The Bible Slam: Genesis Chapter 18

Three men (interpreted as angels) and the LORD show up, again promising that Abraham and Sarah will have a son.   Sarah laughs about this because she and Abraham are quite elderly.   Then the LORD says that he's going to head on over to Sodom and Gomorrah to see what's going on and destroy the cities.   Abraham argues with the LORD about sparing the cities and they agree that the cities will be spared if 10 righteous people are found.

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Discussion Topics.

The All Knowing God. Chelev addresses an interesting point.   If God is all knowing, why does God need to go to the cities to see whether what he has heard is true?   The chapter ends with:

And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

This would suggest that "the LORD" was a physical entity.

The Sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18 in the King James version reads,

18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

The Skeptics Annotated Bible has some excellent references on what exactly the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were … and contrary to popular belief, it wasn't just gays that were responsible for the destruction:

Seeking sex with angels, fornication, and going after "strange flesh"

Genesis 19:4-5 The men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Jude 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Pride, wealth, lazyness, and ignoring the needs of the poor

Ezekiel 16:49 This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness … neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Adultery, lies, and general immorality

Jeremiah 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

Family Values. Sarah refers to Abraham as her "lord" in the King James version; her "master" in the version that Chelev is reading.   When Abraham and the LORD are talking about whether the whole cities will be destroyed, killing the good with the bad, there is no mention of innocent children.   They don't count and presumably, will be killed.

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