Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way. Yahweh said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.””
(Genesis 18:16-19)

The visitors weren’t here just to deliver the timeline of the promised child to Sarah. They also had been given a task. While Abraham must have been THRILLED to be given a timeline after thirteen years, he didn’t hesitate to continue being a gracious host. He didn’t try to keep them there. He didn’t try to monopolize their time. He rose to see them on their way, making sure they were fed and rested before continuing. Abraham put importance on being a good host.

Abraham was the only person alive at the time who God referred to as a friend. And like with any good friend, God wanted to include him. It would appear that the Lord (either an angel representing Him or a pre-incarnate Jesus Himself) spoke these words out loud. Not keeping the thoughts from Abraham, but instead empowering Abraham to interact with Him in conversation on the issue. God has always included His children in important things (Amos 3:7). He does it to comfort us, encourage us, bless us, and to give us the opportunity to cooperate with Him (Matthew 19:26; 1 Corinthians 3:9).

God knew that Abraham wouldn’t keep this interaction – or any of their interactions – to himself. One of the reasons that Abraham was worthy to be trusted was that he taught other people about God. His household and his children all knew who Yahweh God Almighty was. He taught them godly authority and responsibility. He taught them of the worthiness of the Lord and how He could be believed. Abraham discipled and was counted a friend because of it.

The sage Sforno writes: ‘וישקיפו, looking down in the negative sense. על פני סדום, the antithesis of Avraham. Compare Ezekiel 16,49 where the prophet testifies to the difference, saying: הנה זה היה עוון סדום אחותך, גאון שבעת לחם ושלות השקט היה לה ולבנותיה, ויד עני ואביון לא החזיקה. “Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: ‘arrogance!’ She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility; yet she did not support the poor and the needy.”’

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘ואברהם היה יהיה….כי ידעתיו, “seeing that Avraham is destined to become….for I have become intimate with him, etc.;” the word: ידע describes special fondness someone has. A well known example is Ruth 3,2 where Naomi tells her daughterinlaw Ruth that Boaz was a close relative of hers, מודע לאיש, and that it was fortuitous that she had collected leftovers in hjs field. G-d explains that seeing that Avraham will become the founding father of a great nation, and many branch families, it was no more than fair that He should take him into His confidence. This included first and foremost how G-d was planning to deal with the city of Sodom and its inhabitants.’

The sage HaKtav VeHaKabalah writes: ‘The way of the Lord: And what is His way? To do what is just and right. For He desires these [things]. And everything that the sages called traits, Scripture calls ways. So one who does kindness, justice and righteousness is called one who walks in His ways, who guards His ways. And one who contemplates His traits — to comprehend their truth and to know them, how He behaves with His creatures, whether for discipline or kindness, towards a nation or a man alike [alluding to Job 34:29] — is called one who knows God, in all of Scripture. And he is the one who finds favor in the eyes of the Lord. And it is as Moses said, let me please know Your ways in order that I will find favor (Exodus 33:13). And it is stated about Josiah, “did your father not, etc. do judgment and justice […] was not this to know Me,” says the Lord (Jeremiah 22:15-16). It is clear from this that there is not so much of a need for the investigation of wonders about His Unity and truth, as much as the observance of His ways. For only the observance of His ways by one who knows them is called knowing the Lord.’