Genesis - Week Twenty

Introduction

This study should address...

What does the Bible say?

What does the Bible Mean?

How can we apply that to our lives

Legend

Important

Questions

References

Personal Thoughts

Chapter 18

Verses 1-15

Genesis 18:1–15 ESV

And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Questions or Thoughts?

18:1-8

Abraham has spent over 13 years at the Oaks of Mamre, yet still dwells in a tent

The Lord is appearing to him again, but this time he is def physically present

Two embodied angels and an embodied Yahweh

The Lord is identified here, and the angels in Genesis 19:1 “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth”

Abraham bows and offers a meal which could be a sign of worship or just ANE hospitality

He furthers make sure they are rested and washed

Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Abraham prepares a proper feast of abundant fine bread, and a calf

Which is strange since he promises something meager

He also does so promptly showing the control and order he keeps his home in

Abraham does not dine with them but waits on them like a proper servant

What can be as men and household leaders see and learn from Abraham here?

Abraham does seem to recognize the one as the Lord

All three figures eat showing that they are fully embodied beings, God and Angels are obv not inherently embodied

Note: This is different from incarnation which is a fully human being as well, and it is different from possession

Other examples are Genesis 19:10 “But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door.” and Genesis 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.”

18:9-15

God reiterates his promise that Sarah will bear a child next year

What does God repeating himself show about us and Him?

Sarah is surprised showing that she was not told about it

Her laughter is the same reaction that Abraham gave

The way of women means menstrual cycle, showing her age here and inability to have children

Further, pleasure is likely referring to sexual pleasure showing that she is too old for sex

God overcomes the dead womb here as he will later do other times, this also prefigures the virgin birth

God sees her and questions her faith

Are there promises of God or things that you know God can do that you question or sometimes doubt?

God is a big God that can and will perform miracles

Sarah then lies right to God

Verses 16-33

Genesis 18:16–33 ESV

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 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.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 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.” 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.” 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.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Questions or Thoughts?

18:16-21

God considers whether to tell Abraham his plan and meanwhile reflects on His promise

Only time God repeats the promise not to Abraham directly

God adds that Abraham was chosen to be obedient to the way of the Lord

This is a new level of trust between God and Abraham

I will go down is reminiscent of the Tower of Babel

This is an act of Divine Judgement

He decides whether the cities have reached the point of total depravity

God decides to tell Abraham because He has given him the Promises and since he remained faithful

18:22-33

Abraham is concerned for people in the cities and appeals to God’s sense of Justice

He is likely concerned for Lot and his family there

Also remember that Abraham recently saved the king of Sodom

He appeals to God as the the Judge of all the Earth

Supports the idea that this person is the 2nd person of the Trinity who in the NT is described as the judge of mankind

How does God balance the ideas of Justice and Mercy and how can we do the same?

Abraham humbles himself before appealing to God, acknowledging his own smallness and Gods greatness and power

How does Abraham model how to approach God with requests in prayer?

Abraham ultimately stops at 10, which we found later there are not 10

However, God does save Lot which Abraham appeals for

Abraham intercedes here, what is our role as intercessors between God and the world?

What does him stopping at 10 show?

There is also an interesting question here of whether Abraham changed God’s mind or whether God can actually change his mind

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 18

I have heard some say that it was a pity Abraham did not go on pleading with God, but I would not dare to say so. He knew better when to begin and when to leave off than you and I do. There are certain restraints in prayer which a man of God cannot explain to others, but which he, nevertheless, feels. God moves his servants to pray in a certain case, and they pray with great liberty and manifest power. Another case may seem to be precisely like it, yet the mouth of the former supplicant is shut, and in his heart he does not feel that he can pray as he did before. Do I blame the men of God? Assuredly not! The Lord deals wisely with his servants, and he tells them, by gentle hints which they quickly understand, when and where to stop in their supplications.

General References and Sources

Study Bibles

ESV Study Bible

ESV Church History Study Bible

ESV Literary Study Bible

Spurgeon Study Bible

Faithlife Study Bible

Commentaries

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Matthew Poole’s Commentary

Dennis Prager’s Rational Bible on Genesis

David Atkinson, The Message of Genesis 1-11

John Davis, Paradise to Prison

Church History

Augustine, City of God

Augustine, Confessions

Aquinas, Summa Theologica