Year 7, Day 17: Genesis 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In Genesis 18 we have two interesting interactions with the Lord.  Both Abraham and Sarah come face to face with God’s messengers and have dialogue.  However, the dialogues go two completely separate routes.

Sarah is eavesdropping by the door when she hears that she will bear a child within the next year.  Sarah laughs!  Truthfully, I think I would laugh, too.  The thought of an elderly woman giving birth to a child is next to impossible.  I would be prone to laugh.  Don’t get me wrong.  I wouldn’t laugh because I think it impossible for God.  Nothing is impossible for God.  I would laugh because of the impossibility for human beings.

However, where the interaction goes wrong isn’t Sarah’s laugh.  Where the interaction goes wrong is when Sarah lies about what she said.  God confronts her about her laugh and Sarah denies laughing.  Granted, she was afraid of getting punished for laughing at God.  By lying, however, she is only increasing her chance for punishment!  Human beings often compound wrongdoing in an attempt to escape punishment, only bringing greater punishment upon them.

In the other example, we see Abraham discussing the righteousness of people with God.  God sets a bar of saving Sodom if there are 50 righteous people.  Abraham begins to barter with God.  Notice that Abraham doesn’t bring God’s character into question.  He doesn’t question whether God is acting righteously at all.  Abraham is simply trying to find God’s limit of righteousness.  In doing so, notice that Abraham actually barters God the whole way down from 50 righteous people to 10 righteous people.  God allows Himself to be moved by Abraham because Abraham is respecting God’s righteousness.

We can learn a good bit about ourselves and God in looking at these passages.  We do enjoy conversation, even discussion.  We enjoy finding the limits set by other people.  We enjoy the probing that comes with socialization.  But we are also prone to lying when the greater community confronts us about our failings.  That is just who we are.

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