4.
Living in fellowship with God
18:1—24:67
a.
Communion with God on the human level
18:1-22
Gen. 18
:1
18:1
And Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre as he was sitting at the entrance of
his atent in the heat of the day.
Gen. 18
:2
18:2
And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and there were three
1men standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to
ameet them. And he bowed down to the earth
Gen. 18
:3
18:3
And said, My Lord, if I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass on from Your servant.
Gen. 18
:4
18:4
Please let a little water be fetched, and do
awash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Gen. 18
:5
18:5
And let me
afetch a morsel of bread that you may sustain yourselves. After that you may pass on, since you have come to your servant. So they said, Do as you have said.
Gen. 18
:6
18:6
And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, Quickly prepare
athree 1measures of fine flour, knead
it, and make
2cakes.
Gen. 18
:7
18:7
And Abraham ran to the herd and took a
acalf, tender and good, and gave
it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it.
Gen. 18
:8
18:8
And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set
them before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Gen. 18
:9
18:9
And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said, There, in the tent.
Gen. 18
:10
18:10
And He said, I will certainly return to you according to the
atime of life, and then Sarah your wife shall have a
bson. And Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind Him.
Gen. 18
:11
18:11
Now Abraham and Sarah were
aold and advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah according to the manner of women.
Gen. 18
:12
18:12
And Sarah
alaughed within herself, saying, After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my
blord being old also?
Gen. 18
:13
18:13
And Jehovah said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I indeed bear a child when I am old?
Gen. 18
:14
18:14
aIs anything too marvelous for Jehovah? At the
1bappointed time I will return to you, according to the
ctime of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Gen. 18
:15
18:15
Then Sarah denied
it, saying, I did not laugh; for she was afraid. And He said, No, but you did laugh.
Gen. 18
:16
18:16
And the men rose up from there and looked down upon Sodom. And Abraham walked with them to send them away.
Gen. 18
:17
18:17
And Jehovah said,
1Shall I
ahide from Abraham what I am about to do,
Gen. 18
:18
18:18
Since Abraham will indeed become a great and mighty nation, and
aall the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
Gen. 18
:19
18:19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of Jehovah by doing righteousness and justice, that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken concerning him.
Gen. 18
:20
18:20
And Jehovah said, The cry of
aSodom and Gomorrah, how great it is; and their sin, how very heavy it is!
Gen. 18
:21
18:21
I shall go down and see whether they have done altogether according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.
Gen. 18
:22
18:22
And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham
1remained astanding before Jehovah.
b.
A glorious intercession
18:23-33
Gen. 18
:23
18:23
And Abraham came near and said, Will You indeed destroy the
1righteous with the wicked?
Gen. 18
:24
18:24
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed destroy and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?
Gen. 18
:25
18:25
1Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked. Far be it from You! Shall the
aJudge of all the earth not do justly?
Gen. 18
:26
18:26
And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place for their sake.
Gen. 18
:27
18:27
And Abraham answered and said, Now behold, I have taken
it upon myself to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes.
Gen. 18
:28
18:28
Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five? And He said, I will not destroy
it if I find forty-five there.
Gen. 18
:29
18:29
And he spoke to Him yet again and said, Suppose forty are found there? And He said, I will not do
it, because of the forty.
Gen. 18
:30
18:30
And he said, Oh may the Lord not be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there? And He said, I will not do
it if I find thirty there.
Gen. 18
:31
18:31
And he said, Now behold, I have taken
it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there? And He said, I will not destroy
it, because of the twenty.
Gen. 18
:32
18:32
And he said, Oh let the Lord not be angry if I speak yet once more. Suppose ten are found there? And He said, I will not destroy
it, because of the ten.
Gen. 18
:33
18:33
And Jehovah went away as soon as He had finished
1speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
