Genesis 18
God Appears to Abraham as 3 Men
The Existing One appeared to him by Mamre’s big tree while he was sitting by the door of his tent during the heat of the day. When he looked up he saw three men standing there. When he saw them, he quickly ran to meet them and bowed at their feet. He said,
“My superior, if I’ve found favor in your sight, then please don’t pass me by. Please let me bring some water to wash your feet. Rest yourselves under the tree, and I’ll bring some food for you. Then you can continue on since you will have visited with your servant.”
They said,
“Okay, go ahead.”
So Abraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah,
“Quick! Get 3 scoops of flour and make some hot cakes!”
Then he ran to the livestock and chose a young, good-looking calf for his worker to prepare as quickly as he could. When the food was ready, he brought it to the men with butter and cheese, and he stood next to them under the tree as they ate.
God Predicts Isaac’s Birth; Sarah Laughs
Then they asked,
“Where’s your wife, Sarah?”
Abraham answered,
“There, inside the tent.”
God said,
“I’ll visit you again this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”
His back was to the tent, but Sarah heard him from the doorway. Abraham and Sarah were elderly, and Sarah’s window for getting pregnant had closed. Sarah laughed to herself and thought,
“Will I really experience the delight of parenthood now that our lives and bodies have been completely spent?”
Then the Existing One asked Abraham,
“Why did Sarah laugh and ask if she would really have a child at this age? Would that be too far out of the ordinary for the Self-Existing One? I’ll come back at the appointed time next year, and sure enough, your wife Sarah will have a son.”
Sarah was struck with fear, so she denied it and said,
“I didn’t laugh!”
And God said,
“Oh, but you did!”
God Wants to Destroy Sodom; Abraham Intervenes
After that, the men stood up and looked out toward Sodom. As Abraham walked with them to send them off, the Existing One said,
“Abraham, should I tell you what I’m about to do? Or should I keep it a secret since you will grow into a significant country? After all, you have something inside of you right now that will end up blessing every country in the entire world. The reason why I’ve chosen to be close with you is so you can teach your household and descendants to live in line with my ways. Teach them to live suitable, upright lives so that I can bring about the things I said about you.”
Then God said,
“Sodom and Gomorrah have really making a big commotion, and their corruption has grown monumentally. I’ll go down there and see if they’ve finished acting out. I’ll be able to tell if their outburst is over or not.”
Then the man left toward Sodom while Abraham was still standing with the Existing One. Abraham leaned closer and asked,
“Are you really gonna destroy the good people in Sodom along with the bad ones? What if there are 50 upright people living there? Would you still destroy the entire city, or would you spare it for the sake of the good people?
“Killing the good people along with the bad ones doesn’t seem like something you would do. It seems out of character for you to treat good and bad people the same way. Shouldn’t the ruler of the entire world do things fairly?”
The Existing One answered,
“If I find 50 upright people in Sodom, then I’ll spare the entire city on their behalf.”
Abraham replied,
“I am dirt and ashes, so I realize that I’m really venturing out just by asking you this, but what if there are only 45 upright people? Would you still destroy the entire city?”
God said,
“I won’t destroy it if I find 45 upright people there.”
Abraham said,
“What about 40?”
God said,
“I won’t destroy it.”
Abraham said,
“Please don’t get mad at me for asking, but what about 30?”
God said,
‘I won’t destroy it.”
Abraham said,
“If I may ask again, what about 20?”
God said,
“I won’t destroy it.”
Abraham said,
“Please don’t get mad. This will be the last time I ask, but what if there are only 10?”
God said,
“I won’t destroy the city on the behalf of those 10.”
After they had finished speaking, the Existing One left, and Abraham went back inside.