Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s Bible study on Genesis 18 – God promises Isaac’s birth. According to Bible scholars, the events of the book of Genesis 18 took place approximately in 2067 B.C.
I encourage you to turn to Genesis 18 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Genesis 18 with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know. All the scriptures that you find highlighted in purple in this post are from the NKJV.
In the Bible Study on Genesis 17, we read about the Lord’s covenant of circumcision with Abraham and his household. Well, in this Bible study on Genesis 18, we will read about the Lord promising Isaac’s birth to Abraham and Sarah. Also, in this chapter, Abraham pleads with the Lord to relent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of at least 10 righteous men.
Without any further delay, let us study together Genesis Chapter 18, shall we?
The Lord Appeared To Abraham Again In Person
1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Do as you have said.”
In Verses 1-5 of Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham at his dwelling place which were by the terebinth trees of Mamre. Now, Abraham was sitting by the door of his tent during the hottest part of the day. When the Lord appeared to Abraham, he lifted his eyes and looked and there were three men standing by him. He ran from his tent door to meet them as soon as he saw them and he bowed to the ground in reverence.
In Verse 3, he implored the Lord to show him favour and to not merely pass by him and to allow him the honour of washing his feet and invited the three men to rest under the tree and eat bread for refreshment.
The three men agreed to Abraham’s hospitality.
Who were the three men who visited Abraham?
The three men who came to Abraham’s door were no ordinary men. Firsty, if they were ordinary men, Abraham who was already rich and wealthy and who had many servants wouldn’t call himself as the servant of the three men. Secondly, as soon he saw the three men, he recognized them and he called them Lord! Later, he even washed their feet. The Amplified version tells us that the Lord was one among the three men and the other two were His angels. Abraham, realized that the Lord had come down to his house.
Abraham Asked Sarah To Prepare Cakes And Meat
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
In Verses 6-8 of Genesis 18, Abraham rushed in to the tent to ask Sarah to prepare quickly three measure of fine meal (a measure for each of the three men) and knead them to make cakes. Having instructed Sarah, he ran to the herd and took a tender and good calf and gave it to a young man (a butcher) to kill and clean the parts for cooking. Abraham then hastened to prepared the young calf. He took butter, milk and the calf which he had prepared for the three men and he stood by them under the tree as they ate, ready to serve them.
Abraham was in a rush/hurry because he didn’t want to keep the Lord waiting. He understood the importance of this encounter. Meeting the Lord was not uncommon to Abraham but it did not occur very often. So, when he realized that it was the Lord God who had visited him, he wasted no time in serving them.
Note
According to the Amplified Version Classic Edition(AMPC), one meal or seah equals about nine quarts and it was a large quantity. Hence each meal that Abraham asked Sarah to knead was a large quantitiy and the cakes he asked her to prepare were flat breads that could be baked quickly. They were supposed to be similar to pizza dough that were large, round and flat. The butter, milk and curd were probably served as condiments to spread over the bread or eat with the bread and meat and Abraham made a generous meal to his three most important visitors and reflected his respect and reverence in the manner in which he treated and served them.
The Lord Inquires Abraham About Sarah
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
In Verses 9-10 of Genesis 18, the Lord inquired Abraham about Sarah’s whereabouts (even though He knew where exactly she was), to which he replied that she was in the tent. The Lord replied to Abraham that He would certainly return to Abraham in due season and foretold that Sarah would have a son. And, Sarah was listening to the conversation between the Lord and Abraham in the tent door.
Sarah Laughed And Didn’t Believe The Lord
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
Verses 11-12 of Genesis 18, emphasizes how Abraham and Sarah were old and well advanced in age. Sarah was beyond her child-bearing age. And, because of her very old age she laughed within herself saying how could she have the pleasure of having a child when clearly she and her husband (notice the lowercase ‘l’ in the word lord because she was referring to her husband, Abraham) were so old. She simply couldn’t take the Lord at His word because all reality and practicality were against what the Lord had said. There was no human who could bear a child at 90 and 100 years old. However, God is supernatural.
The Lord Re-iterates That Sarah Shall Bear A Son
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
In Verses 13-15 of Genesis 18, the Lord asked Abraham why did Sarah laugh and doubt what He said about bearing a son in her old age. The Lord asked ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord‘‘? It is a rhetoric question. Indeed, there is nothing too hard for the Lord. The Lord again emphasized that He would return at the appointed time and Sarah shall have a son. Sarah, however, denied that she laughed within herself because she was afraid that the Lord was able to read her thoughts when she had secretly laughed moments ago. She didn’t perceive that the Lord God Himself was sitting outside Abraham’s tent. The Lord sees even our deepest thoughts. There is nothing that we could hide from God.
The Lord however told her that she indeed did laugh. God is Holy. Sarah was uncomfortable because the Lord read her mind and she denied laughing thereby telling a lie. However, the Lord was not going to accept Sarah’s lie and keep quiet to make her feel good or comfortable. And, that is why supposedly He re-emphasized to her that she did laugh.
The Impending Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
Verses 16-21 of Genesis 18, tells us that the men rose from Abraham’s tent and looked towards Sodom and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. The Lord revealed to Abraham what He was about to do because He had considered Abraham His friend and servant. He told him that He had known him and chosen him so that he (Abraham) may command his children and his household to keep the way of the Lord and to do righteouness and justice so that the Lord, in turn, may fulfill to Abraham all that He had told him.
The Lord further revealed to Abraham that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah were great because of their grave sins. Hence, the Lord said that He would go down and see if the reports about them are true or not.
Abraham Intercedes For Sodom And Gomorrah
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
In Verses 22-25 of Genesis 18, the men (two of the three men who were apparently angels according to AMPC) turned away from Abraham’s place and went towards Sodom. In the meantime, Abraham still stood before the Lord. There are two things to consider here. First, Abraham was aware of Sodom and Gomorrah’s grave sins and he was sure of the Lord’s impending judgment. Second of all, he knew that it was something serious if the Lord God Himself came down to see if the ouctry against Sodom and Gomorrah was true. Abraham stood before the Lord because He knew that Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction was sure and he was concerned about his nephew Lot.
Therefore, Abraham interceded and asked the Lord if He would destroy the cities even if there were 50 righteous people in it? Because, to, him, it was not right to destroy the righteous people along with the wicked people due to the grave sins of the wicked.
Who was crying out against Sodom and Gomorrah?
The people whom against injustice were done to were apparently the ones crying out for God’s justice on Sodom and Gomorrah. God is Sovereign and Omniscient. He knows everything before it even happens. Even though God is far patient that any human being on earth, His patience has limits too. When the cup of iniquity is full and tipped over, God will surely judge. Sodom and Gomorrah’s sins were so grave that it filled their cup of iniquity and probably also tipped it over which warranted God’s judgment on them.
Also, remember in Job 1, how the angels went to and fro on the earth and returned to the throne of God with reports of what was happening on the earth. Hence, the two other men with the Lord who were angels went forth to check the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah.
Abraham Pleads With The Lord To Relent Destruction On Sodom And Gomorrah
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
In Verses 26-31 of Genesis 18, The Lord replied to Abraham that He would not destroy the cities if He found at least 50 righteous men. Abraham, being well-aware of the grave sins of Sodom and Gomorrah knew that the Lord would not be able to find 50 righteous men. Hence, he asked the Lord if He would spare the cities for the sake of 45 righteous men? The Lord replied yes.
Then, Abraham doubted that surely there wouldn’t be 45 righteous men and reduced the number to 40 and then subsequently to 35 and to 30 and he arrived to 20. And, the Lord said that He would relent destruction for the sake of 20 righteous men.
The Lord Would Not Destroy Sodom And Gomorrah If He Found 10 Righteous Men
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
In Verses 32-33 of Genesis 18, Abraham knew fully well about the difficulty of finding at least 20 righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah and he further reduced the number to 10 and asked the Lord what if He found only 10 righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah? Would He still relent destruction for the sake of 10 righteous men who were in right-standing with God? The Lord replied that He would not destroy the cities if He found atleast 10 righteous men. Unfortunately, there were not even 10 righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah because their sins were too grave. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been an outcry against them and the Lord wouldn’t have had to step down and send His angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to see if the reports about them were true or not.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of the bible study lesson on Genesis 18. The Lord foretold Isaac’s birth to Abraham and Sarah and He shared with Abraham about His purpose on why He was there – judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. If you have any comments or questions for me, kindly leave them in the comments box below. I highly appreciate it. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until Next Time!