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?... Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” (Gen 18,24.27-28)

How differently we will view this special conversation between Abraham and God, depending on whether we view the Bible as a bunch of legends or the precious Word of God! In other words, whether we consider the Bible to be superior to us or us to be superior to it. After all, the carnal mind here might say, well, some people are born merchants, so who would be surprised if they try to bargain with God Himself?

But those who have known moments of God's nearness are more likely to be silent when reading this conversation. For they know what it means when God and man stop opposite each other and listen to each other with all the seriousness. When there is someone who takes his place in the "gap" between God and man. In that moment, God perceived Abraham's pleas in every detail - to every single number Abraham uttered, God responded specifically. And Abraham, in turn, perceived how far he could go. He did not cling to some predetermined course of action as to how he would speak to God, stubbornly repeating his point as if he had "neither seen nor heard." His prayer evolved according to how he perceived God in it. He felt how far he could go, in other words, as far as he was entering an open door. In his spirit he perceived that God allowed him to continue until the number ten. Even of that number, the majority, six members, belonged to Lot's family, so that from Sodom alone it was enough to find only four.

At that moment he perceived that the door had begun to close, and he was to go no further. Abraham prayed to God as one who knows, but also as one who respects. In his lifetime of following, he had learned that prayer is not there to enforce something from God, but to grasp it together with Him.

 

And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 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?” (Gen 18,23.25)

Abraham was bound to Sodom by two events. He once went on his first (and probably last) military campaign for the city. He remembered God's help, confirmed by the arrival of the mysterious messenger Melchizedek, the humble plea of the king of Sodom, when the whole city lay at Abraham's feet as a spoil of war, with its wealth which he had refused to allow to become rich. And now he was bound to it for the second time through the fate of his nephew Lot. The one who had once chosen the better part, without showing him the least natural respect, but nevertheless his kinsman, the inhabitant of Sodom, for whose sake he would again try to do something to save the city. But to deliver the city from the invaders is different from wresting it from the judgmental hand of the living God...

And now Abraham paused, became quiet, inwardly composed, and spoke to the Lord. But it was not an overload of words, explanations and requests as to what should happen and how. Abraham decided to urge God. Whenever we want to urge someone, we must be inwardly convinced that there is a real basis, some fact or quality about the person that will make it work. Otherwise, we would have to remain in the position of supplicant, waiting to see if perhaps the other party would have mercy, but having no certainty of it beforehand.

Not so Abraham! Notice with what a strong appeal he approaches God here. One cannot help but ask the question: and who actually told Abraham that his God was righteous? And that this righteousness is so inseparable a part of God's nature that Abraham can count on it as an absolute given, the basis of God's action? For if God is God, he can do anything, and no one can call him to account. There were then and are now religions in the world that worship gods of evil!

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Abraham had no one beside him to teach him and was theologically one step ahead of him. No one he could ask when he was in doubt. All his knowledge of God was based on revelation accompanied by personal experience. And yet he came to the unwavering realization that his God was - unlike the surrounding models - the sovereign, universal ruler of the whole earth and did not stand in a line with the other "gods" of the world. As we have already mentioned, there is a spiritual Law that the revelation of God in a person's life grows as he or she walks in God's path, and, conversely, shrouds itself in a veil of dust when one strays from it. This is also why we can be sure of Abraham's pursuit of God - it is obvious that he is being revealed more and more about God.

Our God is "the God of Abraham..." and therefore God, the Judge of all the earth. Therefore, even when we come to know "the mystery that is Christ" (Col. 2:2), we do not thereby become primarily Catholic, Evangelical, Baptist, or Pentecostal.  Either we have come to know the one, true God or we have not, embracing in essence the one, universally valid religion (albeit temporarily clothed in the garb of a denomination) or just one of many false religions. There is nothing in between.

Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. (Gen 18,22)

We mentioned that Abraham was being transformed so that he could experience God's rest and indwelling, even friendship. When a man is changed, he is not really aware of many changes in himself; they are more easily noticed by outsiders, and this was certainly the case with Abraham. We do not find in the Scriptures a life stage-by-life stage account of Abraham's life where his qualities are evaluated in order to accurately observe his personal growth. If we want to see it, we must (as with other characters in the Bible) deduce it from the story.

We read that Abraham "stood before the Lord." The Hebrew original here supposedly even states "the Lord before Abraham." Be that as it may, it does not begin with a conversation. And the following prayer of Abraham, one of the most remarkable in the whole Bible, does not begin by listing the urgent needs, of what God should do. It is, as we shall see, primarily a meeting of the two characters.

Jesus said that "the Gentiles think that they will be heard for the multitude of their words." (Matt. 6:7) The Gentiles do not listen to God or perceive Him. If they are really interested in God at all, He is only a means to an end. Therefore, they spew their requests and petitions into the places where they imagine him (usually somewhere upstairs). But they don't have a personal relationship with Him, and therefore they don't perceive God - and they don't stop before Him.

"Standing still" meant, first of all, stopping, quieting down and becoming still. Now Abraham's daily cares had to be set aside, as well as the cares of preparing the feast which had occupied him for the last few hours. And then came the perception of the other side. We assume, as it were automatically, that God always perceives us, understands what state of mind we are in, can "tune in" to us. But we can't always tune in to him, it's certainly not an automatic thing that every believer possesses. It is not possible without spending time with God and making God the center of one's life. This is where we can see one of the signs of Abraham's inner transformation. He was perhaps the only one in the whole world who was willing to "stand before the Lord" in those days.

And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing"?  For I have known him... (Gen 18,17.19)

Just what must have happened to Abraham that God Himself speaks of "knowing" him, which means a deep intimacy with a person? Such relationship does not come about randomly and easily; it requires mutual commitment, depth. Indeed, God spoke of few people in this way throughout the Bible, and mostly in the sense that He seeks this intimacy with a man but does not find it. Mostly, it is viewed from the opposite side, from man's side to God. But Abraham is explicitly declared by God Himself to be a friend (and God had it written down for us to notice well, even after nearly 4000 years!).

How did this happen? Was it because Abraham got to know something about God that God valued? Modern man has learned that the way of progress means new knowledge and technological development. So one might think that the key to God can be found by knowing more about Him. That in itself is certainly not to be dismissed, but it is also good to be aware that compared to students in today's theological faculties, Abraham did not know about God a whit. Or was his intimacy the result of having done something significant for God? After all, we value people who can do many things (especially what we cannot do ourselves). Therefore, some seek to find their way to God through service. But was that the reason for God's intimate friendship with Abraham?

We may respect those who know much or accomplish much, but when we seek friends, we don't decide by that; it is not the most important thing for an intimate relationship. We choose far more on the basis of whether there is inner understanding and respect between us. So friendships are made on the basis of qualities, not education or performance. And that is the key to understanding what must have happened to Abraham: being gradually transformed into the likeness of God. When he had traveled a substantial distance on this journey, God could be in perfect peace with him, rest with him, and even refuse to do things in the world without his knowledge.

God sought intimacy with man, but almost did not find it - until the sacrifice of man's redemption was accomplished and the Holy Spirit was sent upon the earth. Only then could there be a precious connection, a "koinonia" between God and man at the deepest level of consciousness - "the communion of the Spirit..." from Php 2:1.

And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing"? (Gen 18,17)

What a difference the relationship between God and Abraham has undergone since its beginning! At that time God approached Abram on his level of understanding and offered him His promises if he would follow Him. God always approaches man in this way: on his own level of understanding. It does not mean that the man then understands everything correctly or that his understanding is not limited. On the contrary: if we continue on the right path, we are continually surprised again and again as our perception expands and our understanding develops and with it our vision of the world. When a person changes within, his view of things around him changes. His new perspective seems true to him, just as the one he had before, even though it was actually different. We often think that everyone else also must see things the same way as we do - the same then and different now, after all, if it is so clear! Because we can only partially detach ourselves from who we are and view things from a distance, we are not fully aware of many changes that have happened to us, and it does not seem to us that we have abandoned much of what used to be "true" but has subsequently turned out to be a delusion.

So Abram seized the promise which had been offered to him. He subsequently experienced God's goodness in several areas of his life, but as every follower of God, he also saw the wilderness season inevitably come. He was tested, taught, transformed. And now, after many years, God had come to visit him, had come to abide, had come with unadulterated trust to the only person to whom he could entrust his secrets. He does not want to withhold from him what he intends to do! God reveals his intentions to his friend Abraham.

True friendship means sharing each other's secrets. Not only does God know us; but to his friends, those who are close to him, he reveals his depths.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1K 2,10)

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (1K 13,12)
 

And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Gen 18,13-4)
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (Heb 11,11)

Sarah could rightly think that she and Abraham were no shame to God on earth: they were the only ones here who truly worshipped Him and had no other gods. They live in an orderly family, they are faithful to each other, their farm is a household name far and wide, and they enjoy the respect of their neighbors and their own servants - what more could God ask of them?

It was all good, surely. But our problem is that we present to God what we are sure we have sorted out in our lives, while we push aside what we know God wants us to do, but we don't exactly excel at. Now, I'm not referring to the "I should" (or "we should") type requests that make us feel guilty and so we quickly commit something pious to ease our conscience and have peace. I mean something that is specifically between God and us and belongs to us right now. Sometimes God asks us to do things that surprise us. Clearly, the question of faith was not the most important one for Sarah right now. Other things seemed more important to her, perhaps the practical witness of the lives of those around them. But for God it was now the most important question. For the miraculous conception of Isaac, the miracle of the resurrection, was about to take place, and God needed to find with her right now the most important and the only thing that can unleash the power of God in a person - faith.

In the weeks that followed this visitation, Sarah was caught up in the inner struggle for supernatural faith that Abraham had gone through before her. Like everything worthwhile, it was not born easily or immediately - but Sarah eventually prevailed in that struggle.

Consider this: the epistle to the Hebrews gives Sarah, laughing at the apparent nonsense of the birth of a son, as an example - of FAITH! How is this possible? Because in God's eyes, seen from the side of eternity, she really is. Justified and transformed, full of the victorious faith of God. God no longer recalls any of her faults, they are forever and wholly blotted out. They remain written on our side of heaven, but only for our sake, for our edification and strength in our struggles. Just as Peter, for example, who is an example of inconstancy and failure for us, becomes in eternity the immovable foundation of a new city (Rev. 21:14)!

The glorified future will overlook all our stumbles and falls, and only the precious things we have attained in Christ will remain forever. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be!" (1 J 3,2)

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 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.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. (Gen 18,12-15)

Sarah certainly considered herself a worshipper of the Lord, for she had no other gods. She was, after all, a member of the only community at that time whose faith was based on the direct revelation God gave to their leader Abraham. After all - consider - God spoke to him from mouth to mouth! So Sarah was in the position of a member of the congregation, in effect, the "pastor's wife." But how close a person can be to God's dealings, or to another person with whom God has dealt, and yet be little affected himself...

Sarah, unlike Abraham, has so far known religion more in its external forms. She resembles religious people from ancient times to the present day. While the worst sins disappear from life, measured externally such a person is better than most people. Yet he lacks the faith that would carry him to a higher sphere, lacks the supernatural experience that leads to inner transformation, and therefore cannot stand the light before God. The first recorded manifestation of Sarah's attitude (where she acts of her own volition, not just following her husband's faith) is the universal pervasive fear of "what will happen to us" - if God fails. So she devises a way to bypass God and get the baby. (You can have faith, but in the end, what's left?) And later: she hides from God's messengers in a tent because she doesn't want to and can't be an open book in front of them - she hasn't given her true self to God yet. As a result, she cannot move beyond the flesh and see with spiritual sight, so she laughs at the miracle God has come to announce. Secretly, of course, lest God should happen to notice!

The religious person likes to point out what he is better at than other people (Luke 18:11). Of course, he picks out the areas where he really is and makes sure of it. But he misses the fact that God wanted a change of heart in the first place. Centuries later, therefore, Jesus said to the devout Pharisees, "tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you." (Matt. 21:31) And a little further on,  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." (Mt 23:23)

God was really angry that Sarah, after 25 years of following, was laughing at the hope He was announcing to them. There is perhaps no other instance in all of Scripture where God silenced someone like this ("but yes, you laughed"). It demonstrates how God immediately perceives and responds to the faith or, conversely, unbelief in a person's heart.

Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” (Gen 18,9)

Someone remarked that when God asks a man a question, it is not because he does not know the answer. After all, during their long wait, the messengers must have noticed, or at least heard, that Sarah was preparing a meal for them. So the question "where is she" means something else. It is strikingly reminiscent of the first question asked of a man, "Where are you?"

Where we are seems to have a special meaning for God. But not in the sense of place, whether in the house or in the garden. It is a question about our spiritual state. A mother in danger asks: where are the children? But at that moment, the most important thing is not the place, but whether they are all right. So God asks man whether he is where his true destination is, or whether he is straying.

Abraham lived in a spiritually divided marriage. It does not appear that Sarah encouraged him in anything regarding following God, quite the opposite. She was even a source of temptation to him when she urged him to beget a son for her and Hagar. Thus, Abraham's faith plunged him into a certain inner loneliness even within his own family. It was not because God had willed such a fate for him. It was so because there was no escape. Sarah did not long for God as he did.

Two people living close together, even having a nice relationship with each other - and yet what an unprecedented difference. Abraham immediately recognized God's messengers in the newcomers and welcomed the opportunity to honor them. Sarah preferred to remain in the tent. Of course, she had a plenty to do; but she does not go out even for a while because her heart is not transformed to joyfully bear the light of the heavenly messengers.

Abraham and Sarah had a good relationship, understood each other in many ways, were faithful to each other, and experienced together many precious moments. But they still did not have full understanding in the most important things. For spiritual blindness cannot be overcome by other than spiritual means. Relationships, no matter how good and purposefully built, are not enough to do this, just as they alone cannot create true spiritual unity.

Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by... (Gen 18,4-5)

It was twenty-four years, twenty-four long years, before God could come to visit Abraham in this way. Abraham, of course, used to experience God's visitation from the beginning of his journey, but his relationship to God was first that of a stranger. Abraham did not know God, did not know how He thought, how He felt. But with God, it is not just about experiencing visitations; it is about experiencing rest. Even later, God visited his people through prophets, sending words, sometimes signs. But he did this to bring them to a different path, for he was not in agreement with them. There was no friendship between them, He could not rest among them - because they were not at peace with Him.

God did come to Abraham, but at first it was like a river rolling over an arid plain and flowing away again. Abraham did not know how to stay before God. There were so many things in which he had to grow and change inwardly in order to keep himself from losing God. He always had the impression that he had drifted away from Him after one experience or another and had to come back again; he did not know how to dwell with Him.

But his persistent following, the experiences he made along the way, the good (with God) and the bad (with himself) helped him to know God and become more than just His worshipper or obedient servant. The ever-present strife of man towards God ceased in his heart, and Abraham began to experience "harmony" with God. And then God did not have to leave. Abraham was becoming God's friend (see James 2:23).

God's messengers were now sitting down under the tree waiting for Abraham to prepare a banquet for them. Three times we are told how he was in a hurry while trying to do it "quickly." Just imagine a hundred year old man running around in the midday heat (and not here, but in Israel!) preparing a meal completely from the slaughter to the roast. It must have taken several hours for the messengers to wait to be honored by Abraham, as was the custom in those days.

But friends are willing to wait. Because we like to be guests at our friends'.