Abraham reasons with God

Genesis 18

We leave Abraham’s quest to have a son, and God’s promise that a boy he commands to be named Isaac will be born in one year’s time. Instead, Genesis 18 brings the focus back on that damnable city, Sodom.

This is another strange chapter. God visits Abraham in the presence of two others--angels, other gods, divine beings—we never find out exactly who his companions are. They are all in physical form, since Abraham rushes to find them water to wash their feet, and demands Sarah make loaves and loaves of bread for them to eat.

Genesis 18: 20-21, NIV Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 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.”

Why must he go down and see it for himself? I thought God was supposed to be omniscient? Later on in the Bible, there are many proclamations about how it is impossible to hide from God. Why does he have to go to Sodom himself to see if the allegations were true? He should just know.

Abraham bargains with God to spare the city, and leads his argument with this zinger: Will you sweep away the righteous along with the wicked? 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, that is a great question. Abraham takes on a higher moral stance in this chapter, challenging God—the Almighty Creator!—to do what is right. But the question remains—why does God need to be reminded to do what is right? And what is with all this collective punishment? First the Flood, then the Tower of Babel, now Sodom and Gomorrah-since most of us know what happens next. Collective punishment, in my mind, is not a loving and merciful act.

An alternative viewing of this chapter is the religious belief (shared by both Jews and Christians) that God does not make mistakes. Ever. Even when it appears that he does. And when you lack all the answers, you choose to live by faith. To me, faith in action is often pretending to know something you do not or cannot know. I’ll save the discussion on faith for another day.