like this.
    
28. But suppose there are only forty-five good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?" "If I find forty-five good people," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."
    
29. "Suppose there are just forty good people?" Abraham asked. "Even for them," the LORD replied, "I won't destroy the city."
    
30. Abraham said, "Please don't be angry, LORD, if I ask you what you will do if there are only thirty good people in the city." "If I find thirty," the LORD replied, "I still won't destroy it."
    
31. Then Abraham said, "I don't have any right to ask you, LORD, but what would you do if you find only twenty?" "Because of them, I won't destroy the city," was the LORD's answer.
    
32. Finally, Abraham said, "Please don't get angry, LORD, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only ten good people there." "For the sake of ten good people," the LORD told him, "I still won't destroy the city."
    
33. After speaking with Abraham, the LORD left, and Abraham went back home.
    
    

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    Soon after God made His covenant with Abraham, as described in chapter 17, He appeared to Abraham along with two angels. Abraham looked outside his tent and there they were. He hurried out to them and offered them hospitality, inviting them to sit with him and to have water to drink. Then Abraham offered to feed them, sending a servant to kill a calf and prepare it.
    
    This visit by the Lord is thought to be a confirmation of the covenant and promise of a child. Over the meal, the Lord reiterated that a child would be born a year from that time, "I will certainly come back to you in about a year's time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!" (18:10) Overhearing this, Sarah laughed to herself at the idea. The Lord was stating the impossible. It was natural that Sarah would laugh at this. But the Lord admonished her by saying, "Is anything impossible for the LORD?" (18:14) The fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham to have a child, was not made possible by human means, but by means possible only through divine intervention. In this, the birth of this child was similar to the birth of Christ.
    
    God's announcement to Abraham of His judgment on the city of Sodom on this occasion was not likely coincidental, but what was its purpose? Jewish writers observe that these cities were given in the grant of the land to Abraham and so it was right to make known to Abraham His intentions. Other writers suggest that Abraham had become a friend of God and it was out of that relationship that God shared His intentions as He would a friend. My thoughts are that while the later is likely true, the purpose of sharing this information with Abraham was more likely akin to the first thought - Sodom was in the land grant God made to Abraham and thus entitled to know of this development. Along with this thought I wonder if the purpose of this revelation was also related to the relationship of God's grant of the land to Abraham and His judgment on the nations occupying the land. In giving this land to Abraham's descendants, it was taken from those nations living in the land because of their wickedness. The timing of this announcement concerning the judgment of Sodom with God's covenant with Abraham seems to me to have relevance to this judgment of the Canaanite people. Judgment of Sodom was a symbol of this. While the time was not yet ripe for Abraham's descendants to take possession of the land, neither was it ripe for the judgment on the nations of Canaan, but judgment on Sodom was a precursor.
    
    Abraham's negotiation with God concerning this judgment of Sodom reveals God's justice. He was not willing to destroy even 10 righteous people along with the wicked, but 10 were not found.