Why did God let Abraham in on his plans (Genesis 18:17–19)?
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 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. -- KJV
Genesis 18:17 - 19
ESV - 17 The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do. 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
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Asked April 07 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
I would say that it was both because Abraham had already had his faith in God counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), and also because Abraham's nephew Lot lived in Sodom with his family. Despite the city's wickedness, God provided Lot and his family with an opportunity to be spared or saved for Abraham's sake -- as indicated by the events that occurred after the "men" (actually angels in human form) who had visited Abraham arrived at Sodom, as described in Genesis 19:1-29. (However, even then, only Lot and his two daughters availed themselves of that opportunity by both fleeing the city (as Lot's sons-in-law refused to do) and obeying the angels' instructions not to look back (unlike Lot's wife).) God's discussion with Abraham also provided an opportunity for Abraham to display his God-pleasing mercy and concern for the righteous who might live in Sodom and Gomorrah (as indicated by his "bargaining" with God to reduce the number of righteous people needed to save the cities (Genesis 18:22-33)). Finally, I would say that the discernment that Abraham showed in recognizing who the visitors actually were; the hospitality that he showed to the visitors; and his humility in speaking with God -- rather than adopting a presumptuous or self-righteous tone -- were also looked on with favor by God.
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