Genesis 18:16-33 • A season for sorrow
- Steve Schott
- Aug 6
- 6 min read
► Two major events happen in chapter 18...
1 → The birth of Isaac is promised.
2 → The destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah is promised.
► There is a dynamic contrast in chapter 18 between the promise of the coming son, Isaac, the one who will be the first step in the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with Abram/Abraham 24 years before (Gen 12:1-3), and the coming destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.
► On the one hand, great joy is coming in the form of the long-awaited son. The son of promise. The first step in the much anticipated uncountable multitude that won't really be that noticeable until a few centuries have passed.
► On the other hand, great dread is coming in the form of the utter destruction of the area in which Abraham's nephew Lot, and his family, are living. Today, we are going to look at this last part of chapter 18. A season for sorrow.
► Just to recap, in the first part of this chapter, 3 "men" came to visit Abraham. 2 of the men, the two we see mentioned immediately in verse 16, we find out in Gen 19:1 are angels. The other one, the apparent leader amongst them, we have determined is the LORD, the pre-incarnate Jesus. The LORD tells Abraham that he and Sarah will have a son one year from now and will name him Isaac. There is a mix of confusion and joy at this, BUT...
► Now we are going to see the other half of the statement, "I have some good news and I have some bad news." Here comes the BAD news.
Genesis 18:16-33 → 16Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.
• It seems abrupt in the text, that after an excellent meal, and the exchanges, somewhat awkward, but nonetheless bringing joy, that the visitors just get up and start to walk away. No goodbye handshakes and hugs, no "give me a text when you get home" requests, just walking away. They were men on a mission.
17The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” 20And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
• The LORD starts talking with the angels, discussing what is coming next and how Abraham is going to be involved, or at least be informed. All of this conversation is within Abraham's hearing, as we will find in his comments starting in verse 23.
• The LORD makes references that sound like, that what is about to come might help Abraham, and his descendants, to understand the seriousness of living in a way that is pleasing to God. It almost sounds like God is saying that the covenant He made with Abraham is conditional on his descendants following the LORD, but that can't be true because the covenant was unconditional. I think He's just trying to say that there are consequences for those who choose to live contrary to the way God would want them to live; that the covenant can be fulfilled in someone else amongst Abraham's lineage if we choose to take it so lightly as to defy God.
• The LORD also says He is going down to evaluate the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, but He actually sends his angels. He doesn't really need to go. He already knows exactly how many, if any, are righteous.
22Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD.
• This part of the conversation is over, and now the angels leave.
• Abraham begins his attempt to help avoid the utter destruction to come. In my opinion, Abraham is being pretty bold at this point. He's basically getting in God's face and questioning His fairness. "Really? You're going to kill all of them? The not-guilty with the guilty?"
24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” 26So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” 27And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”
• Then Abraham starts negotiating with God. "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city;...". And God says, "OK, if there are 50, I'll hold back my wrath." And Abraham keeps recycling this argument. He asks about 45. Then 40. Then 30. And again with 20. And finally with 10. And each time the LORD says OK, I'll hold back if it's 45, or 40, or 30, or 20, or 10.
• I'm wondering why Abraham stopped at 10. If he had brought it all the way down to 1, would God have relented? We'll never know because he didn't ask. But we will find out that there weren't 10, as Sodom and Gomorrah were not spared.
33As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
• The ending to this chapter is somewhat abrupt. The LORD leaves, and Abraham goes back home.
• From Abraham's perspective, I can only imagine the churning going on in his stomach. "Lot is down there with his family. Will they be spared?" "Why didn't I ask for only 1?" I can see him pacing as he is waiting to see and/or hear what is happening. If Lot is spared, how will he know?
► I wish this section had more in the way of application for us. If nothing else, we can see that God is serious about sin. We'll see just how serious in chapter 19. It is true, that if we belong to Jesus, that eternal punishment is not in the cards for us. But, He isn't lax about correcting us when we need it, to help us back on the right path. But what about our friends and loved ones who haven't given their lives to Christ? Understanding the severity of not being under God's grace should at least help us in how we deal with them, with the urgency of helping to lead them, both by words AND by example, to the point where they will submit themselves to Jesus and receive eternal life.
Photo • 2025/02/17 - Looking down at Badwater Basin, from Dante's View, in Death Valley NP, CA
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com
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