January 15 Daily Devotional

Genesis 18

One day Abraham was sitting in the shade of the oaks of Mamre while the sun shone hot upon the plains. Presently he saw three persons coming towards his tent. They looked like other men, but they were angels. One is called the Lord. Abraham went to meet them and said to the leader, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.” In that warm country people wore sandals and it was a custom to wash their feet whenever they sat down to rest and visit.

Then Abraham asked Sarah to bake some barley cakes upon the hearth. Then he ran to the herd and selected a young calf and told a servant to dress and prepare it. When everything was ready, it was placed before the guests and they ate. Abraham was glad to serve them. They had a message for Abraham and Sarah, that they should have a son according to the time of life. They were very glad to hear that.

When the meal was finished the three arose to continue their journey. Abraham walked with them for a short distance. And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? … For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment … The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grievous.”

While the two angels went on towards Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. He knew that the destruction of these wicked cities was to be expected. He thought of Lot and his family whom he had rescued from the enemy’s camp. Once more he tried to save them. So he said, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?” The Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Abraham was afraid to argue with the Lord, but he doubted that there were fifty righteous people in Sodom. So he went on talking very humbly, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes; Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt thou destroy all the cities for lack of five?” Then he came down to forty, thirty, twenty, ten. And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” After that, the Lord went his way and Abraham returned to his home.