In the Genesis, God uses destruction as a tool to test his creations and help them grow intellectually. In the passage Genesis 18:16-33, God talks to Abraham about the impending burning of Sodom. God uses discussion of His plans and preparations for the destruction as a teaching moment for Abraham, who He decides is worthy of such a conversation.
God’s motivation for talking to Abraham about the burning of Sodom shows that teaching Abraham is His purpose. We hear God’s internal dialogue in which He says to Himself, “Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do? For Abraham will surely be a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. For I have embraced him so that he will charge his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham all the He spoke concerning him.” (Genesis 18:18-18:20) This text shows that God decides to reveal His plans to Abraham because He acknowledges that to not do so would be unrighteous and unjust in the terms of their covenant. Not only is Abraham worthy of this information, but he is worthy because he will be the father of many nations. If Abraham and his lineage…
When God first arrives in Chapter 18 at the Terebinths of Mamre, He is described as a physical being walking the Earth with two angels. He is given water, bread, and offered rest just as a mortal would need after traveling. (Genesis 18:1-6) When God talks to Sarah about enabling her to have a child in her old age He also engages with her in an informal tone, such as when she says “I did not laugh,” and He responds, “Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:14-15) His response matches the simple structure of her statement which is unusual for God’s dialogue throughout Genesis and could be interpreted as a purposeful effort on His part to talk to Sarah informally as if she were an…