Genesis 18

       Shortly after his meeting with God in the previous chapter, Abraham is visited again by the Lord, who is also accompanied by two angels. (We know that this is a theophany, a visitation of the preincarnate Christ, because of verse 13. Only God could know what is said and thought in the hearts of men and women.) The three men came to Abraham in the heat of the day, as he sat in the door of his tent. So close was his walk with God that Abraham knew immediately that these three men were messengers of the Lord. He quickly greeted them, bade them sit down in the shade of a nearby tree, and then had his servants fetch water to wash their feet while Sarah prepared some cakes on the hearth. Abraham also had one of his servants kill and roast a young calf. He then set before the visitors a sumptuous meal and urged them to eat.
       This whole chapter is the reason for why Abraham was called the “friend of God”. (2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23) God had come down to make a house call on one of His chosen saints, and Abraham was deeply honored and humbled by the visit. Furthermore, God allowed Abraham a glimpse behind the scenes, so to speak, as God considered the manner of the great wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. This was truly a great honor indeed for an upright and perfect man such as Abraham!
       As they are eating, the one who is Christ asks Abraham, “Where is Sarah thy wife?” (v.9). Abraham answers, “Behold, in the tent.” Christ then reaffirms what He had told Abraham in the previous visit, that Sarah would soon bear a son. Sarah, who is just inside the door of the tent and can hear the whole conversation, laughs within herself. (v.12) Jesus then asks Abraham, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” (v.13). No mere angel could have known the thought and intent of Sarah’s heart, and that’s how we know that this was the preincarnate Christ, God Himself in the flesh. He then goes on to say, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (v.14) He confirms that Sarah will, indeed, have a son. Sarah then comes out of the tent and, out of fear, denies that she laughed. But Christ corrects her. “Nay, but thou didst laugh.” (v.15)
        The three men finish their meal and arise and look toward Sodom, presumably walking a short distance away from the tent. Abraham goes with them to bid farewell and send them on their way.
      
        Verses 17-19: God decides to allow Abraham to witness His deliberation regarding the great sin and wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Since the same phrase is used in both verse 17 and 20 (“And the Lord said…”) we can’t be sure if these three verses were actually spoken aloud for Abraham’s benefit or not. If aloud, it was another welcome reassurance for Abraham that his seed would be greatly blessed by God.
 
          Verses 20-22: the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were grievous in the eyes of God, and His holy, perfect nature was demanding justice. God is patient and longsuffering, but even His divine mercy has its limits. The men and women of Sodom and Gomorrah had been given ample opportunity to repent, but they remained proud and stubborn in their wickedness and depravity. They had even corrupted Lot and his family.
         While the Lord remains with Abraham, the two angels go down into the city of Sodom to survey with their own eyes if there any righteous left within the city walls. (v.21-22)
 
          Verses 23-33: again, we are given an example of just how great Abraham was esteemed in the eyes of the Lord. Knowing the awesome power and devastation of God’s wrath, and fearing for his nephew and his family, Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city if just 10 righteous could be found there. In the same way that Moses would later intercede on behalf of the children of Israel before God, Abraham served as intercessor for Lot and any others that were still righteous before God in a city of great sin and wickedness.
       Abraham demonstrated the truth of Hebrews 4:16. He came boldly before the Lord, pleading with God for the souls of Lot and his family. This is another example of the power of prayer. Abraham had the rare privilege of talking with God face to face, but we have the same privilege today when we pray. We are not face to face with God physically, but we have full access to the throne of grace at any time to plead with God on behalf of those whom we love who are lost. Abraham could have been content with just 50 or 45. But he humbly persisted, knowing how truly sinful and depraved the whole city of Sodom had become. He convinced God to spare the city if only just 10 righteous could be found within it, but we know from the next chapter what God knew then as He spoke with Abraham.
          Lot, his wife, and two of his daughters were the only righteous people left in Sodom.