Genesis 18:1–33

Look at the amazing scene in the opening verses of Genesis 18. We cannot escape the conviction that the truth of circumcision, presented in the previous chapter, must be learned and accepted before the high privilege described here can be enjoyed. Here God not only appears to Abraham. He openly links Himself with him, in a setting designed to show how great His pleasure is in doing so.

God has made Himself known to him, and the result of this is communion. Abraham draws no strength of his own from this; he is on his face. But he has the blessed familiarity of relationship. Does He now ask Abraham what he wants? No! He gives him a sign of death and resurrection in circumcision. Then in the next chapter do we find him talking about himself? No! Instead he is pleading for others.

The style of His coming is as noticeable as everything else: there is no distance, there is intimacy. It is three men who come — in fact, two angels, and One before whom the angels veil their faces. But they come as men, and they keep that place. This stands out all the more because the two who left Abraham as men are called angels when they reach Sodom in the next chapter. Clearly this difference has meaning in it. How sweet a foreshadowing of what was to take place in due time — the One in whom faith sees the glory of Immanuel came to live among us in flesh, and to faith He is no longer only a Visitor.

This appearance was unusual. It was unlike any earlier one, because "three men" approached, and it came "in the heat of the day," just when no one would pay a visit in the ordinary way. Abraham's hospitality rose to the occasion, and he entertained angels without knowing it, as Hebrews 13:2 puts it. It was even more than that, for one of the three was Jehovah Himself appearing to him.

It teaches us a great deal to see the honour put here on the character and condition of the stranger. In the whole wide world there was just one spot where the Lord could accept hospitality and make Himself at home. That spot was the tent of a pilgrim and stranger. The Lord would not honour the splendid halls and princely palaces of Egypt with His presence. No. All His sympathies and all His affections hung around the stranger of Mamre. In the middle of an evil world, he alone could be persuaded to take God for his portion.

There seems to have been no outward sign by which Abraham, or anyone else, could have known that Jehovah was present. All the world would have seen was three men at his tent door. But Abraham had the discernment of a man of faith who walks near to God. He tells the LORD apart from the two angels, bows to the ground in reverence, and speaks to Him directly.

God is about to judge the world, and He now appears to Abraham to give him the immediate promise of the son who is coming... Now Jehovah will deal with Abraham as a man deals with his friend. He speaks with Abraham about what concerned the world, not himself. It is not Abraham's wants, or even Abraham's walk, but the purpose of God which He would have him know, opening His thoughts and plans to him... What a place of privilege and blessing! It is not worship. It is not a call to follow where the Lord led. All of that had its place. It is communion — personal conversation with God about what concerns Himself and His ways.

The manner of His coming is striking. Abraham looks up and sees that "three men were standing in front of him." As the story goes on we learn that two of them were angels. Later they appear as angels in the gate of Sodom (Gen. 19:1). The other, we know, was none less than the LORD Himself, appearing in human form. It points forward to the time when the Son of God becomes man and lives among people.

The style of His coming is as noticeable as everything else. There is no distance; there is intimacy. Three men come: in fact, two angels, and One before whom the angels veil their faces. But they come as men, and keep this place.

Here again the Lord appears, though we may notice this special feature about it now, that He leaves it to Abraham to find out Who was visiting him. There is no outward token of the majesty of His presence — no special intimation betrays Who was there. Notice also that this time the Lord came Himself, with two others who no doubt looked much like Him.

And Abraham's practiced heart knew under all disguises Him who stood there. We learn this plainly from the first words with which he welcomes One whom yet in this garb he has never seen before. "Lord," he says, distinguishing Him by a title only given to God…

He ran to meet them, though he was not a young man. The energy of his faith and affection for the Lord is lovely to observe. He bowed himself to the earth and begged the Lord to stay and accept his hospitality. He offered water to wash their feet and asked them to rest in the shade of the tree.

See the character of Abraham: it is very lovely — genuine lowliness, but remarkable dignity.

The word used most often for worship is proskuneo. It comes from pros and kuneo, "to fawn or crouch," and "to kiss." Its first use in Scripture is in Genesis 18:2 in the Greek Old Testament, when Abraham bows to the ground… It covers every act of outward honour, such as kneeling or bowing low. People gave such honour to kings and other superiors, and also to a divine person, or to one they treated as such.

In Genesis 18:1, Abraham comes before us as sitting in his tent door. In Genesis 19:1, Lot sits "in the gate of Sodom." One believer is outside the world as a true pilgrim, with his tent. The other is not only in the world; he takes a share in running it. He sits in the gate — the place of judgment.

It is plain therefore, that it was not in the least on the ground of previous knowledge, or of social equality. If he had treated the stranger with suspicion, that would have ruled out the whole welcome that God's word records from long ago and urges now. So in faith and love Abraham received into hospitality, not angels only, but Jehovah Himself in the guise of man. Hospitality like this was not meant to be shelved, or merely admired as a virtue of long-ago saints.

Abraham looks up and sees that "three men were standing in front of him." As the story goes on we learn that two were angels. They appear as angels later, in the gate of Sodom (Genesis 19:1). The other, we know, was none less than the LORD Himself, appearing in human form. This points ahead to the time when the Son of God becomes man and lives among people.

The whole contrast rests on where these two men are placed. One is in the door of his tent at Mamre; the other is in the gate of Sodom. In the first we still see the persistent pilgrim. In the second we see a man who has been untrue to his pilgrim life, and has settled down among the pollutions of a sinful world.

Abraham's trained heart knew, under every disguise, the One who stood there. We learn this from the first words he uses to welcome One he has never seen in this form before. "Lord," he says, giving Him a title used for God alone, "if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant."

At this time there seems no reason to suppose that Abraham had any knowledge, or even suspicion, of who it was. We shall find how soon he does work it out and knows it. But he behaves exactly as he should. He would not say it out loud. He does not break through the disguise that Jehovah had chosen to take on.

From Genesis 18 we learn the remarkable fact that the Lord seeks the company of those who, appreciating Him, are ready to accept an opportunity to minister to Him. We read, "refresh yourselves… since you have come to your servant." Abraham's moral fitness is most important to note. God had called him out. He obeyed. He lived as a stranger, looking for a city (see Hebrews 11:8-10). And he was circumcised — the flesh put to death (Genesis 17).

Here, too, we have the first mention of feet washing in Scripture. Here, as elsewhere, the point of washing feet is to refresh the one whose feet are washed. Abraham has the high privilege of washing the feet of the One who, in years to come, will become flesh. And in the greatness of the love that delights to serve others, He will stoop in grace to wash His poor disciples' feet.

The Lord comes to Abraham as he was sitting at the door of his tent near Hebron. Like one who knew Him well, Abraham rises and worships, and offers to get some refreshment ready for Him… So Abraham enjoys the grace in which he stood. The presence of God is his home… They rise together from under the tree where they shared the meal. As they walk on together, the Lord tells Abraham His secrets.

Washing the feet was one of the duties of hospitality. The Lord rebukes His host in Luke 7 for neglecting it. See 1 Timothy 5:10. It gave the guest two benefits, I may say. It cleansed the traveller after the dirt of the journey, and refreshed him after the tiredness of it.

It was the custom of the country. If a man invited you to his house, the first thing he would do was provide water for the feet. In Genesis 18:3-4 Abraham did this; in Luke 7 the Lord reproaches Simon because he did not. Here the Lord takes the place of host and provides the water, and He also takes the slave's post and washes their feet.

He does not limit himself to the one he first spoke to. He is thinking of what was needed, not only out of courtesy but out of love.

The mystery here is clearly intentional. Abraham's perception of faith, and his already exercised spiritual mind, are instructive and divine. He knew he was dealing with One who visited him in this way. But until the Lord reveals Himself, Abraham acts towards Him in the way He comes. This was true deference and heavenly fitness. Because of it, he receives the fruit: the Lord's gracious familiarity with him.

What lovelier picture do we have in Genesis than the visit of the three strangers to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8)? He sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. The faithful patriarch sees these strangers draw near, and is quick to offer them the hospitality of his home. One of them is the living God; the other two are His angels, whom He will shortly send on other service. The holy God accepts the hospitality offered, and becomes a guest in the tent of Abraham the pilgrim.

Genesis 18 teaches us a remarkable fact. The Lord seeks the company of those who appreciate Him and are ready to take an opportunity to serve Him. Abraham's moral fitness is very important to notice. God had called him out. He was obedient. He lived as a stranger, looking for a city (see Hebrews 11:8-10). He was circumcised — the flesh put to death (Genesis 17).

Feet-washing is His own service at heart, yet He often carries it out through others. So He puts us under the obligation, and gives us the privilege, of washing one another's feet. It is a blessed service. It is not done by trying to correct one another (however necessary that is at times), still less by finding fault. It is done by ministering Christ to one another, for only a ministry of Christ will bring refreshment to a weary soul.

Their presence stirred him into activity at a time when he would usually have wanted quiet rest. Though three men appeared, it came out afterwards that two were angels and One was the Lord Himself. God rewarded the patriarch richly. He made known to him what He was about to do.

The special privilege here was that God Himself agreed to be the guest of Abraham. More than that, He treats him as His close friend. He stamps on Abraham forever that remarkable title, "the friend of God," which comes from this very chapter.

At this time there seems no reason to suppose that Abraham had any knowledge, or even suspicion, of who it was. We shall find how soon he does work it out and becomes conscious of it. But his behaviour is exactly right. He would not speak out openly; he does not break the disguise that the Lord chose to take.

And Abraham's practiced heart knew, under every disguise, the One who stood there. We learn this plainly from the first words with which he welcomes One whom, in this dress, he has never seen before. "Lord," he says, marking Him out by a title given only to God.

In beautiful confidence of faith, Abraham meets the One who has come to him as man, and as man gives Him a human welcome. He receives Him as He comes and puts before Him whatever he has — and the Lord accepts without hesitating.

From Genesis 18 we learn the remarkable fact that the Lord seeks the company of those who, valuing Him, are ready to take an opportunity to minister to Him. We read, "comfort your hearts … for this is why you have come to your servant." … Notice his readiness, and his household's too. "He ran," v. 2; "hastened," v. 6; "make ready quickly," v. 6; "ran," v. 7; "hurried to prepare it," v. 7.

Lot says the two men had come to his home for protection. Abraham's words in Genesis 18:5 are very different. He understood that his visitors had come to have their hearts comforted by his fellowship.

The most complete separation to the Lord does nothing to hinder the largest and most active kindness — not only to the people of God, but to all men. At this time Abraham did not know who or what his visitors might be. He only saw three men, and his heart went out to them at once.

We too can enjoy, in the simplicity of faith, communion with the blessed Lord in what speaks of Himself. These "three measures of fine flour" and the "calf tender and good" speak of none other than Christ Himself. Occupation with Christ is still the essential requirement for communion with Him.

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). … Richly was the patriarch rewarded. God made known to him what He was about to do, having first confirmed the promise of a son by Sarah, fixing now the date of his birth (Genesis 18:10). And when He told Abraham of the coming overthrow of Sodom, He let him plead with Him to spare it if only ten righteous people were found there.

It is deeply instructive to see the honour put here on the character and condition of the stranger. In the whole wide world there was just one place where the Lord could accept hospitality and make Himself at home. That place was the tent of a pilgrim and a stranger. The Lord would not honour the splendid halls and princely palaces of Egypt with His presence. No. All His sympathies and affections gathered around the stranger of Mamre. In the middle of an evil world, he was the only man who could be persuaded to take God for his portion.

Genesis 18 teaches us a remarkable fact. The Lord seeks the company of those who appreciate Him and are ready to take an opportunity to minister to Him. We read, "refresh yourselves … since you have come to your servant." The moral fitness of Abraham is very important to notice. He was called out. He was obedient. He lived as a stranger in the land. He was looking for a city (see Hebrews 11:8-10). He was circumcised — the flesh put to death (Genesis 17). We also see his fitness to meet his Lord's desire in the way he serves and in the food he provides.

Let us not forget, dear Christian readers, that one of the marks of faith is to hurry. Abraham hurried when it was a matter of the Lord's service (Genesis 18:6-8); Zacchaeus did when the Saviour invited him to welcome Him into his house (Luke 19:6); Mary did when the Lord called her to come to Him (John 11:29). If it concerns Him and His Person, can we ever hurry enough? But on the other hand, should we not keep clear of the haste that so often marks the flesh and the old man? "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood."

People made bread from wheat flour, or from wheat and barley mixed, or, if they were poor, from barley only. They usually made it in thin cakes, which could bake very quickly when a visitor arrived. Genesis 18:6; Genesis 19:3; 1 Samuel 28:24.

First, the three measures of meal tell of Christ personally. The "meal" is not merely that: it is the "fine flour" of the meal offering later on, which we all know represents Him. It is Christ as man, the Bread of life, the food of His people. But then what are the "three measures"? What is the measure of the Man Christ Jesus? Surely nothing less than this: "in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." Is this not what the number three speaks of — the number of the Trinity, that is, of divine fullness?

The three measures of fine meal set out the Person of the Lord as the One in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt. He was God manifest in the flesh. In contrast, the parable in Matthew 13 shows the same three measures of meal mixed through with leaven. That foretells the pollution of this mystery of godliness by the disobedient church.

But in fact, if we translate these figures, Abraham has something that may well bring the Lord in to have communion with us, wherever He finds it. These "three measures of fine meal," and this "calf, tender and good" — do you not recognise them? Surely wherever such food is found, the Lord will still keep company there. These things speak of Christ. Occupation with Christ is still the essential and only condition for communion.

There was no outward sign, it seems, by which Abraham, or anyone else, could have recognised the presence of the LORD. All that the world would have seen were three men at his tent door. Abraham had the spiritual discernment of a man of faith who walks near to God. So he distinguishes the LORD from the two angels, bows to the ground in reverence, and speaks to Him directly.

Outwardly it was simple patriarchal preparation for passing strangers. Some, not forgetting to entertain strangers, have entertained angels without knowing it. It was Abraham's honour to entertain the LORD.

Let us not forget, dear Christian readers, that one of faith's characteristics is to hasten. Abraham made haste when it was a matter of the Lord's service (Gen. 18:6-8). Zacchaeus did so when the Saviour invited him to receive Him into his house (Luke 19:6). Mary did so when the Lord called her to come to Him (John 11:29). If it is a matter of Him and of His Person, can we ever hasten enough? But on the other hand, should we not keep ourselves from the haste that so often marks the flesh and the old man? "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood."

The "calf" — not necessarily what the word suggests to us, but a young, fresh animal — reminds us just as clearly of Him who was the true and perfect Workman for God. And here that mystery is told out once more. We saw God begin to press it on man after the flood: life given up must sustain life.

Abraham then calls for a calf tender and good. This speaks of the work of the Lord Jesus and His character as a servant. In Luke 15 a fattened calf is the food of the Father and His now-living son. How precious is the communion suggested there! They feed on the gathered excellencies of the One who so willingly undertook the will of God, even to death. But if Luke gives us the thought of "fattened", in Genesis we have the ideas of tender and good. The order Abraham takes shows spiritual growth: first the meal pictures His Person, then the calf His work, then the milk the riches of the inheritance.

In that patriarchal household there was simple, unquestioning, swift and willing obedience everywhere. The Lord delights to visit such homes, for He is a God of order. No wonder then that He, having seen Abraham's well-ordered household, where everybody and everything was in its proper sphere, should say, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?"

Their arrival stirred him into action at a time when he would normally have wanted quiet rest. He first ran to meet them. Next he hurried to Sarah's tent to order preparations for entertaining them. Then he himself ran to the herd and took a calf to be killed for the meal. After that, when it was ready, he waited on them. Readiness to show hospitality marked him that day. And though three men had appeared, it later came out that two were angels, and One was the Lord Himself. Richly was the patriarch rewarded. God made known to him what He was about to do. First He confirmed the promise of a son by Sarah, and fixed the date of his birth. Then He told Abraham of the coming overthrow of Sodom. He even allowed him to plead with Him to spare it, if only ten righteous people were found in it.

These "three measures of fine meal," and this "calf, tender and good" — do you not recognise them? Surely the Lord will still keep company wherever such food is found. These things speak of Christ. Being occupied with Christ is still the essential and only requirement for communion.

This was curdled milk... Curdled milk is a common drink in the East, and when mixed with honey it is very pleasant.

Here God comes as near to taking flesh as was possible beforehand. If there is one thing that marks a man as one with others, it is sitting at the same table in social company. This is what the Lord does here. It is one of the very things in which an unbeliever finds enormous difficulty: but what is poison to an unbeliever is the food and joy of faith. Where faith receives it, we rejoice that God is at Abraham's table, sharing his hospitality, with His angels around Him — all in the appearance of men.

To this objector, God's gracious closeness and fellowship with Abraham is nothing but a physical question of eating. Yet that closeness won Abraham the glorious title "friend of God." It is astonishing how this way of thinking cheapens everything it touches... Abraham was not yet able to know the high spiritual privileges that God's stooping so low prepared the way for. But in this God did the main thing that was needed. He assured His servant's heart, in a way he could grasp and feel, of His interest in him, His affection and, I may say, His confidence.

The faith that recognises Him entertains Him with the same simplicity. There is none of the unbelieving cry so often heard, "We have seen God, and we shall die." In beautiful confidence of faith he meets Him who has come to him as man, and as man gives Him a human welcome. If He stoops to come this way, Abraham will not say, "Far be it from You, Lord." He receives Him as He comes. He puts before Him whatever he has, and the Lord accepts it without hesitation.

I cannot find that Abraham even straightened his clothes before appearing in front of the Lord Almighty. His best and his worst were not so far apart as to make him think of it. There was no getting himself ready to appear before the One who knew him through and through. Just as he was, whatever he was, the love that met him was worth receiving, then and there. It was all the sweeter and more wonderful the more unworthy he was.

The calf speaks of Christ in His patient, lowly service, and His blood shed in sacrifice. Milk symbolises the word of God in its simplest form. Butter is the cream of that milk, churned and made solid. So butter pictures the word of God becoming solid and real to someone who is exercised by it. How good such food is! Let us always keep in mind, too, that the heart of God is delighted with whatever speaks to Him of His beloved Son.

Abraham enjoys the grace in which he stands. The presence of God is his home... But being there, he is ready to take a further walk in the company of his divine Master. And so he does. They rise together from under the tree where the feast was shared; and as they go on together, the Lord tells Abraham His secrets.

Today we may walk in the still deeper knowledge of God revealed as Father. If we do, is it not possible for believers to enjoy this sweet and intimate fellowship with divine Persons? Not in the particular way the LORD appeared to Abraham. But by the Spirit, who has come from the Father, we can be led into the most blessed communion. We may know little of it, but it can be known.

Outwardly it was simple preparation for passing strangers. Some people have welcomed strangers and, without knowing it, have entertained angels. It was Abraham's honour to entertain Jehovah. In due time he hears the question put to him, which I think is the point where he enters into the spirit of the divine action: "Where is Sarah your wife?" … Could Abraham be ignorant any longer whose voice this was? Even so, Abraham does not speak before the right time. If Jehovah was pleased to appear there with two of His servants, and to put them in the ordinary form of men, it was certainly not for the faithful to break the silence Jehovah kept.

The Lord uses this moment of holy closeness to confirm Abraham's faith. He assures him that his son will be born. This concerns Sarah, so the LORD asks, "Where is Sarah your wife?" Then the LORD says, "I will certainly return to you at this time of the year; and look, Sarah your wife shall have a son." Only a Divine Person could have spoken like that. From anyone else it would have been mere presumption. We cannot count on a single day. God can say, "I will certainly return."

But the Lord had a message for Sarah too. He asks Abraham where she was. He surely meant this to catch Sarah's attention, especially when He named her (v. 9). So she understood well what the Lord then said to Abraham.

But we return to Sarah, for she, not Abraham, is just now the sweet and attractive object of our attention. She stayed modestly and quietly inside the tent. That did not rob her of the attention and honour given by her heavenly master and His two companions.

Many women say, "This does not satisfy me. Why should I stay at home? My career is out there." … Genesis, the book of beginnings, gives us an example in chapter 18 where we read of Abraham's three visitors. We find him outside the tent when they visit, but Sarah is inside, because that was her place.

But the one most closely concerned did not have Abraham's sense of God's presence. Her heart was not as ready for it. … We hear of her during this conversation behind the door. I dare say she ought not to have been there, but there she was. She was where she should not have been. Need we wonder that she gave way to feelings that little suited her? She laughed in doubt of the word. Could any of us imagine Abraham behind a door? Was there not a simple dignity in him that could never hide and listen behind a door?

Sarah then betrays her weakness of faith in Him for whom nothing is too hard, and receives a gentle rebuke from the Lord for her unbelief. But I find something wonderfully beautiful here. Scripture never mentions Sarah's failure. It is not in that most instructive eleventh chapter of Hebrews, where Sarah has obtained a good report. It is not in that beautiful passage in Peter's first letter either. And why? … because Sarah's obedience was that "of a meek and quiet spirit"; it was an obedience of the heart.

On the surface it was simple, ordinary hospitality for passing strangers. Some people, you know, welcoming strangers, have welcomed angels without knowing it. It was Abraham's honour to welcome the LORD. In time he hears the question put to him. That, I think, is the point where he enters into the spirit of what God is doing: "Where is Sarah your wife?" And He said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." Could Abraham still not know whose voice this was?

He asks Abraham where she is, surely meaning to catch Sarah's attention, especially by naming her (v. 9). So she understood well what the Lord said to Abraham.

The Lord uses this moment of holy closeness to strengthen Abraham's faith. He assures him that his son will be born... For anyone but a Divine Person to speak that way would have been sheer presumption. We cannot count on a single day. God can say, "I will surely return." So the LORD's own words settle Abraham's faith. And the Lord still delights to steady our trembling hearts with the sure word of the One who can say, "I will." "I will come again and will take you to myself." "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:3, 18).

"I will surely return to you." Was this lost on Abraham? Certainly not — all the more now that his long-held hope is about to enjoy a promise that is specific and, I might say, dated. If it seemed vague before, from then on it was clear and defined.

Abraham hears this great promise fully aware of the glory of the One who speaks. So he shows no surprise, raises no objections, and voices no doubt. Sarah stands in sharp contrast. Her faith and discernment do not match her husband's. She hears the words, but she has little sense of the glory of the Speaker. She doubts them because of what she finds in herself.

Sarah was now to be tested. The promise of a son came where she could hear it. She laughed too, but she thought her laugh was hidden from others. It clearly held unbelief in it, so she tried to deny it. The Lord knew, however. Her unbelieving question only drew from Him the great question, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Nothing was too hard, for He had lately revealed Himself to her husband as "God Almighty," though she had not yet grasped it... and later Sarah did grasp it, or we would not have the words: "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive" (Heb. 11:11).

With Isaac we see the blessing secured on the principle of God's own sovereign choice and grace, for the word is, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." Ishmael was the child of the flesh, but Isaac was the child of promise. The words "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son" make it perfectly plain that this promise came by sovereign grace.

Sarah shows here how weak her faith is in Him, for Whom nothing is too hard, and the Lord gently rebukes her unbelief. But I find something very beautiful in a simple fact. The eleventh chapter of the letter to the Hebrews says nothing at all about Sarah's failure, and neither does that lovely passage in the first letter of the apostle Peter.

God's purpose, or secret, or covenant, rested on resurrection. It rested on setting aside the flesh in its strength and resources. It rested on doing something beyond and above nature. That is the same thing as resurrection — life given to Sarah's dead and powerless body. And so Isaac is born out of the dead bodies of Abraham and Sarah.

She hears what is said, but has little sense of the glory of the Speaker. She doubts what is said because of what she finds in herself. She is old and her body is worn out. So she argues that what the Lord has said cannot come true. In her heart she laughs in unbelief at the very idea of having a son.

Sarah's laughter when the son is promised to her is the laughter of unbelief. She looked to her womb, which was a grave. Her laughter became the occasion of that wonderful word the Lord spoke: "Is anything too hard for the LORD?"

He was on the other side of the door. He soon showed that no door could keep Him from knowing what passed in Sarah's heart, or where she was. How surprising it must have been to her, and how sharp the rebuke, though it was given without a harsh word! "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" How good it is to train ourselves in this one answer to every difficulty! This is why we are called to walk by faith, not by sight. God never intended a Christian, or His church, to be exempt from difficulties.

Nothing was too hard. He had just revealed Himself to her husband as "God Almighty," though she had not yet grasped it. Jeremiah grasped it in his day (Jer. 32:17), and in time Sarah did too, or we would not have the statement: "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive" (Heb. 11:11).

The promise of God was beyond hope, and contrary to it, if he reasoned from himself and Sarah. Yet he believed in hope, because God had declared that he would have offspring as many as the stars and the sand. Faith reasons from God and His word, not from self or circumstances.

So Isaac's birth was the occasion of joy, as his very name implies. Sarah laughed no more in unbelief, as she once had (Gen. 18:12-15), but with gladness of heart, sharing it with all who hear of the goodness of the Lord. It is a lovely witness to the power of grace when faith gives the victory in what had been one's weakness, and sin, and shame.

Here is fruit beyond calculation, and certainly beyond the limits of Sarah's own hopes. Natural hope was dead, so that long before this she had given up any such expectation. In this way God teaches that He alone is the true Resource of His saints. The fruit of faith's submission is far greater than it appears at the time, or perhaps for years afterwards.

Abraham hears this great promise, and he fully realises the glory of the One who is speaking. So he expresses no astonishment, raises no difficulties, and expresses no doubt. In sharp contrast, Sarah's faith and discernment are not equal to her husband's. She hears the words, but has little sense of the glory of the Speaker. She doubts them because of what she finds in herself. She is old and her body is worn out. So she argues that what the Lord has said cannot come true. In her heart she laughs in unbelief at the very suggestion of having a son.

Sarah was now to be tested, and the announcement of the birth of a son came where she could hear it. Her response was also a laugh, but one she thought nobody else knew about. It clearly did have an element of unbelief in it, since she tried to deny it. It was known to the Lord, however. Sarah's unbelieving question only drew from Him the great question, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Nothing was too hard. He had recently revealed Himself to her husband as "God Almighty," though she had not yet grasped it. Sarah did grasp it in time, or we would not have the statement: "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive" (Hebrews 11:11).

Adon (lord) first occurs in Genesis 18:12, where Sarah speaks of Abraham as "her lord." And 1 Peter 3:6 says, "as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord." This sense is acknowledged deference to the one addressed. The superiority may belong to a position within a relationship, as of a husband addressed by a wife, or of a servant to a master, or of a subject to a king. That is the common use.

It is clear from these words that Sarah's words as well as her laughter were within herself, that is, not spoken aloud. So Sarah's words "my lord," used of her husband, were not said out loud at the time. She only said them inside herself. What a proof, then! With her those words were not a meaningless confession of the lips. They came from the thoroughly submissive and obedient heart of a truly godly wife.

It is only in Hebrews 11 that we find mention of Sarah's faith. You look in vain in the Old Testament narrative for any evidence of faith on her part. How good it is to remember that God's eye can detect what we cannot! ... She laughed; and when the Lord spoke to her, she denied it. So the two things that marked her at that time were unbelief and untruthfulness. This seems most unpromising soil for any plant of faith to grow in; and yet God could see there the elements of a faith which in His sight was of great price.

"And Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." She had laughed at first when Jehovah announced the set time for her to become a mother. She added the shame of untruth when charged with it (Genesis 18). But here grace changes everything. God, she owns, made her laugh now. It was no longer within herself, but from Him; and others who heard would share her joy.

Perhaps it was then that the first word, showing the divine power of Him who chose to be there, fell on Abraham's attentive ear. "I will surely return to you." It does not suit man to talk of surely returning. Was this lost on Abraham? Of course not. His long-cherished hope was now to enjoy a promise with a stated and, I may say, dated fulfilment: "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." If it seemed vague before, it was now clear and fixed.

Abraham hears this great promise with a full sense of the glory of the One who speaks. So he shows no astonishment, raises no objections, and expresses no doubt. In sharp contrast, Sarah's faith and discernment are not equal to her husband's. She hears the words, but has little sense of the glory of the Speaker. She doubts them because of what she finds in herself... She is rebuked for her unbelief, and Abraham is reminded that nothing is too hard for the Lord, however impossible the promise looks on natural ground.

Sarah's unbelieving question only drew from Him the great question, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Nothing was too hard. He had just revealed Himself to her husband as "the Almighty God," though she had not grasped it yet. Jeremiah grasped it in his day (Jer. 32:17), and Sarah soon did too. Otherwise we would not read: "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive" (Heb. 11:11).

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" is the Lord's challenge to Jeremiah on that occasion, as it is to Sarah in Genesis 18. Sarah did not know how she could have a child, for her body was then dead. She did not know the resurrection-strength of God. Jeremiah was spending his money on a piece of ground then held by the enemy. He did not know how he could ever get its value back, for, like Sarah, he did not know the resurrection-strength of God.

Everything on man's side having broken down, we learn that the "set time of which God had spoken" has come and the promised heir is born. He is called Isaac, meaning "laughter"... Everything takes place in God's set time, and according to God's Word.

But Sarah laughed in her disbelief. Then, once found out, she denied it: "I did not laugh." She denied it for the same reason that some of us may have had to blame ourselves for something no better. "She was afraid!" How often these sad departures from the truth come from nothing but a lack of moral courage! One thing would train the soul in unflinching and most careful truthfulness. It is what Abraham cultivated and Sarah failed in: being at home in the presence of God day by day.

But all this makes the grace of God so marked and cheering. We find her early failures entirely forgotten, and only the later triumph recorded here. What undeniable proof that He loves to speak well of His own! "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" He overturned all the thoughts and reasonings of her mind. Her doubts and her evasions deepened her self-judgment. His own word carried its own convincing light. From then on she "considered Him faithful who had promised." May we not ask, Is anything too good for the Lord?

But Sarah laughed in her disbelief. Then, convicted, she denied it, saying, "I did not laugh." She denied it for the same reason that some of us may have had to blame ourselves for doing the same. "She was afraid!" How often these sad departures from the truth come from nothing but the lack of moral courage! One thing trains the soul to be truthful without flinching: being at home in the presence of God, day after day. That is what Abraham cultivated, and what Sarah failed in.

There is also the laughter of unbelief. It fills our mouths when God's promises are too great for our narrow hearts to take in. Or when the visible means look too small, in our judgement, to carry out His grand designs... "But Sarah denied it, saying, 'I did not laugh,' for she was afraid." Unbelief makes us cowards and liars; faith makes us bold and truthful.

Charged with her unbelief, Sarah is ashamed to own the truth. As so often, fear of consequences leads to lying and deceit. She "denied, saying, I did not laugh." It may have been true that she did not laugh aloud. But she laughed in her heart. She has to learn that she is in the presence of One who can read the heart and see behind tent doors.

As soon as Sarah knew that God could see her heart, she was afraid and said that she did not laugh. Such a lie is no use before God. So He said, "No, but you did laugh." Oh, friends! please remember that God can see your inner hearts. Yet He loves you. He wants to take away your sins and to give you everlasting life.

In this particular case there was a lesson to be taught, and so God does not pass it by. He does not allow Sarah to simply say, "I did not laugh." So He says, "No, but you did laugh." His unmistakable voice brings the sin home. Oh, what a thought for Sarah afterwards, and how humbling! Not only did she lie — she dared to lie to God Himself. And her one meeting with Him left her this to reflect on! It was the last word that passed between her and God Himself.

What a God we have to do with! What patience, long-suffering, goodness! and this with (not merely a human being, but) a child of His! And His way is to let a word from Him act on her conscience. Never do we hear of any repetition of the evil on Sarah's part. It was a lesson not to be forgotten, yet how gracious!

The heavenly visitors came to the door of Abraham's tent. Sarah was listening behind the door to the astounding promise the Lord was giving to Abraham... She laughed; and when the Lord spoke to her, she denied it. So the two things that marked her at that time were unbelief and untruthfulness. This seems most unpromising soil for any plant of faith to grow in. Yet God could see there the makings of a faith that in His sight was of great price.

All this makes the grace of God stand out and cheer us. He completely forgets these early failures, and records only the later triumph here. How undeniable the proof that He loves to speak well of His own!... Her doubts, her evasions, deepened her self-judgment. His own word carried its own convincing light. From then on she counted the One who had promised to be faithful.

Here is another beautiful feature in Abraham, which also had its reward. His was not a mere hospitality that receives like a patron without going any further. In Abraham there was nothing of what we may call the condescension of a great man. We can scarcely call that true hospitality, or at least Christian hospitality... Genuine humility was there. With it came an unmistakable dignity of character, and no less true kindness, and lowly, persevering love. So he stays close to their steps, and no wonder. It was not merely a ready heart for a stranger. He felt the glory of his visitors, and of One among them especially.

It is not simply that everything is under the eye of God, which is always true, but this is the look that comes before judgment. The Lord came down to see before the judgment at Babel. Again He looked toward Sodom before its destruction (Gen. 18:16); and again we read that the Lord looked on the host of the Egyptians before their overthrow (Ex. 14:24).

God waits and bears long with the wickedness of men, but He is not indifferent to sin. It cries out to Him until at last it is ripe for judgment. But even so, the Lord is slow to judge. First we read of the two angels that they "looked down toward Sodom" (v. 16). Then they "went toward Sodom" (v. 22). Finally, "the two angels came to Sodom in the evening" (Gen. 19:1).

The Lord directed them in judgment, and Abraham went with them to show them the way. He is here the companion of the Lord and the confidant of His thoughts. And to us the Lord is not only the eternal spring of blessing to our souls, but He makes His saints His companions; not always, it is true, but still He does so. He makes us His companions by what He tells us. There is no happier or surer way to show love to someone than to share your thoughts and feelings with them.

But now the Lord has spoken that word of present fulfilment, and they rise up to go on their way. Now the Lord will deal with Abraham as a man deals with his friend. He speaks with Abraham about what did not concern himself but the world. It is not Abraham's needs, or even Abraham's walk, but the intention of God which He would have him know... It is communion, personal fellowship with God about what concerns Himself and His ways.

"Abraham went with them to set them on their way." That was all. He was entirely apart from the judgment about to fall on Sodom.

Here Abraham is seen as "the friend of God." "The servant does not know what his lord does." But the Lord told Abraham what He was about to do to Sodom. Lot was the one most deeply affected by that solemn event, yet he knew nothing of it.

One thing has struck me. Messages from angels never teach or help Abraham. The Lord Himself teaches him, or, what amounts to the same thing, the angel of the Lord does. But contact with Lot comes only through angels. So with the destruction of Sodom: the Lord appeared to Abraham, and the Lord spoke to Abraham. Only two angels visited Lot.

Through this faith we have fellowship with God, with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. He is not ashamed to call us His friends, as Abraham was called the friend of God. In business with the world, we say what has to be said about the matter in hand, as politely as we can. Once that is said, it is finished. With a friend, we open our minds. We speak of things that have nothing to do with business, of everything that is in our hearts. When Abraham was called the friend of God, God was not talking with him about the promises made to him. He was telling him all His intentions about the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So the Lord makes His ways and thoughts known to Abraham, as a man would to his friend. He reveals secrets to him that do not concern him. If they did concern him, Abraham would in a sense have a right to hear them, and the Lord would surely tell him. But he has no personal interest in the matters communicated. They are the Lord's thoughts and purposes about a city and a people Abraham had no contact with whatever. They were strangers to him and he to them — and that quite deliberately. So the Lord now deals with Abraham as a friend — not even as a disciple, much less as a sinner, but as a friend.

Here it is not a question of salvation, but of communion with the mind and purposes of God. Let Christian parents notice and seriously weigh this. When God was looking for a man to whom He could disclose His secret counsels, He chose one marked by the simple trait of "commanding his children and his household."

Do we not also see the connection between the man of God and the prophet? Men of God was their standing title, and Abraham too is called "a prophet." Amos says, "For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." To be with God is the way to see into the reality of things — even of the world itself.

Abraham enjoys the most intimate communion with the LORD, who reveals His counsels to him as to His friend. Intercession is the fruit of this revelation. Judgment falls on the world. Abraham stands on the top of the mountain and talks with God about the judgment that was to fall on the world below, where he was not. Lot had taken his place in that world, and he is saved, but only as through fire.

Lot could not intercede with God as Abraham did. He did not know what it was to draw near to God. He was too deeply caught up in Sodom's affairs to have communion with God. We cannot intercede with God on behalf of wrongdoers unless we are separate from them and know the intimacy of communion with God.

Man is naturally a great planner for the future down here. Knowing God's plan for the future is a fine antidote to man's planning and plans. And "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" contains one of God's ways in His dealings with the members of the household of faith, as much as with the father of the faithful. If the things which must soon take place are known to you and stay with you, the flesh will be judged. The world will be spoiled for you, and the very hope of the coming glory will break its gripping power over the natural mind.

The heavenly visitors set out toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them for some distance. That led to the incident in which we see Abraham as the friend of God. A mere servant does not know what his Lord is doing, as the Lord showed in John 15:15. A friend, though, has access to things kept secret from others.

In business with the world, we say what has to be said about the matter in hand, as politely as we can. Once that is said, it is over. With a friend, we open our minds. We speak of things that have nothing to do with business, of everything that is in our hearts. When Abraham was called the friend of God, God was not talking with him about the promises made to him. He was telling him all He intended to do in the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God gave the promise of blessing when His call first reached Abraham. That is in Genesis 12:3. Then in Genesis 18:18 He confirms it to him. Again, in Genesis 22:16-18 He enlarges the promise, and we find that it will be carried out through "the Seed," who is Christ... Once the Seed is introduced, He is never left out, because everything in the way of fulfilment depends on Him.

He was given the privilege not only of becoming a great nation, but also of being the forefather of the Messiah, in whom all the nations would be blessed.

God gave the promise to Abraham, and He will carry it out in his seed on earth in days to come. "I will make of you a great nation … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Here room is left for blessing to go out to the Gentiles. But note this: they are to be blessed in Abraham, and afterwards in his seed.

We know the use that the Spirit of God makes of this promise. He says, "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed'" (Galatians 3:8). Abraham did not, and could not, foresee how far the faith he acted on would reach when he answered God's call. But God foresaw that it was the one way of blessing for all the families of the earth. So now, in our small measure, only God can foresee how far the blessing to others may reach when one soul answers the call of God in simple, whole-hearted faith.

This is not a question of salvation, but of sharing the mind and purposes of God. Let the Christian parent notice this fact and weigh it. When God was looking for a man to whom He could reveal His secret counsels, He chose one who had this simple mark: he was "commanding his children and his household."

So he did not spare a thought for himself or his house. Like a true man of faith, he used his place in the presence of God to plead for a brother — a man whose love of the world had plunged him into the very middle of the place that God was about to give over to everlasting destruction.

"For I know him": was that ever said about Lot? It would have had a sorrowful meaning in Lot's case; it has a blessed one in Abraham's. For this is the knowledge of approval, of divine delight. It is the knowledge that prepared the way for Jehovah to trust him with His secrets. Abraham was the one to whom He could tell what no angel knew. Only the angels who had their orders from Him knew, and they were about to carry out His judgment.

Here it is not a question of salvation, but of communion with the mind and purposes of God. Christian parents should note and weigh this. When God was seeking out a man to whom He could disclose His secret counsels, He chose one with the simple mark of "commanding his children and his household."

More than this, the Lord knew Abraham well, and knew that Abraham would command his children and his household. This is just what God Himself does. Great numbers of people, by contrast, act irresponsibly in so serious a matter. And Abraham did not merely give orders to his children. His character and conduct were such that they respected him.

The Lord does look for the household to reflect the ways of God with the head of it… And I do not mean only the children, though the children have the nearer place. I mean servants too, if there are any in the house… where there are such servants, the same should be true of them. For what brings blessing among the children secures blessing among the servants. At any rate there should be godly order, even if the children or servants have not yet come to know God.

When I look at the whole record of God's dealings with His house, I find one constant mark. He uses power on the principle of righteousness. He set up His holy authority and has carried it out without ever backing down… Now the servant must always take his Master as his model. If God rules His house with power used in righteousness, so must I. If I differ from Him in any single detail of my conduct, I am wrong in that detail.

A believer's family is not exempt from the need of faith. The father's faith cannot stand in for the child's… Here is not a promise but an assurance. It rests on what his faith produced in practice, in this Old Testament example of faith. God had called him out of the idolatry around him to keep the way of the Lord. So he owned Him as the God of his household, and not only as his own God. With such purpose of heart, his house would prove the wise man's proverb true: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

It is a solemn truth, reader, that sin has a voice which cries to heaven for God's righteous retribution. The word of God, in both the Old Testament and the New, confirms it. God says to Cain, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground." God then pronounces judgment on Cain. … Further, in the New Testament: "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts" (James 5:4).

With such a rich hinterland, Sodom no doubt became prosperous, and its prosperity was the cause of its downfall. The Lord makes this clear through the prophet Ezekiel. He says to Israel, "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy" (Ezekiel 16:49). God in His goodness had given them prosperity to relieve those in need. Instead, they used their wealth to gratify themselves in gross wickedness.

Already we have learned that "the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD" (Genesis 13:13). Now we learn that their sin cried out to the Lord for judgment, for it was "very grave." God waits and bears long with the wickedness of men, but He is not indifferent to sin. It cries out to Him until at last it is ripe for judgment. But even so, the Lord is slow to judge. First we read that the two angels rose up and looked toward Sodom (v. 16). Then they "went toward Sodom" (v. 22). At last we read, "the two angels came to Sodom in the evening" (Genesis 19:1).

He is speaking here just as men speak. The Lord adopts the familiar language of everyday life, and stoops to fit Himself to what anyone could understand in a man. How God knows all things at once, without inquiry or investigation, is far beyond us. He condescends to speak this way so that Abraham might be fully at ease in His presence.

God would give us the serious lesson of never being hasty in judging evil; He knows well how quick we often are. Even God Himself will go down and see. Appearances deceive men at least, and God would teach us how to guard against mistakes. He loves patience in judgment.

When a soul is confident before God, He shares His thoughts, as here He treats Abraham as a friend, telling him even what concerns the world. With a friend we do not speak of mere business, but of what we have on our heart. Intercession is the fruit of divine revelation and fellowship. Abraham, separate from the world and with the Lord on the mountain, talks over the judgment that was about to fall on the world below.

In a moment Abraham had the sense — that is a doomed place. I must get my nephew Lot out of it. He had relatives there. If you have Christian relatives, dear unsaved sinner, do not be amazed when they press you hard about the salvation of your soul. Why? Abraham knew in his day that Sodom was doomed. He knew the judgment of the Lord was about to fall on that godless place. In the same way, we Christians know that the very next thing for the world is judgment.

The Lord was there incognito, as we say, until the tent scene is over and the angels are gone, and then it is all open. While in the tent, Abraham speaks to Him with deep respect, but the Lord does not tell the secret until He is alone with him... Abraham says, My lord, not My lords. He is fully aware that One of them is greater, and his faith sees through it all... He sends on these two angels, and we find them at Sodom right afterwards.

The two men go on towards Sodom; and Abraham and the Lord remain together. What a place of privilege and blessing! It is not worship. It is not a call to follow when the Lord led. All of that had its place. It is communion — personal fellowship with God about what concerns Himself and His ways.

Above all, Elijah stands before God. "The LORD, the God of Israel," he says, "before whom I stand"... Like Elijah, Abraham "stood yet before the Lord" (Gen. 18:22). Elisha likewise (2 Kings 3:14), and so many other prophets and men of God. When someone stands before God, God shares His thoughts with him. "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" says the Lord.

And now Abraham takes the place of intercession. Surely one part of the purpose of this gracious message was to put him there. Our characters are to be formed by understanding Christ, and we know Him now in this very place of intercession. So how important it is to realize what is before us here! It is His people for whom the Holy Spirit intercedes below.

Each time God, in His grace, gives him what he asks. At last it is Abraham's faith that fails to draw on that grace of God — for where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.

In the preceding chapter the LORD appeared to Abraham accompanied by two angels. Here it is only the angels that come to Sodom. Abraham, in the outside place with his tent, enjoys sweet communion with the LORD. Lot, sitting in the gate of Sodom, will have no visits from the LORD. His soul may be troubled by the filthy conduct and lawless deeds of the wicked, but he will enjoy no communion with the LORD.

We observe in it a man pleading with God in a most urgent way for one who had turned his back on him, and chosen Sodom as the place to live. Abraham's soul must have been lifted far above "the things that are seen." He could forget the strife and the departure, the worldliness and evil of Lot, and still plead for him as "a righteous soul."

Abraham persevered in intercession, though he stopped short of the fullness of God's mercy. We do not know, as God knows, all He is going to do. Still, we may intercede with faith. Abraham grows bold as he goes on; his confidence increases. As a result he knows God much better than before. The peace of God kept his heart. The fruit of it all is seen in Genesis 19:27-28, where Abraham gets up early in the morning and goes to the place where he stood before the Lord, and looks down on the plain, now smoking like a furnace.

Chapters 18 and 19 record a most elevated and striking example of the intimacy of Abraham's communion with God. There he is let into the secrets of God's governmental dealings with the cities of the plain, and the Lord Himself says, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" ... What in the Old Testament speaks of greater intimacy than the further record, "But Abraham still stood before the Lord, and Abraham drew near and said …"?

With a friend I speak of what I have on my heart, not just of my business with him. And then, as he has received these messages from God, so he intercedes with God. He is a stranger in the place of promise, and on high in communion with Him. ... His faith associates him with the mind and character of God.

"He drew near" and says, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" Note this: it is no longer a question about himself, or about the son. The son was soon to come. All this was settled. He rests upon it, his heart is perfectly free. He has no longer a single want for himself; not one request remains to be spread before Jehovah. His heart is drawn out in a spirit of grace, which answers to the grace of the Lord towards himself.

Like a genuine man of faith, he takes advantage of his place in the presence of God to intercede for a brother. That brother's worldliness had plunged him into the very middle of the place God was about to give over to everlasting destruction. "Then Abraham drew near and said, 'Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?'" (v. 23) "The righteous!" To whom can he refer? Can it be to the man who had so deliberately turned aside out of the path of faith to make his home at Sodom? Yes; he speaks of Lot — he calls him "righteous."

How high above "the things that are seen" Abraham's soul must have been lifted! He could forget the strife and the departure, the worldliness and evil of Lot, and still plead for him as "a righteous soul."

How strange the implied doubt here in Abraham's mind! ... An Abraham praying the Judge of all the earth to do right! Is it not a first principle that of course He must? How could he doubt? we say. Beloved, do we never? And how much more do we know of God than Abraham possibly could! How much of our praying, if we looked closely at it, comes down to this — asking God to do right!

He intercedes on the ground that it is impossible to destroy the righteous with the wicked. So he pleads with God to spare the city if fifty righteous men are found in it. Then he comes down to forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and at last to only ten. Each time God, in His grace, grants what he asks. At last it is Abraham's faith that fails to draw on the grace of God — the grace that, where sin abounds, does much more abound.

Lot could not intercede with God as Abraham did. He did not know what it was to draw near to God. He was too deeply involved in Sodom's affairs to have communion with God. We cannot intercede with God for evildoers unless we are separate from them and know the intimacy of communion with God.

How does Abraham use his favoured position? Does he use it to strengthen and secure the future of his own family? The natural heart would have pushed him at once to use his advantage that way... Instead, he gave not a thought to himself or his house. Like a true man of faith, he uses his place in God's presence to plead for a brother. That brother's love of the world had dropped him into the very middle of a place God was about to give over to everlasting destruction.

Whenever God reveals His plans to faith, it brings out the spirit of intercession... So here Abraham pleads with the Lord to spare the city.

Note how persistent Abraham is about Lot and Sodom. I wish we Christians were half as persistent! ... The Lord replies that if there are fifty righteous, the city will be saved. And if there are only forty, Lord? Yes! And if there are only thirty? Yes! And if there are only twenty? Yes! And if there are only ten, Lord? Yes! And then he stops. ... All the while he was thinking of Lot. The thought in his heart was: Lot is a righteous man, though in a wrong position, and there are sure to be a few more like him to make up the necessary ten.

As Abraham pleads with the Lord, we know he has Lot chiefly in mind. Yet he clearly could not bring himself to think that Lot might be the only righteous person in Sodom... He cannot imagine the Judge of all the earth making the righteous suffer along with the wicked. The Judge will surely do right. Fifty would be a very small share of the city. Yet Abraham probably remembered that God saved only eight people out of the whole world when He destroyed it by a flood.

God had to provide for Lot before the fiery storm could fall... For the sake of the righteous, God spares the wicked. "You are the salt of the earth."... And God preserves the world today because His children are in it.

See how much weight one godly person carries with God. Here was this big wicked Sodom. Its sins were too terrible to speak about, crying out to heaven for vengeance. Yet ten godly people in that mass of sin and wickedness would have saved the guilty city. But there were not ten. The few in it were thrust out — four people in all — and one died just outside its walls. So the city was destroyed.

Why "this once"? Sadly, our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We grow weary and fail, not He. We receive enough, through His grace, for our blessing, but we rarely go deep into it... God's grace went far beyond what Abraham asked. It reached down after all to that one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though Abraham had not the courage to say so.

He said, "I will speak yet but this once," and there he stopped short. It was as if he feared he had drawn too large a sum from the treasury of infinite grace — or had forgotten that God's bank has never yet refused faith's cheque... He stopped asking, and God stopped giving. Not so our blessed Intercessor. Of Him it can be said, "He is able to save to the uttermost... since he always lives to make intercession."

It was faith in Abraham that recognised God as the Judge of all the earth, for then, as now, God was not openly the Judge of all the earth. He was acting behind the scenes, yet dealing with evil in His government when He judged it necessary. The day is coming, in the world to come, when it will be shown openly that God is the Judge of all. He will not let evil raise its head as it has done down the centuries.

This surely does not refer to God sitting in formal judgment, as at the great white throne, but as the One who will govern the earth in righteousness. So Abraham speaks of God as Judge, when he says, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"… Under man's rule righteousness is too often separated from judgment. Under God, the Judge of all, righteousness will return to judgment.

Jehovah comes down in grace to find, if possible, some reason why mercy might still hold back justice. "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, and if not, I will know." Jehovah comes in grace, Abraham urges righteousness — "Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? … far be it from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Let not the Lord be angry."

How strange the implied doubt here in Abraham's mind! What poor weak questions do not these minds of ours raise! An Abraham praying the Judge of all the earth to do right! Is it not a first principle that of course He must? How could he doubt? we say. Beloved, do we never?… If we looked closely at our prayers, how much of them would come down to this — asking God to do right!… when everything on earth seems as if it were going wrong… has the bitter question never sprung up in our hearts, even if it never reached our lips?

Why "this once"? Alas! our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We weary and fail, not He… Jehovah answered in full all that Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted. Yet His grace went far beyond that, for it came down after all to the one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though Abraham had not the boldness to say so. But Jehovah knew it; and while He surely did not spare that wicked place — and His righteous government meant it had to stand as an example of divine judgment — He still rescued that righteous soul despite his faults.

Abraham had boldly said to the Lord, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" — words for which we have all been deeply thankful, words that give us peace of mind as to God's governmental dealings in this sad world.

He pleads as one whose heart felt deeply. When our hearts are engaged, we do not do the work badly. That is the real secret of it... It was so with Abraham. He intercedes earnestly, and he keeps on. He puts that thought into words: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" Of course He will. And here we have the answer of grace: "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

The Lord gives Abraham full assurance that He would not destroy the city if He found fifty righteous there. This surely reminds us that believers are "the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13). Their presence protects the world from the judgment that looks so near. At the Rapture, the Lord will take all believers into His presence. Then this preserving character will be gone, and judgment will fall in all its terror on the ungodly world.

It is true that the atoning sufferings of Christ are absolutely necessary for the blessing of men. Still, in the way God governs the earth, He gives earthly deliverance and blessing because He delights in the godly. We see this principle illustrated in the history of Sodom. Abraham asks God to spare Sodom from destruction in this life if ten righteous men are found in the city. And God was ready to do it.

God then treats him as a friend. He tells him, not what concerns Abraham himself, but what concerns the world. With a friend I speak of what I have on my heart, not just of my business with him. And because Abraham has received these communications from God, he now intercedes with God — a stranger in the place of promise, yet on high in communion with Him. And this is even more the place of the saints now, through the Holy Spirit: they have the full communication of God's mind and ways in the word, and the Lord is coming to take them up. That is the scene they live in by faith, and intercession is founded on it... His faith associates him with the mind and character of God.

Divine power waited on faith — faith measured the active resources of God on the occasion... For as long as Abraham stood interceding, the Lord stood promising.

Alas! our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We weary and fail, not He... The Lord answered in full everything that Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted. But His grace went far beyond that. It came down after all to that one person who lay on the heart of Abraham, though Abraham had not the boldness to say so. The Lord knew it. He did not spare that wicked place. In His righteous government it was made an example of divine judgment. Yet He still rescued that righteous soul, despite his faults.

Abraham does not ask anything for himself here; he pleads for others. Indeed, what could he ask for? He was enjoying conversation with God, and the promises about the son were sure and already given. He is in the place of blessing, walking in the spirit of communion with the God he now knows. This began with the revelation of Himself by God. Now that Abraham is alone with Him all is boldness, though reverence, with one well known.

How precious is this access to Him who had come down! Abraham shows no shrinking behind the door. He has confidence in God. "Abraham drew near." The Christian can understand it all, now that redemption has been accomplished, and sin has been judged. God's word and the work of Christ have left us without a single spot or stain to catch the eye of the Judge. But is there always in us, as here in Abraham, a real readiness to draw near and speak to our God? Are we glad to make proper use of the privileges we have?

Ashes, mostly from burnt wood, were used as a sign of sorrow or mourning, either put on the head... or on the body with sackcloth... To eat ashes expresses great sorrow, Ps. 102:9; and to be reduced to them is a figure of complete destruction... "Dust and ashes" was the figure Abraham used of himself before Jehovah, Gen. 18:27; and Job said he had become like them by the hand of God. Job 30:19.

He had no confession to make and no requests to bring for himself, but as the Lord had spoken to him about Sodom, he now speaks to the Lord about it. He intercedes, as one near to God, as one who was at ease about himself, and so at leisure to attend to others.

Abraham knew such liberty in the Lord's presence. Yet we find him deeply aware of his own sin and nothingness, like everyone else who has real dealings with God. We hear Job saying: "Behold, I am vile"; Isaiah saying: "I am undone"; Peter saying: "I am a sinful man, O Lord"; Paul saying: "I am chief" of sinners. Abraham says, "I am but dust and ashes," and, as far as the Scripture record goes, he heads the list, the first to condemn himself in the presence of God.

A spiritual prayer is a humble prayer: "Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble" (Ps. 10:17, older translation). Prayer is asking for charity, which takes humility. It is fitting to see a poor nothing lie at the feet of its Maker... The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends. God accepts broken expressions, when they come from broken hearts.

When Abraham lowers the number to forty-five (v. 28), he takes the humble place. He recognizes that he is only a creature of dust speaking to his infinitely great Creator. Yet he asks out of confidence in the living God. Again God gives His word that He would not destroy the city if forty-five righteous were found there... Each time he shows that he feels unworthy to ask at all, but the Lord loves to encourage confidence in His grace.

Notice how persistent Abraham is about Lot and Sodom. If only we Christians were half as persistent!... The Lord replies that if fifty righteous are found, the city will be saved. And if there are only forty, Lord? Yes! And if only thirty? Yes!... All the while he was thinking of Lot. The thought in his heart was — I believe Lot is a righteous man, though in a wrong position. And there are sure to be a few more like him to make up the necessary ten.

Abraham's conduct in this chapter gives us one of the most important results of a holy and separated walk. We see in it a man pleading with God in a most urgent way for one who had turned his back on him and chosen Sodom as the place to live. How completely Abraham's soul must have been lifted above "the things that are seen"! He could forget the quarrel and the parting, the worldliness and evil of Lot, and still plead for him as "a righteous soul."

For as long as the poor widow brought out her jars, the pot kept giving its oil. The oil waited on the jars. The jars were the measure of the oil. In other words, divine power waited on faith — faith measured the active resources of God on the occasion. This was like the Lord long ago, standing with Abraham. For as long as Abraham stood interceding, the Lord stood promising.

God had to provide for Lot before the fiery storm could fall. The Lord said He could do nothing until Lot had gone out of the city. And the little city of Zoar was spared for his sake, because he asked for it. For the sake of the righteous the wicked are spared. "You are the salt of the earth." Had there been ten righteous men found in those five cities, they would have been spared. And the world is now preserved because the children of God are in it.

Sodom would have been spared if only ten righteous persons had been in it. Zoar was spared because only one righteous man entered it. Such is the abounding mercy of our God, and His slowness to judge.

Alas! our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We grow weary and fail, not He. We get enough, through His grace, for our blessing, but we rarely venture into its depths... The Lord answered in full everything Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted. Yet His grace went far beyond it. It reached down at last to that one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though he had not the boldness to say so. But the Lord knew it. He did not spare that wicked place — His righteous government required it to be made an example of divine judgment. Even so, He rescued that righteous soul in spite of his faults.

This was a happy and a holy use to make of his place of nearness to God. It is always so. Some souls can "draw near to God" in the assurance of faith, with heart and conscience fully at rest, resting in God about the past, the present and the future. Such a soul will be able and willing to intercede for others.

We think this case stands alone among all the Old Testament records of men meeting God face to face. No other shows such closeness and such freedom, with no fear at all. Abraham, secure in his own standing before the Lord, took the place of an intercessor.

When God tells him what He is going to do, he says, "Will You spare the place for fifty righteous?" and God says, "I will." Then he says, "For forty-five?" God says that if there are forty-five He will not destroy it. This makes Abraham bolder, and he goes on until he is ashamed to trespass any more on God's power.

Each time he shows that he feels unworthy to ask. But the Lord loves to encourage confidence in His grace.

All the while he was thinking of Lot. The thought in his heart was this: I believe Lot is a righteous man, though he is in a wrong position. There are sure to be a few more like him to make up the necessary ten.

Divine power waited on faith — faith measured the active resources of God on the occasion. It was the same when the Lord stood with Abraham long ago: as long as Abraham stood interceding, the Lord stood promising.

He said, "I will speak yet but this once," and there he stopped short, as if afraid of having presented too large a request at the treasury of infinite grace, or forgetting that faith's cheque was never yet refused at God's bank. God did not hold him back. By no means. There was abundance of grace and patience in Him to have listened to His dear servant, had he gone on even to three or one. But the servant was limited. He was afraid of overdrawing his account. He ceased to ask, and God ceased to give.

Why "I will speak yet but this once"? Our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We weary and fail, He does not. Through His grace we get enough for our blessing, but we rarely venture into its depths. Although the Lord answered to the full all that Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted, His grace far exceeded it, for it came down after all to that one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though he had not the boldness to say so. But the Lord knew it.

Later God could say to Jeremiah about the doomed city of Jerusalem, "See if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her." We know that Man has been found. Christ is the "one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all." Through this Man we are told to intercede for all men.

The Lord shows His own most patient grace in judgment, both in verse 21 and in the intercession. Abraham never says "Jehovah," but "Adonai." When he pleaded with the Lord, Abraham was not in his own place, at home on earth. He was with Jehovah in the way of faith — we may say a heavenly way. Afterwards he returned to his place, the home of nature. There he had welcomed the Lord. But in his communing and intercession he stood before the Lord, where the Lord had taken him.

When Abraham lowers the number to forty-five, he takes the humble place. He recognises that he is only a creature of dust speaking to his infinitely great Creator. Yet he asks out of confidence in the living God. Again God gives His word that He would not destroy the city if forty-five righteous were found there. Then Abraham reduces the number to forty, and receives the same gracious assurance… Then to thirty, and lower yet to twenty, and finally to ten. Each time he shows that he feels his own unworthiness in making these requests. But the Lord loves to encourage confidence in His grace, and declares that He would not destroy the city if even ten righteous were found there.

Notice how Abraham's remarkable pleadings blend deep reverence with simple familiarity. Then remember what he is pleading for. Nothing he says concerns himself or any personal interest of his own. His first concern is the reputation and glory of the great "Judge of all the earth." His second is the deliverance of Lot and his family, and the plight of the sinners of Sodom.

As long as the poor widow kept bringing out her jars, the pot kept producing its oil. The oil waited on the jars. The jars were the measure of the oil. In other words, divine power waited on faith. Faith measured what God's power did that day. It was the same long ago when the Lord stood with Abraham. For as long as Abraham stood interceding, the Lord stood promising.

We see in this scripture that Abraham's intercession, however blessed it may have been, had a limit. The intercessor was only a man. It did not reach the need. He said, "I will speak yet but this once," and there he stopped short. It was as if he feared he had drawn too large an amount on the treasury of infinite grace. Or he forgot that faith's cheque was never yet refused at God's bank. God was not the one who limited him. Far from it. There was plenty of grace and patience in Him to listen to His dear servant, even if he had gone down to three or one. But the servant had a limit. He was afraid of overdrawing his account. He ceased to ask, and God ceased to give. Not so our blessed Intercessor. Of Him we can say, "He is able to save to the uttermost… since he always lives to make intercession."

Intercession for others before the Lord. God enabled him to plead for those who were mixed up in Sodom's defilement, and in danger of sharing Sodom's judgment. This was a happy and a holy use to make of his place of nearness to God. So it always is. Think of the soul that can "draw near to God" in the assurance of faith. Its heart and conscience are at perfect rest, and it can rest in God about the past, the present and the future. That soul will be able and willing to intercede for others.

A spiritual prayer is a humble prayer: "O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted" (Psalm 10:17; older translations read "the humble"). Prayer is the asking of alms, which requires humility. It is fitting to see a poor nothing lie at the feet of its Maker: "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends. God accepts broken expressions, when they come from broken hearts.

Abraham's prayer had no relation to Abraham's own wants. He was safe from the judgments about to fall on the wicked. Still he pleads earnestly for the righteous who were mixed in among them, in danger of sharing their judgment. … This is a high order of prayer. It is prayer where a servant of the Lord rises above private or personal needs and cares deeply about Christ's interests in His people.

How great the intimacy, how strong the confidence — we might almost say, what familiarity he uses in his pleading! And how pleasing to God his anxiety that righteous men should not be caught up in the judgment — indeed more, that even the guilty cities should be spared if only ten righteous men should be found there! God goes as far as Abraham's faith. It was he that ceased to ask before God ceased to grant. What a mighty power with God is faith! He in grace would have gone further, if Abraham's faith had.

The sins of the cities of the plain were great, and cried out for judgment. But judgment is God's strange work. He does not will the death of any, and in Abraham He found a man after His own heart. So Abraham pleaded. He had a care for God's honour, for he had no doubt that the Judge of all the earth would do right. His plea was that the cities might be spared for the sake of the righteous in them. How gladly God would have shown mercy if fifty righteous men had been found in them, or forty-five, or forty, or thirty, or twenty, or even ten. And as long as Abraham interceded, God answered and stayed the judgment.

Alas! our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We weary and fail, not He. We get enough, through His grace, for our blessing, but rarely do we venture into its depths. … The Lord answered to the full all that Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted. Yet His grace far exceeded it. It came down after all to that one person who lay on the heart of Abraham, though Abraham had not the boldness to say so. But the Lord knew it. He did not spare that wicked place, yet He still rescued that righteous soul in spite of his faults.

He said, "I will speak yet but this once," and there he stopped short. It was as if he feared he had presented too large a cheque at the treasury of infinite grace — or as if he forgot that faith's cheque was never yet refused at God's bank. It was not that God limited him. By no means. … But the servant was limited. He was afraid of overdrawing his account. He ceased to ask, and God ceased to give. Not so our blessed Intercessor. Of Him it can be said, "He is able to save to the uttermost … since He always lives to make intercession."

When Abraham lowers the number to forty-five, he takes the humble place. He is only a creature of dust speaking to his infinitely great Creator. Yet he asks out of confidence in the living God... Then to thirty, and lower yet to twenty, and finally to ten. Each time he shows that he feels unworthy to ask. But the Lord loves to encourage confidence in His grace. He declares that He will not destroy the city if there are even ten righteous people in it.

He reasoned before the Lord in the assurance that the Judge of all the earth would do right, and in his pleadings he doubtless had Lot and his family in view. In the next chapter we read of Lot's sons-in-law. So he probably counted his wife, his unmarried daughters, his married daughters and their husbands. Together they might come to as many as ten in Sodom who could be counted righteous. So, starting at fifty, and going down to forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, he stopped satisfied at ten. The next chapter shows that even ten were not there.

Why "this once"? Our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We grow weary and fail; He does not. We get enough, through His grace, for our blessing, but we rarely venture into its depths. The Lord answered in full all that Abraham's faith dared to ask, yet His grace went far beyond it. It came down after all to that one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though Abraham did not have the boldness to say so. But the Lord knew it. He did not spare that wicked place, yet He still rescued that righteous soul despite his faults.

Abraham had not definitely asked for this. Still, he kept pleading until he had the promise that God would spare the cities if only ten righteous people were inside. He surely had Lot and his family in mind. There were not ten righteous there. All the same, God answered the spirit of Abraham's prayer. He rescued the one man who could be called righteous.

We see, in this scripture, that however blessed Abraham's intercession might be, it was limited, because the intercessor was only a man. It did not reach the need. He said, "I will speak again but this once," and there he stopped short. It was as if he feared he had asked too much from the treasury of infinite grace... There was plenty of grace and patience in God to have listened to His dear servant, had he gone on even to three or one. But the servant was limited... He stopped asking, and God stopped giving. Not so our blessed Intercessor. Of Him it can be said, "He is able to save to the uttermost... since He always lives to make intercession."

For the sake of the righteous the wicked are spared. "You are the salt of the earth." Had there been ten righteous men found in those five cities, they would have been spared. And the world is now preserved because the children of God are in it, for He is "not wishing that any should perish."

It is beautiful to see that the Lord does not judge Sodom until it has all become so bad that there were not even ten righteous persons there.

As long as Abraham stood interceding, the Lord stood promising.

It closed this wonderful conference. Abraham's words ran out, and the Lord had answered him to the end. Then He went His way, when He had finished speaking with Abraham. What a place for the child of faith to be in!

Why "this once"? Sadly, our faith never reaches up to the grace of God. We grow weary and fail; He does not. We get enough, through His grace, for our blessing, but we rarely venture into its depths. Measure it as we may, we certainly never reach the bottom.

Each time God, in His grace, grants his request; until at last it is Abraham's faith that fails to draw upon that grace of God, that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.

Abraham is silent (v. 33): "And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham." But He did more than Abraham asked. He withdrew Lot from Sodom and saved him. Nothing could be done until Lot was safe (Gen. 19:16, 22). God's eye was upon him. What blessedness to be able to count on His love for the righteous!

Jehovah answered in full everything Abraham's faith and confidence in His grace attempted. Yet His grace went far beyond that. It came down at last to the one person who lay on Abraham's heart, though he had not the boldness to say so. But Jehovah knew it. He did not spare that wicked place, for His righteous government made it an example of divine judgment. Even so, He rescued that righteous soul, in spite of his faults.

When a soul is in this confidence, God shares His thoughts. Here He treats Abraham as a friend, telling him even what concerns the world. With a friend we do not speak of mere business, but of what we have on our heart. Intercession is the fruit of divine revelation and fellowship.

If we cannot intercede for a person, the sin is stronger than our faith. When we are near God in practice, the Spirit which sees the sin intercedes for the sinner.

Abraham was not in his own place, at home on earth, when he pleaded with the Lord. He was with Jehovah in the way of faith — we may say a heavenly way. He returned to his place, the home of nature. There he had received the Lord. But in his fellowship and intercession he was before the Lord, where the Lord had taken him.

Later God could say to Jeremiah about the doomed city of Jerusalem, "if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her" (Jer. 5:1). We know that Man has been found. Christ is the "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all." Through this Man we are told to intercede for all people (1 Tim. 2:1-6).