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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." ~ Genesis 18:16-21
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 18 where Abraham has been enjoying a visit from God Himself, along with two angels. In this part of the narrative our attention has been turned to Sodom and Gomorrah which are the Bible’s prime example of ungodliness and of God’s judgment upon sin.
In John 3:17 we read, "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
These words of the Lord Jesus reveal to us condemnation was not His first choice. He came to save that which was lost to the deceitfulness of the serpent of old. The Lord Jesus went on to say, "For judgment I came into the world." Some try to say He contradicted Himself here but He didn't. He came so that whosoever would believe would have eternal life. But what about those who would not? The answer is of course, they would remain in their condemnation.
The very presence of the Lord Jesus on this earth meant that inevitably, as He was believed upon by the willing, a judgment would be made. This judgement clearly revealed the heart condition of all mankind; we either believe in Him or we do not believe. In man's rejection of the truth is confirmed his unbelief and the subsequent judgement of God upon his sin.
In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way."
The meal that Abraham had prepared for these three was done and the promise of a son in the coming year had been reiterated. This promise would always point us to the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the Lord Jesus said, In John 3:3, "Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God."
To the promise of God, Sarah laughed in a mocking way and after that, she was caught in a lie. All of this was to show that nothing is outside of the power of God and nothing is hidden from Him. The Lord and these two angels came to Abraham before going to Sodom to set the chronology, enabling us to understand what would happen in Sodom.
As the three visitors rose up to leave, they looked toward Sodom. This is stated to show Abraham, and to us, that judgment was going to bring it to consummation upon those who had consistently rejected the truth. The very last words spoken about Sodom in Genesis 13 were, "But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord." Due of their wickedness and the fact that they were not wiped out by the invading armies in Genesis 14, having given them multiples chances to change their allegiance, the Lord would allow them to experience His wrath in full.
This true story is an indictment on all sin in all societies and at all times. When a nation fails to prosecute and sentence wickedness, the Lord will step in. This was true with Israel, it’s true with nations today, and it will be the case with the one-world government which is coming. If man doesn’t judge sin, God will; it is only a matter of time before He drops His gavel.
America has tasted judgment in several ways in the recent years. We have faced judgement financially, through terrorism, and in famine, plague, and natural disaster. But, as a whole, America has failed to humble our hearts and prosecute the sins of the people. Paying attention to what lies ahead for Sodom will allow us to see what the result of what the same sins in America will be.
In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "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?'"
The words, "Shall I hide?" is a rhetorical question and it is a way of getting us to think through the issue at hand. The answer to this question is obvious. God raised up Abraham and his posterity in order to bring into this world the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham would become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him. This is why the Lord includes him in what’s coming.
In v.19 of today's passage we read, "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."
The Lord personally chose Abraham to be the father of the people of faith in God. By showing him what He was about to do to Sodom, the Lord was instructing Abraham in the importance of continuing to be defined by the Lord. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah would be an object lesson of what happens to those who turn away from the Lord. It would be a permanent memorial concerning the punishments which come from violating the righteousness of God and choosing sin.
It had been 25 years since Abraham entered the promised land and the people of Sodom had already been there and they were known for their wickedness at that time. Abraham was told earlier that he couldn’t possess the land of Canaan because the wickedness of the Amorites hadn’t yet reached its full measure and that it wouldn’t do so for another 430 years. However, the destruction of Sodom was coming because they had reached their full measure of wickedness. God’s patience with the Sodomites had ended.
In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
The sin of Sodom was sodomy which is a crime against the natural order which God intended for us. And here, the Lord yet again descended to the level of man in order to deal with his sin. This act of justice was for the sake of all would believe in His goodness from that point onward. By coming back down to earth and by going to examine the situation in Sodom, the Lord acted justly, not capriciously. Of course, He knew all along what was going on in Sodom and Gomorrah, but He handled it this way to give to us a just example. The Lord never flies off the handle in blind rage. His judgement is always measured and deliberate and precise. The Lord’s judgment is always just.
The sin in Sodom and Gomorrah was more than sexual perversion though, it was social inequity and injustice. The Lord went with His two angels to Sodom and Gomorrah due to the outcry of those who were being treated wrongly. Their "outcry" had reached His ears because of the unrighteousness and injustice in these cities. Their sin was social and sexual. They only cared about themselves and ignored those who were suffering. They were addicted to sex. They loved things and used people. They wanted to have sex with everyone and wanted to share their food with no one. So, in the end, God rained fire down upon them.
