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The Day God Showed Up for Lunch.

Q: Why Was Hospitality So Important in Bible Times?

In the ancient Near East, hospitality wasn't optional — it was sacred. Refusing a traveler food and shelter was a grave offense. Abraham hosted God himself without knowing it.

Q: What Happened at Sodom and Gomorrah?

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven. The Bible identifies multiple sins — including sexual violence, pride, and injustice toward the poor.

Q: What Did People Eat in Bible Times?

The biblical diet was bread, olive oil, figs, grapes, lentils, and occasionally fish or lamb. Meat was rare and special. Meals were communal and often sacred.

Genesis 18 — The chapter where Abraham negotiated with God and God kept saying yes

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Key Takeaways

📢 Chapter 18 — The Day God Showed Up for Lunch 🌳

What happens when God literally shows up at your front door on a random afternoon? That's this chapter. is sitting in the shade, minding his business, and three visitors appear out of nowhere. What follows is one of the most intimate encounters between God and a human being in the entire Old Testament — a shared meal, an impossible , a burst of laughter, and then one of the boldest anyone has ever prayed.

Inside this Chapter

Hope Doubt Faith Prayer Justice

Events in this Chapter

Abraham Bargains for Sodom

Questions about this Chapter

culture

Why Was Hospitality So Important in Bible Times?

history

What Happened at Sodom and Gomorrah?

culture

What Did People Eat in Bible Times?

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This chapter has everything. Hospitality that puts us all to . A woman caught laughing at God. And a man who looked the of all the earth in the face and said, "Can we talk about this?"

Three Strangers at the Oak Trees 🏕️

It was the hottest part of the day. was sitting at the entrance to his tent by the oaks of Mamre — not doing much of anything. Then he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He didn't know yet who they were. But watch what he did:

He ran to meet them. He bowed to the ground. And Abraham said, "My Lord, if I've found favor with you, please don't pass by. Let me bring water to wash your feet. Rest under the tree. I'll get you something to eat — refresh yourselves before you go."

They said, "Do as you've said."

Abraham rushed into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick — three measures of the finest flour. Knead it. Make cakes." Then he ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice calf, and gave it to a servant who prepared it immediately. He brought curds and milk and the calf he'd prepared, set everything before them, and stood nearby under the tree while they ate.

Here's a ninety-nine-year-old man sprinting — to his wife, to his herd, back to his guests. He offered "a morsel of bread" and then served a . That's not obligation. That's someone who treats every guest like they might be carrying something important. (Quick context: In the ancient Near East, hospitality wasn't a nice gesture — it was sacred. Turning away a traveler was considered a serious moral failure.)

And there's something quietly stunning about that last line. The Lord of everything, sitting under a tree, eating a meal Abraham made. God didn't demand a ceremony. He showed up for lunch.

The Laugh That Echoed Through History 😂

After the meal, the visitors asked a question that shifted the whole conversation:

They asked Abraham, "Where is Sarah your wife?"

He said, "She's in the tent."

Then the Lord said, "I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

was listening from just inside the tent door. And here's the thing — she and were old. Well past the age of having children. This wasn't just unlikely. Biologically, it was over. So when she heard it:

Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "I'm worn out. My husband is old. Am I really going to have this kind of joy — now?"

The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, 'Will I really have a child at my age?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time next year, I will come back, and Sarah will have a son."

Sarah denied it — "I didn't laugh" — because she was afraid.

He said, "No. You did laugh."

That question — "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" — is one of those lines that reverberates through the of the Bible. It shows up again and again in different forms. And Sarah's reaction is so deeply human. She laughed because the sounded absurd. Then she got scared and denied it. And God, gently but firmly, said: I heard you.

We've all been there. Something God says sounds too good, too late, too impossible. And instead of honest doubt, we just quietly dismiss it. Sarah's laugh wasn't punished. But it was noticed. God doesn't need you to fake . He just wants honesty about where you are — even when where you are is "I'm not sure I believe you."

God Lets Abraham In on the Plan 🔍

The visitors stood up to leave and looked out toward . walked with them to see them off. And then something remarkable happened — God thought out loud:

The Lord said, "Should I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? Abraham is going to become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I've chosen him so that he will teach his children and his household to follow the way of the Lord — to do what is right and just — so that I can bring about everything I've promised him."

Then the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is overwhelming. Their sin is extremely serious. I'm going down to see whether what they've done matches the outcry that's reached me. And if not, I will know."

Two things happening here. First, God treated Abraham like a partner, not a servant. He chose to share his plans because Abraham was part of the story. That's a level of closeness most people don't associate with the God of the Old Testament.

Second, notice the language: "I'm going down to see." Not "I've already decided." God presented this as an investigation, not a verdict. Even in the face of serious , there's a deliberateness — a willingness to look closely before acting. That matters for what comes next.

The Boldest Prayer Ever Prayed 🙏

The two other men headed toward . But stayed. He stood before the Lord. And then he did something extraordinary — he pushed back:

Abraham stepped forward and said, "Are you really going to destroy the righteous along with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Would you really sweep it away and not spare it for those fifty?

Far be it from you to do that — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating them the same. Far be it from you! Won't the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"

The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous in Sodom, I will spare the whole city for their sake."

Read that again. Abraham didn't just ask for . He appealed to God's own character. He essentially said: "You're the of everything — act like it." That takes an unbelievable combination of boldness and trust. He wasn't being disrespectful. He was being deeply honest about what he believed God was really like.

And God didn't shut him down. He answered.

From Fifty to Ten ⬇️

wasn't done. He knew he was pushing it. You can hear it in how he kept prefacing each ask. But he kept going:

Abraham said, "I know I'm just dust and ashes, and I've dared to speak to the Lord. But what if five of those fifty are missing? Would you destroy the whole city over five people?"

The Lord said, "I won't destroy it if I find forty-five."

Abraham pressed on: "What if only forty are found?"

"For forty, I won't do it."

"Please don't be angry, Lord — what about thirty?"

"I won't do it for thirty."

"I know I'm being bold — but what about twenty?"

"For twenty, I won't destroy it."

"Please, just one more time — what if only ten are found?"

"For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

Then the Lord left. And Abraham went home.

There's something breathtaking about this exchange. Abraham bargained from fifty down to ten. Each time, his voice got smaller — "I'm just dust and ashes," "please don't be angry" — but he kept going. He wasn't trying to manipulate God. He was interceding. Standing in the gap for a city that wasn't his, for people who probably didn't deserve it.

And here's what's wild: God said yes every single time. He never got angry. He never said "enough." He met Abraham's with mercy, step by step. The implication is almost staggering — if Abraham had kept going, would God have said yes to five? To one?

This is what can look like. Not polite, arms-folded, "if it's your will" prayer — though that has its place — but the kind of prayer where you grab hold and don't let go. Where you bring your honest concern to God and trust him enough to push. Not because you think you know better. But because you believe he's good, and you want to see that goodness in action.

Abraham stopped at ten. History tells us even ten weren't found. But the conversation itself reveals something about who God is. He's not looking for reasons to judge. He's listening for reasons to show mercy.