The Three Visitors (18:1-33)
One day, three strange men approach Abraham as he’s sitting beneath an ancient tree.
He prepares a meal for them.
They ask about Sarah by name, and promise Abraham that she will give birth to a son in one year.
Sarah was eavesdropping and laughed to herself.
The narrator suddenly reveals to the reader that the stranger speaking is actually God.
God says, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Sarah realizes she laughed at God, so she lies and says, “I didn’t laugh.”
God says, “Yes, you did laugh.”
The three strangers finish their meal and begin walking towards Sodom.
God says, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" And he tells Abraham that He’s on His way to investigate Sodom to see if it’s as bad as He’s heard, and to decide whether or not He should destroy it.
Abraham questions God’s judgment.
“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?”
God: If I find 50 righteous, I will spare the city.
Abe: How about 45?
God: For 45, I’ll spare them all.
Abe: 40?
God: I’ll spare them for 40.
Abe: 30?
God: I’ll spare them for 30.
Abe: 20?
God: I’ll spare them for 20.
Abe: 10?
God: I’ll spare them all for 10.
Abraham is finally satisfied, thinking that there must surely be 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Abraham and God then go their separate ways.
The Ancient Greek Version
Genesis 18 is a very ancient section of the Bible. It's so ancient, in fact, that different versions of this story pop up all around the ancient world, including in different Arab and Bedouin cultures, but even the ancient Greeks even have their own version of these events that dates from around 1500 B.C.
In the Ancient Greek version, the gods Zeus and Hermes come down in human form to walk among the people and visit a certain city to see if these people are as friendly as they have heard.
When Zeus and Hermes arrive, everyone in the entire city refuses them any sort of hospitality, except for a very old man named Philemon and his very old wife, who give them all the food they have.
The couple and the gods share some laughs together, and as the old couple is pouring out the last of the flour, the flour never runs out. They then realize that they are in presence of the gods and bow down.
Zeus and Hermes then say, "Shall we hide from Philemon what we are about to do?" And they tell them that they are going to rain down fire from heaven and destroy the wicked people of the city, but that Philemon and his wife will be spared and blessed and grow old together and live on the great hill of Lystra in a temple, and they eventually become so old and blessed that they turn into the ancient linden trees of the area.
So the ancient Greeks developed their own mythology around this ancient event (which Paul and Barnabas later have to deal with in the New Testament book of Acts), but you can see how both stories share the same roots.
Even the prophet Ezekiel shares some similarities with the Greek version of this story when he says, "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."
It is also ironic that the main sin of the Sodomites was not sodomy, but rather that they had no concern for the needy and looked out for only themselves.
Sodom and Gomorrah (19:1-29)
The two strangers arrive at the city of Sodom.
Here, the text lists these two as “angels.”
We also learn that Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family are now living within the city of Sodom.
This is probably why Abraham was especially concerned about the fate of the Sodomites.
When the two angels arrive at the city, Lot is sitting in the city gate and spots them.
Lot insists that they stay at his house for the night instead of sleeping in the city square.
Later that night, the rape-gangs pound on Lot’s door.
They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them!”
Lot unsuccessfully offers his daughters to them.
They try to push their way into the house.
The angels pull Lot back inside and then cause the men outside to go blind.
The angels tell Lot and his family to leave the city right away because they are about to destroy it.
Lot stalls again and again.
Eventually, the angels grab Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and drag them out of the city.
Lot tries to bargain with the angels.
As they are fleeing, Lot’s wife turns back towards Sodom and turns into a pillar of salt. She just couldn't give up her life in Sodom even though she knew that a life in Sodom would end in death.
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed with fire and brimstone.
From his dwelling, Abraham watches the dense smoke coming up from the horizon and realizes that there were not even ten righteous people living in Sodom.
Lot and his Daughters (19:30-38)
Lot and his daughters traveled to the mountains and lived in a cave.
After awhile, Lot’s daughters schemed together to get their father drunk and then have sex with him, so they could have kids and carry on the family name.
The two sons that were born to them were named “Moab” and “Ben-Ammi.”
“Moab” sound like the Hebrew word for “from father.”
“Ben-Ammi” means “son of my father’s people.”
This is the origin story that the Israelites told about their distant (and not well-liked) cousins, the Ammonites and Moabites.
Abraham and Abimelek (20:1-18)
After awhile, Abraham moved to Gerar.
Gerar is in the region of the Negev wilderness.
Another wife/sister story takes place at this point, with Abraham claiming Sarah is his sister, and Abimelek, the king of Gerar, taking Sarah to be his concubine.
God came to Abimelek in a dream and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
Abimelek insists that he is innocent and God agrees with him.
Abimelek returns Sarah and gives many gifts to Abraham as an apology, and also scolds him for lying in the first place.
Here, Abraham's dirty little secret comes out and he confesses that Sarah really is his half-sister, saying to Abimelek that he only told a half-lie.
Abraham then prays for Abimelek and his people because God had caused them to be unable to have any children.
God hears the prayer and allows Abimelek and his people to have children again.
In Genesis 26, a very similar story about Abimelek is told, but with Abraham’s son Isaac and his wife Rebekah filling the roles of Abraham and Sarah.
The Birth of Isaac (21:1-8)
A year after Abraham’s visit with the three strangers, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
Sarah was 90, and Abraham was 100.
They named their son Isaac, meaning “laughter.”
Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Structure of the Abraham Story
•Intro: Journey to Canaan, promise of descendants
–Abram lies about Sarah in Egypt, God protects her
•Lot settles in Sodom
–Abram intercedes for Lot and Sodom, militarily
»God says Abram and Sarai will have a son
•Ishmael is born and blessed by God
•Center: Yahweh’s Covenant – Abram and Sarai’s names changed
•Ishmael is circumcised and blessed by God
»God says Abraham and Sarah will have a son
–Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Lot, in prayer
•Lot flees Sodom
–Abraham lies about Sarah in Gerar, God protects her
•Conclusion: Birth of Isaac
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away (21:9-21)
The family had a celebration in honor of Isaac.
Hagar and Ishmael mocked Isaac.
Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Abraham didn’t know what to do.
God told him to listen to Sarah, and reassured Abraham that He would take care of Ishmael and make him into a great nation.
The next day, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away.
They wandered around in the desert of Beersheba, ran out of water, sat down and prepared to die.
An angel shows up and tells Hagar that God will not abandon them.
God then “opens the eyes” of Hagar and she sees a well, and she and her son drink from it.
Ishmael grows up in the desert.
According to tradition, Ishmael became the father of the Arab peoples.
The Treaty at Beersheba (21:22-34)
Later, Abimelek shows up again.
Abimelek’s servants had a dispute with Abraham over who owned a certain well.
Abimelek and Abraham make a deal that they will not do harm to each other.
Abimelek also makes Abraham promise that he will not ever “deal falsely” with him or with his descendants.
In exchange for the rights to the well, Abraham gave a gift of seven lambs to Abimelek.
This location came to be known as “Beersheba,” which can mean “well of seven” or “well of the oath.”
In Genesis 26, Isaac is the one who makes the treaty with Abimelek at Beersheba.
Abraham Tested (22:1-24)
God tells Abraham to take his son Isaac to the region of Moriah and to sacrifice him there on a mountain as a burnt offering.
Abraham, Isaac, and two servants set out for Moriah the next morning.
After three days, they arrived.
The servants stayed behind as Abraham and Isaac went up a mountain to “worship.”
Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his own back, while Abraham carried the knife and the fire.
“‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’
Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.”
Abraham was about to stab his son when the angel of the LORD began shouting his name.
The angel said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Abraham spots a ram.
Abraham sacrifices it instead of Isaac.
Abraham then named the place “The LORD Will Provide.”
Throughout history, the Jews would quote a saying that said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Several things are going on here:
1. God is testing Abraham’s faith and obedience, but He is also proving Himself to be a faithful God even in the midst of confusing and difficult circumstances where He seems like He's not as faithful as we would like Him to be.
2. God is actually condemning the child-sacrifice that took place in the neighboring Canaanite cults by distinguishing himself from the ways of those other gods.
3. God is fulfilling his promise from his covenant with Abraham that He himself would take on the consequences of the sins of Abraham and his children.
4. Animal sacrifice is now seen as a way of reminding both God and humans that God has promised to bear the punishment of sin upon Himself.
5. The Mountain of Moriah is the location of what would later become Jerusalem, which is where Jesus (God as a human) was put to death for the sins of all people.
The Death of Sarah (23:1-20)
The text says that Sarah lived to be 127 and then she died and Abraham mourned for her.
Abraham did not own any land on which to bury her, so he went to the Hittites and bought a field with a cave in it from them and there he buried his wife.
Isaac and Rebekah (24:1-67)
The servant arrived at the well of Paddan Aram and began to pray for God’s help.
He prayed that a girl would come to the well and give him a drink and then offer to water his camels as well.
A girl arrived at the well and did just that.
The girl’s name was Rebekah.
Her brother was Laban.
The family arranged the marriage, celebrated, and sent Rebekah off with the servant.
While Isaac was meditating in a field, he saw his father’s servant returning with Rebekah.
Isaac and Rebekah were married.
The Death of Abraham (25:1-18)
After Sarah had died, Abraham had another wife named Keturah who bore him many sons.
The text says that Abraham gave gifts to them all and sent them off to live in the lands of the East away from Isaac.
Abraham’s entire inheritance was given to Isaac.
Abraham died at age 175.
Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave where Sarah had been buried.
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Sources
Dorsey, David; Carr, David. The Literary Structure of the Old Testament.
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