Book of Genesis for Beginners: Chapters 18-21

The Lord and His Angels Visit Abraham

Chapter 18:1-21

The Lord and two of His angels came to visit Abraham. Abraham saw them coming to him from outside his tent. Abraham met them and asked the Lord to stay a while so he could feed and cared for them. The Lord agreed to Abraham’s request.

The Lord told Abraham that the Lord and his angels would visit him and his wife next year. The Lord said that when he does visit again, Abraham and Sarah would have a child. Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed due to the fact that she was very old and had a barren womb.

The Lord Tells about Sodom and Gomorrah

Gen 19:1-23-32

The Lord told Abraham that He and His angels were going to check out Sodom and Gomorrah to see if the outcries about the wickedness in the cities were true or not. The Lord told Abraham that if the outcries were true about the wickedness, the Lord would wipe out the cities for their wickedness.

Abraham asked the Lord if the Lord found fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, would He wipe out the whole city along with the fifty righteous people. The Lord told Abraham that He would spare the city if He found fifty righteous people in it. Abraham began reasoning with the Lord all the way down to ten righteous people. The Lord told Abraham that He would spare the city if He found ten righteous people in it and then took His angels with him to Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Two Angels come to Sodom

Gen 19:1-22

The two angels come to the city of Sodom to check out the city. Lot, who was sitting at the gate, recognized the two men who came in the city as angels. Lot came to the two angels and asked them to stay the night at his house. The two angels first denied Lot’s request, but eventually they decided to stay the night at Lot’s house.

At Lot’s house, he began preparing the house for the two angels to stay the night. The men of the city heard about the two visitors and found out that they were staying the night at Lot’s house. The men knocked on Lot’s door and demanded that Lot take the two angels out so they could have their way with them.

Lot came out of the house to the men and offered them his two virgin daughters to do with them as they pleased, but not to harm the two visiting men. The men of Sodom pushed Lot aside so they could break down the door. But, the two angels blinded the men and brought Lot inside and closed the door. The blinded men of Sodom finally gave up trying to find their way into the house.

The angels told Lot to gather all his relatives and leave the city of Sodom because they were going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wicked ways. Lot told all his relatives to leave with him, but only his wife and two daughters listened to him.

The angels escorted Lot and his family out of the city of Sodom and told him to go to the hills. Lot reasoned with the angel to let him go to a small nearby city and they agreed to it. The angels told Lot that they would not destroy the city where Lot was going.

The Angels Destroy Sodom and Gomorrah

Gen 19:23-29

Lot and his family reached the city of Zoar, where he told the angels he wanted to stay. Then God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire. The angels warned them not to look back, but Lot’s wife looked back at the destruction of the two cities and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Abraham looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and saw smoke come from the cities. The Lord held His promise to save the righteous from the destruction of the cities by saving Lot and his two daughters.

Lot and His Two Daughters

Gen 19:30-38

Lot’s daughters were not allowed to have any relations with anyone where they lived. Lot’s daughters were worried about having no offspring to carry the line of their father. So they decided to get their father blackout drunk so they could sleep with him. They did as planned at separate times and both became pregnant with Lot’s children. The first born daughter bore a son named Moab. The younger daughter bore a son named Ben-ammi. Moab was the father of the Moabites and Ben-ammi was the father of the Ammonites.

King Abimelech takes Sarah

Gen 20:1-18

Abraham and Sarah traveled to Gerar and settled there. The king of Gerar, Abimelech, wanted Sarah as a concubine. Abraham told the king’s men that Sarah was his sister and they took her away from him. Abraham told the king’s men that his wife was his sister so they would not want to kill him for his wife.

God came to King Abimelech in a dream telling him that he would die because he took the wife of God’s prophet. King Abimelech reasoned with God by telling God that he was blameless because he did not touch Sarah and was deceived by Abraham’s lie of Sarah being his sister. God told king Abimelech to let Sarah go back to Abraham or he and his family would die.

King Abimelech asked Abraham why he lied about Sarah being his sister. Abraham said Sarah was his half-sister before he married her. Abraham also told King Abimelech that he made an agreement with Sarah to let people know that he was her brother so they would not kill him for her. The king gave Sarah back to Abraham and let him stay wherever he wanted on the land and also gave him money for the trouble.

Sarah has Isaac

Gen 21:1-7

The Lord did as promised and opened Sarah’s womb, so she could have Abraham’s son. Sarah bore Abraham’s son in her old age and Abraham named him Isaac. Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old to obey God’s covenant.

God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

Gen 21:8-21

Sarah wanted Hagar and Abraham’s son Ishmael to leave and live in the wilderness. Abraham asked God what he should do about the situation. God told Abraham to do as Sarah wished because Isaac would start his offspring and Ishmael would have offspring too. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael on their way into the wilderness.

Hagar and Ishmael ran out of water in the wilderness and cried out to God to save them from death. God gave them water and reminded Hagar that her son Ishmael would start a great nation. Hagar and Ishmael lived in the wilderness the rest of their lives. Hagar found a wife for Ishmael from Egypt to keep the offspring going.

King Abimelech Makes Treaty with Abraham

Gen 21:22-34

King Abimelech wanted to make sure that Abraham would not call upon God to destroy him or his people. King Abimelech asked Abraham to make a treaty with him. Abraham agreed to the treaty under the condition that the well that Abraham dug was given back to him.

King Abimelech gave back the well that his servants had seized and the treaty was finalized by having seven lambs as witnesses to Abraham’s reclaiming of the well. The place of the well was named Beersheba in honor of the covenant.