Chapter 18 thoughts
Surely Abraham didn’t always respond to visitors as he did to God’s visit, with 2 others. So was this an instance where God’s manifest presence was so obviously extra-human, like in The Man Who Was Thursday, that Abraham knew something was up? Did he know he was God or just someone worth respect?
Any questions of their guest’s divinity must have been settled when Sarah’s internal laughter was called out. It’s interesting that she was rebuked for her doubt, given it was internal. The sin that lives in my mind often gets a free pass, but here Sarah’s nailed for the attitude that she doesn’t even give word to.
Where’s Sarah’s doubt was so silent that only God could have known, Abraham’s opposition to Sodom’s planned destruction could not have been more clear. He physically blocked God from leaving, challenged his reasoning then had the tenacity (or audacity?) to bargain with him for the fate of a city. Given his previously displayed affection for Lot, chasing after his rescue at the expense of foreign armies, I’m not surprised. But then again, he must recognize how fully dependant on God he is for everything he has and open resistance had to have been uncomfortable for the pragmatic wanderer.
He must have walked away sure he’d saved the city when God agreed to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake on only ten faithful. Sadly, even our lowest expectations are often too high.
Tags: abraham, genesis, genesis 18, laughter, sarah, Sodom and Gomorrah
April 28th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Interesting response… I had a very different one to parts of this passage. First of all… I wouldn’t really call God’s response a “rebuke,” except maybe when He called Sarah out in the final statement (”No you did laugh”). I actually wonder if that is the point God would be really disappointed with, that she was silly enough to deny her actions to God. When I wrote the passage and read the subscript I felt like this was where Sarah really went wrong. The ESV says, “But Sarah denied it (subscript- “acted falsely”), saying ‘I did not laught,’ for she was afraid.”
My thought that maybe God was more dispointed when Sarah acted falsely than when she laughed in secret (maybe He also didn’t like that she was “secretly” laughing, the hiding factor seems to be what He finally calls out.) was re-enforced by God’s willingness to engage Abraham when he negotiated with Him. It is really strange that God would be willing to attend to Abraham’s arguments, and the blatant challenge even of God’s justice (”Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”), but He does respond, and I felt encourged in that to openly bring my concerns and questions and laugher/incredulousness to God. Not to make the mistake of Sarah in letting my (rightful) fear of the Almighty get in the way of my honesty, authenticity, and relationship with Him. Abraham was afraid of God while he challenged Him, but he still brought everything before the Lord.
I like your last comment though… that even our lowest expectations are too high. I prove that to myself over and over again : )
April 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I think God definitely heard Abraham’s concern about justice and the destruction of Sodom. But Abraham’s high and generous count of 10 was still more than the city could show, so I’m not sure that God was really yielding to Abraham’s point. Rather, I think God knew Abraham had those doubts and gave him space to voice them beforehand rather than afterwards, where they could have lingered unresolved.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’m also confused about God visiting Abraham in this way. Did he take on human flesh here? What does this mean when thinking about Christ - being God incarnate. Is it similar or different?
When I read it was three visitors, my american christian upbringing assumed it was the trinity. Perhaps it was? Perhaps it was God with two angels?
Either way I hate that these super-bizarre happenings are described in so little detail….