Charles Spurgeon Commentary Genesis 18

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Abraham is called "the friend of God." It was not merely that God was his Friend; that was blessedly true, and it was a great wonder of grace; but he was honoured to be called "the friend of God"—one with whom God could hold sweet converse, a man after his own heart, in whom he trusted, and to whom he revealed his secrets. I am afraid there are not many men of Abraham's sort in the world even now; but, wherever there is such a man, with whom God is familiar, he will be sure to be one who orders his household properly.

If the Lord is my Friend, and if I am indeed his friend, I will wish him to be respected by my children, and I will endeavor to dedicate my children to his service. I fear that the decline of family godliness, which is so sadly remarkable in these days, is the source of a great many of the crying sins of the age; the Church of God at large would have been more separate from the world if the little church in each man's house had been more carefully trained for God. If you want the Lord to confide in you, and to trust you with his secrets, you must see that he is able to say of you what he said of Abraham, he will command his children and his household after him.

He was in no hurry to close that blessed interview; when he had once come into the Lord's immediate presence, he lingered there.

Those who are friends of God like to be in their Lord's company a great deal.

And Abraham drew near,

There is nothing like coming very close to God in prayer: Abraham drew near. He was about to use his influence with his great Friend; not for himself, but for these men of Sodom, who were going to be destroyed. Happy are those who, when they are near to God, use the opportunity in pleading for others, yes, even for the most wicked and abandoned of men.

And said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Abraham bases his argument upon the justice of God; and when a man dares to do that, it is mighty pleading, for, depend upon it, God will never do an unjust thing. If you dare to plead his righteousness, his infallible justice, you plead most powerfully.

This time the patriarch has advanced by ten; before, it was by fives. Pleading men grow bolder and braver in their requests. A man who is very familiar with God will, eventually, venture to say what, at first, he would not have dared to utter.