Genesis 18, Three Visitors

Sometime during the months that followed, Abraham again is visited by the Lord. Only this time it is not like the other times. This time Abraham sees three visitors near his tent. He greets them with a low bow and asks for the privilege of providing them with food and water.

Some people think Abraham's reaction to the visitors' appearance indicates that he already recognizes them. I don't think so. His greeting to them was considered good manners in that culture. Strangers were to be cared for, for that was a land where water was not always abundant and there were no fast food diners around the corner!

Bread is prepared, and a calf is killed for fresh meat, and instead of water, fresh milk is offered the visitors. And they eat.

They ask about Sarah. She hears. She hears the prophecy of her having a child and she laughs. Then she lied about laughing, afraid. But the Visitor says, "Yes, you did laugh."

Now we have one of the most interesting passages in the Bible. Watch what happens.

First, the three men get up to leave. The Lord is one of them. He decides to reveal to Abraham what He is going to do.

The LORD says, "...I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me."

Note the "I will go down" first of all. The last time the Lord "came down" Babel was destroyed!

But then notice who leaves to go to Sodom: the two men accompanying the Lord! In other words, the Lord already knew how bad things were in Sodom, but there had to be a verification, possibly for the sake of justice.

Does Abraham know who he is talking to at this point? Yes. When did he realize? The Bible does not tell us. It may have been when they prophesied about Sarah having a baby in a year, though, as Abraham had heard the same thing from the Lord earlier.

At any rate, Abraham is incredibly bold with the Lord now, seeking to save the city of Sodom from destruction. And so there ensues what seems like a bargaining. If there are fifty righteous men in the city, will the Lord destroy it?

No, not if there are 50.

45?

Not if there are 45.

40?

Not if there are 40.

30?

No.

20?

No.

What about 10?

"for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

And thus the conversation ends.

What is the purpose of this conversation? Was the Lord amenable to bargaining? Could He be made to change His mind?

The answer is no on both counts. God had a very important lesson for Abraham and for us here. First, go back to the promise He made to Abraham in chapter 15. Remember that Abraham and his people could not claim the land because the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached full measure? Here is the other half of that story. As long as there are only a few righteous men left, sin has not reached its full measure. It only takes a few righteous men to 'salt' a city, providing its inhabitants, and especially its children, with an alternative belief and lifestyle. But should that influence finally be gone, so that a city like Sodom could not be found to have even ten righteous men in it (and if believing God is credited as righteousness as it was with Abraham, then we would have to think that maybe this concept of 'righteous men' is actually a reference to those believing in the God of Abraham and Melchizedek), then that city is finally full of evil and ripe for destruction.

Abraham did know that it would not be right to kill the righteous along with the unrighteous. In verse 25, he had said, "Far be it from you to do such a thing -- to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

And the answer is always "Yes. The Judge of all the earth always does right."

The Abraham Essay continues, mentioning these events:

[ June 17, 2002, 01:44 AM: Message edited by: Helen ]

 

Hi Me!

DO you have any idea how weird it feels to type that?

Hi Me...

Anyway, we are all spiritual beings with physical bodies. That's what human beings are! I think most of the time when humans have been recipients of prophetic announcements or other visits from God's angels, they have appeared in human form. I think anything else would be a bit more than most humans could handle. As it is, the first thing said by most of them is "Don't be afraid." So obviously, even in some kind of human form it seems that their reflection of the glory and holiness of God is terrifying to sinful mortals.

You mentioned about the people of Sodom "whining". I'm not sure that is the sound that comes out during a rape... The NIV refers to what the Lord heard as an "outcry" and the King James simply as a cry. It is hard to describe the horror of that city. In Luke 17:28, Jesus says "It was the same in the days of Lot" and He is comparing it to the time of Noah! He parallels what happened to Sodom with what happened to the antediluvian world -- saying one was as bad as the other and the result was the same: total destruction. Don't think that the sin of Sodom was simply homosexuality. We can see from the time the angels visited that homosexual rape was also the norm. This kind of action does not crop up by itself, but is the end result of lawlessness, laciviousness, violence, and rebellion against God.

In 2 Peter 2:7-8, we read that Lot was a righteous man, tormented by what he saw there day after day. So yes, Abraham was probably thinking of Lot, but he seems to have been thinking of all the people, too. Of course Abraham knew Lot was there -- he had had to rescue him once before when Sodom was sacked and the people carried off!

You said Abraham was a warrior. How did you come to that conclusion? I only see one place where he went to battle, and that was to rescue Lot. Then he used a night sneak attack instead of an all-out daytime battle. He was a nomadic herdsman, albeit rich and well-known. He seems to have done everything possible to avoid harsh confrontations from what I can see. Maybe you can explain yourself so I can understand?

Do you feel God is a vengeful Judge? Do you feel Abraham was a helpless intercessor? The Lord agreed to save the city if only TEN righteous men could be found in it. There were not ten. The only righteous man there was was saved from the destruction.

As far as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the entire Jordan Rift was a geologically active area. But the timing is always the Lord's. Never doubt that!

 

Well, Me2, you certainly have some very interesting ideas! At the end of your email you wrote: "Anyway, I Like To turn what God tells me topsy turvy. Not So Much To Debate, Just An Observation..Sometimes it sounds weird. So Why Did God Put It There ? To Discover What ? "

I guess we look at the Bible a little differently! I tend to take it as it is written and when I can't understand something I look to the rest of the Bible for explanation and prayer for wisdom.

But your comments are interesting! Thanks for taking the time for them.