Chapter Eighteen
Guess Who is Coming to Dinner
18:1 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
Shortly after the sign of the covenant was instituted, Abraham had another visit from God. The text makes it clear that God (a Christophany, remember Jesus spoke of meeting Abraham, see John 8:48-59)[1] and two other traveling companions came to visit in the form of men. While still living near the oaks of Mamre, one day these three appear in front of Abraham’s tent and Abraham runs out to greet them and immediately falls prostrate before God. The text does not offer any insight how they got there as there is no reference to riding or walking. Did Abraham recognize God? The text does not say why he bowed down, but somehow, he knew. Perhaps from previous encounters (see Genesis 15:1; 17:1-3). The reference to the heat of the day would generally refer to early afternoon, a period when the main meal would normally be eaten.
This is the first appearance of the Hebrew word ‘yiš·tǎ’·ḥû’,[2] which means to bow down, lower oneself or to prostrate oneself before a monarch or a superior to pay homage to them. In the Bible the word is often translated as worship or worshiped. Even though the word is used elsewhere in conjunction with other types of worship, the fact that the word is first seen applying to a human worshiping God, is truly significant, in a sense this sets the standard, there is only one worthy of worship.
18:3 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.”
Abraham urges them to stay for a brief period to “wash up” and refresh themselves as well as enjoy a meal. Here we see for the first time the Hebrew word ‘ǎḏō·nā’y’ (translated as “O Lord”) appearing alone without the Tetragrammaton.
18:6 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.
We are introduced to the Hebrew word ‘mǎ·hǎr’,[3] meaning to hurry, used twice in verse six emphasizes Abraham’s urgency. He personally selected a calf and had it quickly prepared along with curds (butter) and milk. He also had Sarah quickly make bread. Even with a sense of urgency, preparing a meal like this would have taken some time. It is interesting to note that Abraham served milk and meat together, something that is forbidden by Jewish tradition today.
Did God and His traveling companions (will be identified as angels in Genesis 19:1) need to eat? It is undoubtedly not necessary, but since they regularly appear in the Bible as men, they must be able to eat, even if they do not need to. The author of the book of Hebrews tells us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2) Angels can appear in every way human.
18:9 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. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
Evidently now finished eating, they asked Abraham where his wife Sarah was. He replied that she was inside the tent and apparently the tent was near the tree as she overheard what was being spoken. God repeated the same promise He gave to Abraham in the previous chapter, saying that Sarah would have a son of her own. The text again reminds us that Sarah and Abraham were both too old to have children without divine intervention.
18:12 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.”
The response of laughter when someone hears something absurd or highly unlikely was, and still is, a uniquely human trait. When Sarah heard what God had promised, she “laughed to herself.” However, unlike Abraham’s laughter of joy when he previously heard the same news (see Genesis 17:17), Sarah’s laugh must have been more cynical than joyful. She may not have known who the visitors were and considered the words were spoken by someone other than God, or she just found it hard to believe, period. When God asked the question about why did Sarah laugh, that must have shaken her up as she would at that point realize that only God could have known, since she only laughed to herself. The text says she denied the accusation, the Hebrew word translated as ‘denied’ is ‘teḵǎ·ḥēš’,[4] is another first appearance; it carries the idea of deception and can be translated as lied, false, or deny. Her response may have been a nervous reply as the text states says she was afraid, perhaps even embarrassed by the inquiry. God said “no” to her denial and repeated that she did indeed laugh.
When God asked about Sarah’s laughter, He appends the question with another question, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” These words align nicely with words Jesus spoke, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Truly some of the more comforting words in the Bible. Regardless of the task, God is able!
18:16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 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? 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.” 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.”
Stopping to see and visit with Abraham and Sarah were not the only items on the agenda that day. The three visitors looked down toward Sodom, apparently Mamre was high enough and had a clear view of the Jordan Valley (see Genesis 19:27-28). Abraham joined them and walked with them for a while. God informed Abraham that since he will be a great and mighty nation himself, he will need to show his people the way of God by doing what is right and just, so that God may bring to them what God had promised him. God was about to demonstrate what happens to people if the way of God is not followed. Abraham was going to have a front-row seat to God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, as their sin was beyond toleration. This judgment serves as a model of condemnation and these city names are still used as metaphors for destruction and judgment today.
Since Sodom was the city where Abraham’s nephew Lot was living, he undoubtedly paid close attention to what God was saying. At this point there is no discussion regarding destruction. God stated that the “outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave,” making it sound like He needs to personally investigate the outcry. Just as in the situation with the Tower of Babel, God did not need to come down to evaluate the situation. This insight would give Abraham a chance to do something commonly known today as intercession.
Considerations
It was customary to provide visitors a meal, especially if their visit was during a mealtime. Eating a meal together was an expression of hospitality, a tradition shared by many Middle Eastern cultures, even today. It is interesting to note that the se’ā(h[5]) is a unit of dry measure, considered one-third of an ephah (or bath), the conversion to modern units of measure varies widely depending on reference source, including 6.6 dry quarts, 7.7 liquid quarts, one and one-half pecks, 7.3 liters, etc. In any case, this would a significant amount of flour, especially multiplied by three. Many translations, including the Septuagint, refer to the se’ā(h) as a ‘measure’. Later in the New Testament, Jesus, in one of the seven “Kingdom Parables” of Matthew chapter 13, He references this custom: “He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” (Matthew 13:33) This short parable may be one of the more misunderstood parables of Jesus. As explained in the first Bible study tip above, the Bible is consistent on how words are used, the reference to leaven is not a favorable condition as ‘leaven’ is consistently related to sin and corruption. In this parable, Jesus is relaying the problem of sin entering the church, which aligns well with what Jesus and every New Testament epistle writer warned us about, the problem of false teaching.
Recorded in verses 17 and 18 Jesus (as a Christophany) asks, “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?” Who is He talking to? The two angels? It would seem they would already know this information. Was this a rhetorical question? Some believe He is talking to the other members of the Godhead (perhaps a flashback to a conversation in heaven),[6] others believe it was simply a statement in the form of a question. But perhaps a bigger question is what truth is verse 19 conveying? That verse has been used by some to support the idea that the Abrahamic Covenant is conditional and not unconditional. God is not requiring compliance to “the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice,” in order to fulfill or keep His promises given to Abraham, He is stating why He chose Abraham. The Christian Standard Bible renders the verse, “For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. This is how the LORD will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.” (Genesis 18:19, CSB) God knew that Abraham would instruct his family and those in his household the ways of God.
Intercession for Sodom
18:22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.
As the three visitors proceeded to travel towards Sodom, Abraham stopped before God while His companions continued on. After hearing about Sodom’s grave sin, Abraham, who was probably well aware of the moral condition of Sodom, undoubtedly recognized that judgment was soon to follow. Knowing that his nephew Lot was living in Sodom and since God considered Lot to be a "righteous man" (see 2 Peter 2:8), Abraham stops God and attempts to intervene on behalf of Lot and his family.
18:23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
While some consider this and the following ten verses to be a form of negotiation or bargaining, it is an example and model of intercessory prayer. Instead of praying to God, Abraham has an opportunity to stand boldly in front of God and face-to-face make his intercessions known. Note his actions, he was willing to stop God and plead his case, the very definition of the Yiddish term ‘chutzpah’!
18:24 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?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
In what might be called as an aggressive approach, Abraham begins with a question to God regarding the city’s fate if He finds fifty righteous people there when He arrives. God patiently and lovingly responds by saying He would not destroy the city.
18:27 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.
Seeing that God responded favorably regarding sparing Sodom for the sake of fifty righteous, and possibly realizing that he is standing before God, the Creator Himself, Abraham continues to inquire, and at each iteration lowering the number, first to 45, then 40, then 30, and then 20. Then at twenty Abraham may have thought he was “pushing his luck,” and says he will only ask one more time, asking how about for ten? The LORD again responded that He would not destroy the city if ten righteous people were found. Abraham then returned home.
God does not want to judge and destroy cities or people if there is a chance they will repent of their sins (see Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9). We see this character of God reflected in this dialog between Him and Abraham. Many wonder what God would have said if Abraham continued lowering the number, like down to just one righteous? Since we know His character, we can safely say, He would remove them prior to destruction (which is exactly what He will do next). This insight about God’s character regarding judgment, is vital to understand the book of Revelation and the end times.
Considerations
As believers we are called to be intercessors for others. The apostle Paul in his first letter to his protege Timothy wrote: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-7) The Greek word translated as ‘intercessions’, is ‘enteuxeis’,[7] which refers to “meeting with” or a “coming together” to address God for others. Paul is giving us instruction on how to pray, including the need to pray for others.
In this first example of intercessory prayer in the Bible, we see that Abraham was not only persistent but, since he understood the righteous character and love of God, he boldly stood before Him with confidence. As Christians we should be just as bold and confident before God, with prayers that conform to the character and nature of God as revealed to us through His Son and Word.
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[1] See commentary under Genesis 3:8-10.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 7812.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 4116.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 3584.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 5429.
[6] See Appendix 1 – Literary Devices in the Bible.
[7] Strong’s Greek 1783.