Genesis 18:18-33
Ge 18:18
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and
mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
The LORD chose not to hide from Abraham the plans he has
for the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim.
Since Abraham was in the messianic line, God chose to include him in the
plans he had for these cities. The
great nation will be the body of believers which will stretch all over the
world. Every country in the world
will have believers in them.
Ge 18:19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and
judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
This verse starts out with a tremendous truth which is
applicable to all true believers.
God is stating that he knows Abraham, not just by means of him being omniscient
but he knows him as his Savior.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me: (John 10:27)
He knows that Abraham is a righteous man and that he will instruct his
children including all the servants who are not of his family to keep the way of
the LORD.
In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth; (2 Timothy 2:25)
As God would teach Abraham, he would in turn pass those teachings on to his
family and his descendants. They
would learn the ways of the LORD in terms of laws, statutes, and judgments and
would judge righteously. Then
Abraham would be showing that he was dedicated to the LORD, then the LORD could
bring upon him the ways of the LORD and not only to him but also to those who
would become his descendants. The
LORD would bring salvation to Abraham and to all those God has chosen to save
after him.
Ge 18:20
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah
is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
Now the LORD turns to the subject of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Their sin is very grievous which means exceeding because it grieves the
heart of God to see this sin and the predominant sin was homosexuality.
The outcry of their sin was great in that it was not hidden indoors but
is very blatant and open even in the streets. We
see this today with all these “gay pride” parades all around the world where
their debauchery is flaunted even in front of little children who are brought to
these parades by stupid parents.
The world is becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah was if we are not there already.
Ge 18:21
I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will
know.
So the Son of God now states that he is going to go down
and visit them to see whether their sin is as loud as the cry of it.
If it is not, then the LORD would know.
This is the kind of verse the open theists like to use and try and prove
that God does not know everything.
What is happening here is that the LORD is going to assess the situation to see
if full destruction is warranted.
In other words, he is making a proper judgment as to the sinful situation in the
four cities. This does not mean he
doesn’t already know the situation but he is stating these things to inform
Abraham how he plans to proceed.
This is how all judgments should be made by full investigation and then
evaluation. He did this for the
sake of Abraham as he was still with him at this time.
Ge 18:22
And the men turned their faces from thence, and went
toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
Then the two angels who accompanied the LORD had turned
their face toward Sodom and began to walk toward the cities while the LORD
stayed with Abraham. By this time
Abraham knew the situation facing the four cities and knew he was standing
before the LORD in his presence.
Ge 18:23
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy
the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham knowing that Lot was dwelling in Sodom had asked
the LORD if he would destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Likewise also as it was in the
days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted,
they builded; (Luke 17:28) Life
was going on as usual in the time of Lot and it seems it is going on the same
today as everyone is just going on in life without any understanding or concern
that there will be a judgment day coming like in Sodom.
Ge 18:24
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city:
wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that
are therein?
Then Abraham in an attempt to thwart the coming judgment
so he could save Lot begins to bargain with the LORD concerning his judgment of
the cities. His first attempt was
to try and get the LORD to prevent the judgment for 50 righteous.
Ge 18:25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay
the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked,
that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Then the LORD responds that he would never slay the
righteous with the wicked, that is, the redeemed of the LORD have been saved
from the wrath of God and they are not viewed as wicked by the LORD.
Then the LORD poses a question to Abraham concerning the Judge of all
earth doing right. The LORD who
would be the judge on the last day will separate the wicked from the righteous,
that is, those who were saved in Christ.
He will do the same thing in Sodom.
32 And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his
right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:32-33)
Ge 18:26
And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous
within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Then the LORD assures Abraham that if there were but
fifty righteous among those cities, he would spare the city for their sake.
Ge 18:27
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken
upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
Then Abraham speaks to the LORD realizing that he is only
human but desires to make further request of the LORD.
Ge 18:28
Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty
righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said,
If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
Then Abraham asks the LORD if there were but forty five
righteous would he bring the judgment upon them?
The LORD assured him that he would not destroy the city if he found forty
five righteous among them.
Ge 18:29
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure
there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for
forty's sake.
Then Abraham reduces the number and asks the LORD if he
found just forty, would he destroy the city?
The LORD responded that he would not destroy it for the sake of the
forty.
Ge 18:30
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be
angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he
said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
Then Abraham reduces the number further but he asks the
LORD not to be angry with him because he had Lot in mind and the LORD would have
known that. The LORD states that he
would not destroy the cities for the sake of thirty righteous, that is, thirty
who are saved.
Ge 18:31
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak
unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I
will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
Then Abraham states that he has now taken it upon himself
to speak with the LORD in this matter.
He reduces the number further and asks what about twenty?
The LORD states he would not destroy the cities for the sake of twenty
righteous.
Ge 18:32
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will
speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I
will not destroy it for ten's sake.
Then Abraham asks the LORD not to be angry and this will
be his final request and there will be no more after this.
He reduces the number to ten and the LORD assures him that he would not
destroy it for the sake of ten righteous.
Keep in mind that the LORD knows his sheep, that is, those who are his
and he knew that the cities were so wicked that not even ten righteous people
dwelled among all four of the cities.
Ge 18:33
And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left
communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Then the LORD departed from Abraham and probably went right back to Heaven and then Abraham returned to his camp in Mamre. The communion that Abraham had experienced was only on a temporary basis as the LORD departed from him but there is going to come a time when the communion will never end and that will be in the New Earth and Heavens.