Genesis 18 Devotional Bible Study

Genesis 18 Chapter Summary

Soon after, Abraham saw three strangers walking by and offered them a meal. 

As they were eating, one of the men said that He would return around that time next year and that Sarah would have a son.

 

Sarah, in the tent, overheard and laughed because she was so old. The man asked why she laughed.

 

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?

I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son."

- Genesis 18:14

 

As the "men" were leaving, they walked with Abraham toward Sodom and Gomorrah. God told him that He was going to destroy the two cities for their wickedness.

 

Abraham questioned whether God would destroy the cities if some righteous people were living there. God answered, starting at 50 and going all the way down to 10, that He would spare the cities if there were even that few righteous people living there.

Abraham the Hospitable Host

Genesis 18:5

“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.”

 

The Scripture says Abraham “hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground” when he saw these three men passing by. Then, he “hurried into the tent” to ask Sarah to break some bread. Then, he “ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf” for a servant to cook.

Abraham had no idea who the three visitors were, but he went out of his way to serve them. You can just picture him racing around his camp greeting them and making preparations. And he calls himself their servant.

It makes me wonder, what is our attitude toward people? Do we see them as annoyances (Oh, great! Three guys showed up at my door, so now I have to try to be polite) or as opportunities to practice humility and servanthood like Abraham did?

The question for me is why Abraham was so hospitable to these men. We know from reading the story that the “men” were God and two angels, but Abraham apparently did not realize this at first. Also, they weren’t traveling with a caravan, so I don’t imagine he thought he would get much of a reward for his trouble.

Maybe he treated them so well because he thought they were exactly what he was: men made in the image of God.

That’s the only reason we need to go out of our way to serve another human being. When we serve them, we’re honoring the image of God within them. We’re honoring their Creator by honoring them.

How can you be more of a servant to someone today?

 

God DOES the Impossible

Genesis 18:10

Then one of them said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.’”

Sarah was past the age of childbearing and had never given birth before, even though she had tried for years. But notice what God says: It will surely happen.

But a woman as old as Sarah doesn’t normally have children! God is not limited by what normally is.

But these two have tried for years, and it hasn’t worked! God has never tried to make it happen; only they have.

But Sarah’s body is obviously incapable of carrying children. Being God, He is above and in control of everything. Sometimes, He acts and does what doesn't seem possible. Sometimes, He acts on nature to make it do something that it normally wouldn’t. He is God and is not bound by the rules or conditions currently in place. Nothing can stand in the way of His will.

What situation are you facing in your life that seems impossible to overcome? What do you hope for that doesn’t seem like it could ever happen? 

Listen for God’s word on the matter. If He says it will happen, it surely will.

 

Can't Lie to God… But Why Would You Want To?

Genesis 18:15

“Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’ But he said, ‘Yes, you did laugh.’”

Get the picture of this in your mind. God tells Abraham that Sarah is going to have a son. He’s not even talking to Sarah. Sarah is inside the tent while Abraham is entertaining his three guests. Yet she hears what God says and laughs to herself about it (she’s laughing quietly enough that she thinks she can deny it). And even though she’s laughing to herself, God still hears her.

And when God questions her about it (since He knows she’s listening), she lies about it and tries to deny her doubts. Was she afraid of admitting she had laughed at God? Was she trying not to be rude about doubting what He had said? 

But notice that God doesn’t condemn her laughter or her doubts. He simply repeats the promise.

God hears everything we say, sees everything we do, and knows everything we think. But rather than that being a scary thing, it's actually comforting. The God who works miracles is always aware of what we're going through. He knows our fears and our doubts, and He's right there with us in them.

God doesn't let us get away with anything, but He never leaves our side either. When you have a God like that, a God who is on your side all the time, why would you want to try to hide anything from Him? Instead, surrender to His powerful care and listen to Him reassure you, just as He did with Sarah.

 

"Shall I Hide...?"

Genesis 18:17-19

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 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.”

You know that God doesn’t tell us everything, right? He doesn’t have to. And there are plenty of things that are better for God to keep hidden, such as when you’re going to die or when Christ will return. It’s better for us to live in constant preparation for those days.

In this passage, God questions whether or not to tell Abraham about what He is going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. He decides to tell Abraham because He wanted to reveal His nature to Abraham and teach him. He said that Abraham was going to “direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just,” so God told Him what He was going to do to demonstrate His righteousness and justice.

God has also told us what He’s going to do when He shows His righteousness and justice by punishing sinners at the time of judgment. It teaches us about Him and serves as a warning for us to do “what is right and just.” For all our talk of God’s grace, let us not forget that His righteousness and justice demand that sin be punished. We need to take sin seriously because God certainly does.

He is gracious and merciful, but He tells Abraham what He’s going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah to show that He won’t tolerate sin. 

 

Trusting God to be Who He Is

Genesis 18:25

“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?”

Abraham pleads boldly and repeatedly – but also respectfully – for the righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows his relatives, Lot and family, are living there, but he doesn’t mention them by name. He may have been thinking of them, but he makes his prayer more general. 

He also couches his prayer not on the merit of the righteous people in danger but on God’s character. He’s basically saying, “It wouldn’t be right to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so You’re not going to do that, are You?” Abraham then has to trust God’s reassurances that He will do the right thing.

Do you trust God to do the right thing? Do you trust Him to fulfill His nature and act according to His character even when you don’t understand what He’s doing?

The key to our faith is trusting God to be God. That means trusting Him to be who He is. There is no Right above Him. He is the standard of right and wrong, just and unjust, good and evil, wise and foolish. He is Good. He is Just. He is Wise. And He doesn’t change. He never acts contrary to His goodness. He never takes an action contrary to His wisdom.

Whatever God does is the goodest and wisest thing possible. If you can believe that, you won’t have a problem trusting Him in difficult situations. Abraham trusted Him and was able to return home, not worrying about whether God would do the right thing in Sodom and Gomorrah.