For a Few Good Men (Gen 18:1-8, 16-33)

FOR A FEW GOOD MEN (GENESIS 18:1-8, 16-33)

I borrowed a fascinating book from my seminary library after I heard the speaker at our school chapel. In the Chinese book by the odd title “I Love Curry Village” (我愛咖喱鄉). Hong Kong missionary Yim reveals that after ten years of mission work in India he could only manage to convert one person – a Sikh, yet the hard work would not daunt or damper the zeal and fire in God’s people.

Yim recalls one year attending a typical camp to prepare incoming missionaries for the field and evaluating the quality of the new recruits.

12 were in training that year. Their ages differ. Among them was a couple in their 60s who joined after their retirement. There were quite a few young couples with children in tow. Also in attendance were some singles. All of them had something in common, which is enjoying to choose a challenging mission field for ministry. Five chose Mongolia, four were headed to East Europe, six went to a Communist country, two to Pakistan. Yim was happiest when he discovered that three decided on India. Some were undecided. (嚴鳳山，「我愛咖喱鄉」，105頁)

Chapter 18 introduces the Lord’s personal visitation of Abraham. Previously the Lord appeared to Abraham and spoke to him on at least five occasions (Gen 12:1, 12:7, 13:14, 15:4, 17:1). Words were spoken and communication was made but readers were not told how? The most popular references were made to “the Lord/He said to him” (Gen 12:1, 13:14, 15:4, 15:7, 15:9, 15:13), twice the text says “the Lord appeared to Abram” (Gen 12:7, 17:1) and once it was in a vision (Gen 15:1). In chapter 12 it was a one-way disclosure by God but by chapter 15 they had a two-way discussion. In this chapter the Lord made a personal visitation to Abraham to see if Abraham was ready to be the father of many nations.

How would you respond knowing your neighbor is doomed? How do you respond to a world that is lost and dying? How do you respond to ungodly, unashamed and unrepentant sinners?

Be Hospitable in Service
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way — now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. (Gen 18:1-8)

A student in the second month of nursing school was given a pop quiz by the school professor. The conscientious student had breezed through the questions until the last one, which read: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

“Surely this was some kind of joke. How would I know her name?” remarked the student who had seen the tall, dark-haired cleaning woman in her 50s several times. So she handed in the paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward the quiz grade. Absolutely, said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello”. The student learnt the janitor’s name - Dorothy and had never forgotten that lesson.

Abraham’s hospitality to God will later be contrasted with Sodom’s hostility to God. It was a hot day (v 1), far worse than the normal burning, blazing and baking desert day. Abraham jumped into action the moment he saw the strangers, especially when he could guess their identity. He did not wait to be asked, bowing low to the ground, bringing the three men water (v 2) to wash their feet and then providing them shelter (v 4). The patriarch then called himself “your servant” twice (vv 3, 5) and selected the finest flour (v 6) and choicest calf for a feast (v 7). He did not sit with them but stood in respect (v 8) while they ate. By the way this is the first instance of “bowing” (v 2) in the Bible.

Abraham’s actions were amusing and amazing even to God. He did his share of running that day, He not only “hurried” (v 2) to act; he “ran” to act in Hebrew, also according to the KJV, RSV and NASB translation. He not only “ran/hurried” from the entrance of his tent to meet them (v 2), he also ran (v 7) to select a choice, tender calf for the meal – the two “hurried/ran” words are the same in Hebrew. Three other words describe his determination to serve the Lord , which are “hurried” and “quick” in verse 6, and “hurried” again in verse 7 –meaning “sped, quicken” - the three words are the same in Hebrew, occurring 13 times in Genesis, the most of all Old Testament books. So there are two comparable words occurring five times, expressing Abraham’s passionate desire to serve the Lord, to make an impression (Gen 18:3).

The complication in translating is there should be a “I pray” after “if” and “not” in verse 3, and another one after “let me bring” – the first verb - in verse 4. Abraham’s thoughtfulness is hard to rival with. His choice of oxen is a calf (v 7) – remarkably this kind of preferred offering was later stipulated in Leviticus (Lev 1:5, 4:3, 4:14, 9:2, 16:3, 23:18); his pick of a calf is tender; his marinade is curds (v 8), translated as cream in Job (Job 20:17, 29:6) and butter in Proverbs (Prov 30:33) – take your dressing. To make meat digestible, milk was provided. Altogether Abraham used six imperatives that day: “Wash” and “rest” in verse 4, “refresh” in verse 5, “quick” and “knead and bake” in verse 6.

Be Heightened in Sensibility
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Gen 18:16-23)

When a man whose marriage was in trouble sought his advice, the Master said, “You must learn to listen to your wife.” The man took his advice to heart and returned after a month to say that he had learned to listen to every word his wife was saying. Said the Master with a smile, “Now go home and listen to every word she isn’t saying.” Anthony de Mello

What was more remarkable to Abraham’s hospitable service was his heightened sensibility toward God. Upon biding farewell to his tent guests after meal and some rest, Abraham made the initiative to walk along with them (v 16) to see the three men on the way, as a good host should. Yet Abraham also walked with them for a reason, to see where they were heading and to check out a hunch. Previously, he seemed to notice the men looking down toward Sodom (v 16); presently they made a sudden U-turn (v 22) to the direction of Sodom (v 22). Even though the verbs “looked down” (v 18) and “turned away” (v 22) occur for the first time in the Bible, but the actions did not escape Abraham’s eye or attention. True enough, his worst fears were realized. It was too late to warn his nephew Lot who was living in Sodom.

The Hebrew expression “stood before” the Lord (vv 22, 27), or “standing” in NIV, applies only to three specified individuals in the Bible, including Moses and Samuel in Jeremiah 15:1, but with a difference. Abraham did not just stand before the Lord; he “remained” standing before the Lord – “more” and “again” in Hebrew. The word describes Abraham’s intercession, his intensity and his insistence of not letting God go so soon and not letting Lot perish like that.

Also, the word “approach” (v 23) makes its debut in the Bible. Approach is to draw near. How near? Near enough to show his serious side, to talk face to face, to get full attention. Readers are not told if the three men were talking to themselves or to Abraham in verse 20 since there is no direct object. Two experts in Genesis - Alan Ross (Creation and Blessing) and Gordon Wenham (Word Biblical Commentary) - say it is a soliloquy, a self-address, so Abraham most likely did not hear it, but nevertheless Abraham made the move to clarify.

Be Heartfelt in Supplication
24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” 29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. (Gen 18:24-33)

What do you do when a crisis is at hand?

During a recent ecumenical gathering, a secretary rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire!”
The Methodists gathered in the corner and prayed.
The Baptists cried, “Where is the water?”
The Quakers quietly praised God for the blessings that the fire brings.
The Lutherans posted a notice on the door declaring the fire evil.
The Roman Catholics passed the plate to cover the damage.
The Jews posted symbols on the doors hoping the fire would pass.
The fundamentalist proclaimed, “It’s the vengeance of God!”
The Episcopalians formed a procession and marched out.
The Christian Scientists concluded that there was no fire.
The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson who was to appoint a committee to look into the matter and submit a written report.
The secretary grabbed the fire extinguisher and put the fire out.

Abraham’s determination to save Sodom and Gomorrah is admirable. He dared to provoke the wrath of God (vv 27, 30, 31) by questioning, reasoning and arguing back and forth six times with the Lord (vv 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32), asking for increasing discounts from the modest 10-12% range (from 50 to 45, from 45 to 40), to another 25% discount (from 40 to 30), then a further one-third discount (from 30 to 20), and finally twice asking for a further 50% (20 to 10, 10 to 5). Altogether he had asked for a whopping 80%, till it was too embarrassing and too awkward to ask anymore. Yet the Lord did not regard Abraham as arrogant, angry or antisocial. To the Lord, Abraham’s request was respectful, not rude; rational, not ridiculous; radical but not reckless.

In fact, God would have been disappointed if Abraham did not ask. In asking, he knew more about God’s nature and His will. The Lord openly invited Abraham to discover and appreciate the truth of His divine mercy. God would not sweep the righteous with the wicked, not with less than ten left standing, even five. In the end, He did sweep the city, but not the righteous. Four were spared – Lot, his wife and two daughters (Gen 19:16). In truth, only one was righteous – Lot, even though he was unwise. God was more merciful and reasonable than Abraham thought; He extended His mercy to the family that has one righteous member in it. Jeremiah 5:1 says, “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.”

While Abraham went back and forth with God on numbers, he did not repeat his “Judge of the earth” (v 25) remark again. His remark makes complete sense since God had promised him to be the father of many nations (Gen 17:4) and that all nations on earth will be blessed through him (v 18). Abraham intervened for God’s cooperation. As the father of many nations he appeals for humanity as a whole, not wanting to see a soul lost.