SERIES A --- YHVH’S PIONEERS -- LESSON 13

DANGEROUS PRAYER?

ABRAHAM BARGAINS FOR SODOM

From Genesis 18

One hot day as Abraham sat by the door of his tent among the oaks of Mamre, he noticed three strangers approaching. Abraham immediately ran out to meet them, bowing to the ground. [Please do not pass by my tent,] said Abraham. [I will bring some water to wash your feet and you can rest under the tree. I’ll bring something to eat so you can refresh yourselves before going on your way.] [All right, please do as you have said,] the men answered. Abraham ran back to the tent to find Sarah. [Take three measures of flour, knead it, and quickly make some cakes of bread.] Then Abraham ran out to his herd of animals, found a calf with good, tender meat and gave it to his servant to prepare. When the calf was ready, Abraham took curds and milk and the meat and set it before the strangers. While they ate, he stood nearby under the tree. [Where is your wife, Sarah?] the men asked. [In the tent,] Abraham answered. Then Adonai, speaking as one of the men, said to Abraham, [This time next year I will return. When I do, your wife Sarah will have had a son.] Sarah was listening by the door of the tent behind Him as He spoke. When she heard what Adonai said, she laughed, for she and Abraham were much too old to have a child. [How can I have a baby now when I and my husband are both so old?] Sarah scoffed. But Adonai spoke to Abraham about this. [Why did Sarah laugh? And why did she doubt that she can have a child when she is so old?] Adonai asked. [Is anything too difficult for Adonai to do? I will return next year and Sarah will have a son by that time.] Sarah was afraid now and denied that she had laughed. [I didn’t laugh,] she argued. [But you did!] Adonai answered. Then the men arose to leave, heading toward Sodom. Abraham went with them for some distance, which was a courtesy to guests. [Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?] Adonai wondered. [Some day his people will become a mighty nation and through them he will cause the nations of the world to be blessed. And since I have chosen him and his family to keep the way of Adonai and fulfil what I have promised, should I keep from him this secret?] Adonai told Abraham about His plans. [The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah cries out to Me, and their sin is very great,] Adonai said. [I will go there to see if these things are true.] From inside the tent Sarah overheard Adonai’s prophecy. She laughed at the idea that she would have a child in her old age. The two men went on toward Sodom while Adonai remained with Abraham for a while. Then Abraham began to ask Adonai about His coming judgment. [Will You destroy the righteous with the wicked?] he asked. [What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will You destroy the city? Will You not spare it for their sake? Surely You would not destroy the righteous with the wicked for that would be treating the righteous and wicked alike. I am sure that the Judge of all the Earth will be just.] Adonai answered, [If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the whole city because of them.] [Since I have asked this question, let me continue,] Abraham said. [I know that I am only dust and ashes, but suppose there are only forty-five righteous people in Sodom?] Then Adonai said, [I will not destroy the city if there are forty-five righteous people there.] Again, Abraham spoke to Adonai. [But suppose there are only forty?] [I will spare the city for forty righteous people,] Adonai replied. Please don’t be angry but let me ask again. What if there are only thirty righteous people there?] [I will not destroy the city for thirty people,] Adonai answered. [Let me ask once again. Suppose there are only twenty?] Abraham said. [Then I will spare the city for the sake of the twenty,] Adonai responded. At last Abraham said, [Oh, Adonai, please don’t be angry. I will ask only once more. What if you find only ten righteous people?] And YHVH answered, [For the sake of the ten, I will not destroy the city.] As soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham, Adonai went on His way. And Abraham returned home.

COMMENTARY

HOSPITALITY

YHVH announced to Abraham His intention to destroy the city of Sodom for its wickedness. Fearfully Abraham begged YHVH not to act if even a righteous few could be found there. Would YHVH be angry with Abraham for daring to question the rightness of His plan? In Old Testament times hospitality was an important duty. When a guest arrived, he was treated as if he were the master of the house even though his host may never have met him before. When he received his guest, the host always kept in mind that someday he too might be a traveller in need of food and shelter. He also thought that the stranger might be a messenger from YHVH. Sharing a meal created a special bond between the host and his guest. Although meat was costly and rarely eaten, a host would willingly kill a member of his flocks to provide a meal for his guest. As a sign of special respect, the master of the house actually served the food himself and stood by while his guests ate. At this time, it was customary to eat only two meals a day. The noon meal was a light lunch of bread, fruit and olives. The major meal was served at the end of the working day, shortly before sunset. Everyone sat on mats spread over the ground. A common bowl was set in the centre, often on a low table. Forks and knives were unknown; everyone dipped his bread in the bowl and ate it with his fingers. As a sign of respect, the host dipped his bread into the bowl and offered it to the guest. Other customs surrounded the meal as well. Before sitting down to eat, the host provided water so that the guests could wash the dust of the road from their feet. He also ordered a servant to anoint them with oil, the Bible-time substitute for soap. Sometimes he even provided his guests with special festive garments of white. Custom dictated that a guest could stay in his host’s home for three days. During that time, he was under the protection of his host. At the end of those three days, he was expected to leave and continue his journey even though good manners forced the host to urge him to stay longer. But even after the traveller set out again his host’s duties were not complete. The host was expected to accompany him for a short distance as an escort of honour sending him on his way. Among the Bedouin tribes in modern Bible lands, many ancient customs of hospitality are still observed with great care. A good host in Bible times always kept a supply of wine on hand for unexpected guests. Before offering the traveller a cup, he filtered out the dregs by pouring the wine from one jug into another.