Genesis 18:9-21:21

There is a real intimacy and candor in the discussions between, on the one hand, Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, and, on the other hand, the Lord God and his angels in this section.  It is what one would expect in an authentic, loving relationship, but not what I associate with the so-called "Old Testament God." And yet, that honesty and intimacy is reflected over and over. God questions Abraham sharply about Sarah's skepticism. God rebukes, but does not punish, Sarah--not only because she dismissed the Lord's promise that she'd bear a child, but also because she then was less than honest with God about her original reaction. Abraham gently but directly challenges God as God lays out his plan for Sodom: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? . . . Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" Yet the Lord God seems moved by the Abraham's challenge to, if not change his view, at least to acknowledge the depths of his mercy and justice. And the angels of God, for their part, change their plans to enter Sodom in the evening, at Lot's urging. The next morning they are moved by Lot's request that he not be forced to flee to the hills, since he believes he is too feeble to make it there with his family in time to avoid being destroyed along with Sodom--and they agree he need not flee that far to save themselves. These sorts of candid, honest, intimate discussions are what I wish for in my own life, and in particular in my personal relationship with God. It is eye-opening and reassuring at the same time to read it in these stories. A quick word on the story about Lot and his daughters in the cave: I have never understood it and I find it to be very strange and incomprehensible.