Genesis 18
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Genesis 18
Genesis 18
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Now just catching up, remember the Lord has met with Abram in chapter 17, and in doing so God changes his name, one that fits his new role as a father to man nations.
And along with Abraham, he changed the name of his wife Sarai to Sarah, and she would become nations as well.
And it is here again that God reaffirms his commitment and covenant with Abraham, and with it he commands Abraham to to circumcise all the males in his family for the males belong to the Lord. This would be an outward sign of their covenant with God. He would be their God and they would be his people.
The last thing to revisit from last week is after 24 years of waiting, God tells Abraham that by this time next year he would have a son and he would name him Isaac. And God would establish his covenant with Isaac in the future as well.
And chapter 18 is like a continuing portion of this story from last week, so we will pick up from there and go forward.
Lets start verses 1-2 Gen 18:1-2
1 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. 2 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
So Abraham is living in tents and he is there by the Oaks of Mamre. Mamre lay just to the north of Hebron and south of the city of Bethlehem.
This was a nice, fertile area that Abraham lived with his family and his servants and flocks and herds.
And this day he lifted up his eyes and suddenly 3 men are in his presence. Now from the door of his tent suggests this may have been in the heat of the day.
The sudden appearance of these guests tells us these men are of an extraordinary nature.
And as quickly as possible, Abraham goes to them and bows to meet them, which reveals the humble spirit that Abraham had, but as we look on we will see more,
Verses 3-4 Gen 18:3-5
3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 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.”
He sees and knows that one of the men are far different than the others and Abraham refers to him as Lord. The word for Lord here is the word Addonai, which is signficant. This is the word spoken by the Hebrew community instead of God’s name, YHWH.
But with a humble spirit he speaks to them and asks them to not pass by until he can serve them. If I have found favor in your eyes, do not pass by your servant. The bringing of water and the offer of rest speaks to the hospitality of his heart.
This was often the custom that was shown to people in the day and Abraham has such a humble spirit.
If you look at Jesus, in the New Testament, hospitality was a common setting for our Lord as he taught and ministered to others.
Here Abraham offers water to cleanse and refresh themselves and bread, food to sustain them and care for them while in his care before they go one..
And they told him to do as he said, they accepted his offer of care and generosity.
Verses 6-8 Gen 18:6-8
6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 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.
Here we see the lengths of Abrahams generosity and care for these guests. He calls for Sarah to make bread while he and a servant take a young tender calf and prepare and cook it. And they ate while Abraham stood by waiting to assist them in any way shape of form.
Now lets look at verses 9 -10 Gen 18:9-10
9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 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.
As the Lord has told him previously, He tells Abraham that by this time next year she will have a child and we see that Sarah was ease -dropping by the tent door listening to the guests as they spoke to Abraham
But not only that she will have a child, but that he would return to him in a years time.
Now look at verses 11-14 Gen 18:11-15
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 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.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Now verse 11 reminds us of the current state of Sarah and Abraham, they are really old, at this point in time she is 89 and Abraham is 99… they are in a season in life where verse 11 tells us that “the way of women” had ceased...
Her reproductive tract no longer functioned as they had as a younger woman, there is nothing as it had, so for all intent and purpose, she was beyond the age of bearing a child.
And with ease-dropping she laughs at hearing the Lord’s word, and look at her words, I am worn out, and my man is old.
She is really negative in here communication here… she in her heart doesn’t believe this..
But the Lord knows her heart and attitude....And the Lord asks Abraham why did she laugh and question, or more literally doubts the Lord’s words.
Verse 14 tells us something wonderful, Is anything to hard for the Lord, or really is anything impossible for the Lord.
Now we understand her doubts… don’t we....
We know the answer is no..
The Hebrew word for “hard” or “difficult” means wonderful, in the sense of the extraordinary. Jer 32:17 says
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
In truth the works of the Lord are exceptional by human standards, His works are so great, they will cause us to be amazed.
The Lord here, he knows the future that he will bring about, He will do what he has promised.
Sarah denied that she laughed, she was possibly afraid givne the fact that she did… But she is corrected, you did laugh..
Listen for some of us, we might doubt something so extraordinary.
Now verse 16 Gen 18:16
16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way.
As the guests are departing, they are looking down upon the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham walked out with them to in a sense see them off.
Verse 17-18 Gen 18:17-18
17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
The rationale if you will for this disclosure of information is debated if you will, the call, shall we hid it from him since he will become a great nation.
Revelation is God’s prerogative, and here God is going to include Abraham in His divine council...
Verse 19 Gen 18:19
19 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.”
Here is the ultimate reason why he has chosen Abraham, I have chosen him, I love just seeing that reminding us that God loves mankind.
Yet he also in love commands that mankind keep his commandments and to walk in his ways. He knows Abraham will teach his family and those after him to do this very thing.
In particular to do righteousness and justice.… The idea here is Abraham will lead his children, literally those after him to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. To do what is right physically, ethically and yes even spiritually.
Psalm 106:3 “3 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!”
Verses 20-21 Gen 18:20-21
20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 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 here he answers his own question, shall I tell Abraham, well he does, shall I go down and see if the complaint against them is real…
Does he know already? Yes!
The outcry against them is the cry of the victums, those who suffer injustice from the hands of others in these harsh circumstances of the wickedness of the city.
And the idea of going down to see tells us of the Lord’s decision to destroy them for their wickedness is great.
Verses 22-25 Gen 18:22-25
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 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? 25 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?”
Here we see the angels with the Lord start to head down there, but Abraham is still before the Lord and Abraham drew close and asks a question of the Lord
Will you seep away the righteous with the wicked?
And of course we know why Abraham intercedes here, his nephew Lot is there in the midst. While he has not been there a long time, he was close enough to be destroyed.
If you remember the story, Lot’s daughters were about to be married to some of the men of the city.
So will God destroy the righteous with the wicked? This is the question essentially that Abraham is asking the Lord and he begins with the number of 50..
And when we are speaking of the righteous, you can also think of the idea of God’s justice, and would God give the innocent, the same verdict as the wicked?
Well the answer is no… Look at verse 26.. Gen 18:26
26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Now look at verses 27-28 Gen 18:27-28
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 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.”
Abraham moves forward very cautiously, humbly if you will for he says in a sense, who am I that I would speak to the Lord , for I am dust and ashes and He doesn’t want to seem out of line speaking to the Lord...
but what if there were only 45, for the sake of 5 less would you spare them?
And the Lord answers, if I found 45, I would not destroy it.
Now verse 29 Genesis 18:29
29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”
Lord what about 40,,, and the Lord’s words are simply if there were 40 I would not destroy the city..
Verses 30-31 Gen 18:30-31
30 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.” 31 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.”
And again for the sake of 30, the Lord says he would not destory...
What about 20, for the sake of 20 I would not destroy the city..
Verse 32-33 Gen 18:32-33
32 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.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
But Abraham ventures again Lord do not be angry with me, suppose 10 were found, there and the Lord answered if 10 were found I would not destroy it and then the Lord went his way when he has finsihed speaking
So there seems to be an abrupt end there but he moves on and Abraham returns to his place.
Now next week we will move on to chapter 19 next week and see all that happens with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham’s nephew Lot.
