Глава 18

Since the giver God has determined that in the next year a gift will be sent down to Abraham, Abraham ponders whether the time will or will not be revealed to him when exactly he will receive the blessing and Sarah’s imprisoned womb will open. When Abraham reflected on the fact that “the Lord appeared... to him... to sit before him before the door of his porch at noon” (Gen. 18:1). Abraham wanted to saturate the eyes of his soul with this revelation, but God became invisible to him. In the meantime, he was pondering why God appeared to him and, without telling him anything, disappeared, “and he saw three men standing over him”; and then, putting aside his thoughts, “he came to meet them from the doors of his canopy” (Gen. 18:2). When Abraham hurried to them from his tabernacle as strangers, and with this haste revealed his love for hospitality, then God appears to him and at the door of the tabernacle clearly makes Himself visible in one of the three strangers. And Abraham “bowed down to the ground” (Gen. 18:2), begging Him, in whom the Divine majesty was revealed, to enter his house and bless his dwelling: “if... I have found grace before You, do not minimize Your servant” (Gen. 18:3). Abraham did not refuse and answered: “Do as you said.” Then “Abraham fasted... to Sarah, and said to her... three measures of pure flour” (Gen. 18:5-6), and he himself hurries to the herds to bring the fat calf. Abraham offers bread and meat in such abundance not only to feed the Angels, but to share the blessing with all his household. When the feet of the strangers have been washed and they have sat down under the tree, Abraham brings and offers them everything prepared; he himself does not dare to sit down, but stands before them, as befits someone serving. Having tasted the meal offered by Abraham, they ask about Sarah, and Sarah, who remained shy even in old age, leaves the inner church to the doors of the vestibule. For by Abraham’s solicitude and by the silence that everyone in the house kept at his behest, the household realized that these were not simple strangers who stretched out their feet to wash God’s man. Then the Lord says to Abraham and Sarah: “When I return I will come to you at this time, and Sarah will have a son” (Gen. 18:10). Sarah, although Abraham, standing behind, strengthened her in hope, “laughed... in her heart saying: Shall I, when I am old, become young? and my lord is old” (Gen. 18:12). If Sarah had asked for a sign, then the sign would have been given to her, firstly, because she was barren and old, and, secondly, because nothing like what was promised to her had ever happened, because of which, seeing it or hearing about it, she could believe. But although she did not ask for a sign, the sign was given to her by herself and in her. The Lord said: “Why did Sarah laugh within herself, saying: I will truly give birth to food...? I am now old” (Gen. 18:13). But Sarah, instead of accepting the true sign given to her, covers it with a lie: “Sarah denied... Sarah, saying, “We did not laugh” (Gen. 18:15). The angel, letting her understand that it is in vain to justify herself with a lie, says: “Nor, but you laughed (Gen. 18:15) in your heart, behold, your heart refutes the vanity of your tongue.” The angels who told Sarah the promise of the birth of a son, “rose... and looked upon the face of Sodom” (Gen. 18:16). However, it was not revealed to Sarah that they were going to Sodom, so that on the day when she was delighted with the promise of a son, she would not cause her grief for her brother by announcing the terrible decree of judgment pronounced on the Sodomites and their brethren. Therefore, they hid this from Sarah, so as not to shed tears for her incessantly. It was revealed to Abraham that he should not cease to pray, and that his prayer would reveal to the world that in Sodom not a single righteous man was found for whose sake he could be delivered from destruction. “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was multiplied against Me, and their sins were great” (Gen. 18:20). What is meant by the word cry is explained by what was said next about sins. “When I go down I will see if they come to Me according to their cry, they will be accomplished; Otherwise, I understand” (Gen. 18:21). The Lord said this not because he did not know their sins. He had previously said: “Their sins are great”; but I wanted to set an example for the judges, so that they would not pronounce a sentence until they had seen the case completely. If the Omniscient One presented himself as if ignorant, so as not to make a determination on punishment before the trial, then all the more should judges admit their ignorance and not pronounce a verdict before examining the case. You might be interested in: