Similar to chapter 14, Abraham, once again, served as the priest. He built a ministry, just as each believer today should do. A ministry only sometimes means standing at the pulpit to give a message. Our ministries are our lives. It’s how we treat others and show others who Christ is, how we display our light in the darkness and serve as the purifying salt to an unclean world. Each person’s ministry is different, but God has appointed us to a ministry for His glory. Abraham is called the friend of God. “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend—” (Isaiah 41:8). In fact, he is the only one given this title in the Old Testament. In the New, Jesus calls all who believe in Him and obey Him friends. And it is with God that Abraham starts his ministry, quite literally. Of course, God ordained him, and Abraham walked by faith before God. But Abraham is visited by three strangers.
“The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground, and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. Later, you can continue on.” “Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Knead three measures of fine flour and make bread.” Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. Then Abraham took curds and milk, as well as the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree.” (Genesis 18:1-8) Our first goal in serving others is to serve God. “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24) We must always put God first, even in our service to others. Since it says the LORD appeared to Abraham, and he saw three men, this is likely another Christophany where Jesus appears in the Old Testament. The other two men could have been angels. Interestingly, three persons visited Abraham and God Himself is three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Hospitality is the first rule in the Near East, something significantly lacking in the West. Even back then, everyone was taught to be hospitable towards others. And so Abraham did what he had been taught to do and did what he knew to be correct. He ministered to these men—he ministered to God. This is nothing new that a person could be ministering to heavenly beings. “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). He could have called one of his servants to cater to the visitors, but he himself catered to them. He actively ran to them and offered them all that he had. All that we have was given to us by God. And so we should use them for Him and offer them back to Him. Abraham had Sarah bake fresh bread and had one of his servants bring fresh meat. Only the best, only our best, is to be offered to God. This is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, from Abel’s best to the best sacrifices in the Mosaic Law. The priests are reprimanded for their lack of their best in Malachi.
Abraham served in humility and put the three guests ahead of himself. This section perfectly exemplifies how believers today should act towards others. We serve them before ourselves. We offer the best because the offering is also to God, not just to the guests. We provide all we can and still believe it’s not enough. We do nothing out of pride or to lord it over anyone. We serve because He served. We minister because He ministered. We love because He loved. “The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
““Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he answered. The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?” But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.” Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid. But he replied, “No, you did laugh.”” (Genesis 18:9-15) God told Abraham and Sarah that she would conceive and give birth to a child in one year. When Abraham was first told this news in the previous chapter, he laughed joyfully and was amazed. But when Sarah heard this news, she laughed in unbelief. Many times in our situations, we think God can’t do it. In Sarah’s eyes, she was 89 years old. There was virtually no way she could conceive a child, carry this child for nine months, and give birth to this healthy child. And we can feel this same way. The odds are against us; our ages are against us. We think that God can’t make a miracle for us because the miracle we need is too big a miracle…‘But God,’ to quote the Apostle Paul. Verse 14a, “Is anything impossible for the LORD?” Sarah’s situation was hopeless. “Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”” (Mark 10:27). Miracles happened back then, and they still happen today. Nothing is too complicated for God. His will be done.
We tend to view God as a human like us. We screw up, so He screws up. We make mistakes, so He makes mistakes. But God never screws up, and He doesn’t make mistakes. He knows everything and sees everything. When it seems He isn’t doing anything, He’s the most excellent problem solver. And we need to be reminded of this often. So Sarah laughed in unbelief, and God called her out on it. So she denied it, which was foolish since God knows everything, even our thoughts. In being a blessing to the world, Abraham became a blessing to his wife. “God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19) God is not human; He created humans. When He says He will do something, He will do it. What He says is true, always. “...Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar,...” (Romans 3:4)
“The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off. Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham? Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.” Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.” The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it? You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord—even though I am dust and ashes— suppose the fifty righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Then he spoke to him again, “Suppose forty are found there?” He answered, “I will not do it on account of forty.” Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord, suppose twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it on account of twenty.” Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time. Suppose ten are found there?” He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of ten.” When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he departed, and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:16-33)
So God tells Abraham that He will destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. But Abraham, having that faithful heart, has walked with God; he has tasted and seen that the Lord is good, so he wants many others to know God as well. So he intercedes for the cities. In his walk, in having a personal relationship with God, Abraham was told that the cities would be destroyed. He knew Lot lived there with his family, and Abraham cared for his nephew. Lot was a righteous man, so his family was righteous, meaning that others in the cities would know God, too. So Abraham interceded. A just and holy God would not destroy the righteous and the unrighteous. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants all to come to repentance. “Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11) If there were enough believers, the cities couldn’t be destroyed for their sake. So Abraham intercedes. If there were 50 righteous people, the cities would be spared for their sake. And he keeps whittling it down. How many righteous people will be able to prevent the destruction? Abraham interceded in humility and continued as he brought the number down. Abraham was in God’s presence, and he knew this. Just as Isaiah was humble and understood his unworthiness, so did Abraham. The final number came to 10, and there were not ten righteous people in the cities. There weren’t even 5; it was Lot, his wife, and their two daughters since the men who would marry their daughters didn’t believe Lot; instead, they thought he was joking.
Sodom and Gomorrah are discussed a lot: the sins and the wickedness. The words Sodomy and Sodomize are synonymous with homosexual behavior. So, this was a well-practiced and endorsed sin among the cities. But sin breeds more sin, and the iniquity only multiplies. So, many other sins were practiced in these cities. “Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable acts before me, so I removed them when I saw this.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50) So, while people like to highlight the sin of homosexuality, it is not the only sin in the cities. This chapter shows Abraham ministering to God, ministering to others and loved ones, and interceding for a lost world. All three of these are what believers in Christ should do. Look to the model of our faith and let the author and finisher of our faith work in and through us.
The next chapter shows the consequences of Lot being a carnal believer. “The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.” “No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.” But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate. Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!” Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. He said, “Don’t do this evil, my brothers. Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t been intimate with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.” “Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as an alien, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, both young and old, with blindness so that they were unable to find the entrance.” (Genesis 19:1-11)
Lot became prosperous because of his compromise with the ways of the world. Sitting at the city gate, he was probably an official since official business was conducted at the city gates in ancient times. But his prosperity from the world will soon be lost, unlike Abraham’s prosperity that came from God. Like his uncle, Lot did get up to meet the angels and tried to be hospitable. The problem was the impending doom of the city. The holy angels did not mix well with the unholiness of the town. What fellowship does light have with darkness? As Paul asks in 2 Corinthians. And even if they were to let Lot be hospitable to them, they couldn’t, as the city's people instantly ambushed them. Lot brought them back to his house and offered his daughters to the crowd (Not the most righteous thing to do; offer your daughters to be raped), though they were asking for the angels.
But the angels, clearly repulsed by the crowd’s attitude, intervened and struck the crowd with blindness and shut the door. “Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the Lord, that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city. As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” But Lot said to them, “No, my lords—please. Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it—it’s only a small place, isn’t it?—so that I can survive.” And he said to him, “All right, I’ll grant your request about this matter too and will not demolish the town you mentioned. Hurry up! Run to it, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar. The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. Then out of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord. He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:12-26)
As mentioned above, the only people saved were 4 Lot, his wife, who didn’t make it as she was turned into a pillar of salt, and their two daughters. The girls were betrothed to marry two men. However, they were not saved; they didn’t believe what Lot told them, and their fate was sealed with the rest of the cities. These chapters are interesting but important in Lot’s attitude. Lot was saved; this cannot be stressed enough, but his attitude was worldly, even to this point. He enjoyed Egypt and became wealthy during his time there. So he decided to go down to the cities and continue that material wealth and prestige, even though both Egypt and the cities were corrupt and unfit for him. God had to come down and pull Lot away from the cities. Even when he is saved from destruction, he still chooses to go his own way. His wife, possibly a native of Sodom, was too attached to the city and looked back on her old life. The Amplified translation writes verse 26 as, “But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.” This is a warning Jesus gives in Luke 17:32. Many theologians believe that Lot’s wife did not just glance over her shoulder at the city but longed for the city, its comforts, and its lifestyle. She wanted to return to the old way of life—the life or way of the flesh, sin, and the world. If this interpretation is accurate, we should not look back at the world and its ways with longing as if we are missing out. One common fear today is FOMO, the fear of missing out. We are missing out on the pleasures of this world and many experiences. But instead of focusing on these experiences, we should focus on what’s ahead for us as believers in Christ. Our reward, our inheritance, is far greater than anything this corrupt world can offer us.
And Lot’s daughters were depraved enough to have children with their father. This is the corruption and depravity of the world, and if a person lets it, it will corrupt them. But this is where the hand of God comes in, and He protects us as long as we are in His will. Otherwise, we need to repent and turn back to Him. Unlike Abraham, who repented when God led him away from the world, Lot should have acknowledged God’s prompting and submitted to His providence. And so Lot lost all that he had, but he himself was saved, yet as by fire, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthian 3:15.
God is long-suffering to the people in the cities. It’s not like they started performing these sins overnight. It’s most likely that they were involved in these sins for years upon years. Maybe even decades upon decades. But time was running out; none of them were interested in repenting and seeking the things of God. They did not change their demeanor, even with a righteous man like Lot. This serves as a warning to people today, the same warning that Isaiah mentioned. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)