Chapter 18 opens with Abraham sitting at the entrance of his tent where he is met by three mysterious travelers. Abraham recognizes them (at least one of them) and invites them over for lunch. As it turns out this was God who had come to visit Abraham.

After finishing the lavish meal that Abraham had had prepared for them, God repeats his promise to Abraham, the promise of a son through Sarah. Sarah would have heard the same from her husband many times but this time she heard it directly from God and her instant reaction much like Abraham’s was laughter, not joyous laughter but laughter filled with bitterness and sarcasm.

In the second part of the chapter, God lets Abraham in on his plan to destroy the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which resulted in Abraham blatantly pleading for his nephew Lot. The pleading turns into negotiations with God agreeing to all of Abraham’s changes to the clauses but Abraham himself knew that his negotiations will not be able to save his nephew.

Questions Discussed in this Podcast –

V1 Why does God appear to Abraham in human form and why near a Canaanite religious place ?

V2 Does Abraham recognize God or is he hospitable to every stranger that passes his porch?

V10 The author of Genesis clearly tells us that God appeared to Abraham. Who are the other two?

V12 Why did Sarah deny laughing when everyone clearly heard her? Why do we deceive ourselves, others around us and more importantly God, in trying to depict something different than what we believe?

V17 Why does God disclose his plans to Abraham?

V 24 Why does Abraham start negotiating with God when he is not sure even about 10 people? Is it wrong to negotiate with God?

V32 What does it tell us about Lot that he was not able to influence anyone in Sodom? What is our impact on the people around us?