The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them. [Sarah, his wife, prepared a meal and they ate together. They discussed God's promise of a son and told them his name was to be Isaac.] Then the men stood up from their meal and started on toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them part of the way. "Should I hide My plan from Abraham?" God asked. "For Abraham shall become a mighty nation, and he will be a source of blessing for all the nations of the earth. And I have picked him out to have godly descendants and a godly household - men who are just and good - so that I can do for him all I have promised."

   So the Lord told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly evil, and that everything they do is wicked. I am going down to see whether these reports are true or not. Then I will know." So the other two went toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham a while. Then Abraham approached Him and said, "Will You kill good and bad alike? Suppose You find fifty godly people there within the city - will You destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? That wouldn't be right! Surely You wouldn't do such a thing, to kill the godly with the wicked! Why, You would be treating godly and wicked exactly the same! Should not the Judge of all the earth be fair?" And God replied, "If I find fifty godly people there, I will spare the entire city for their sake." Then Abraham spoke again, "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five? Will You destroy the city for lack of five?" And God said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five." Then Abraham went further with his request, "Suppose there are only forty?"

   And God replied, "I won't destroy it if there are forty."

   "Please don't be angry," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak: suppose only thirty are found there?" And God replied, "I won't do it if there are thirty there." Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to God, let me continue - Suppose there are only twenty?" To be continued.

Taken from Genesis 18, The Living Bible. For free Lifescope book,
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