Genesis 18:17-23 "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. And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?"
The LORD appeared unto Abraham in plains of Mamre as three men. After communing with Abraham, God made Abraham a seemingly impossible promise. Abraham was a hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety and barren. Yet, God assured them that in nine months, Sarah would bear Abraham a son. Abraham believed God’s promise although Sarah was not as convinced.
The LORD could have continued on His way from that point. However, He was minded to reveal to His servant Abraham what it was He was about to do. I can assure you that the only way we ever understand God’s direction and purpose is because He does not “hide” it from us. He also revealed in this His omniscience.
The LORD saw (purposed) that Abraham would become a great nation. He saw this because He was the One who would bring it to pass according to His will. God knew that all nations of the earth would be blessed in Abraham because He had determined that His Christ would be born from the lineage of Abraham’s promised son, Issac. Except the LORD revealed this to Abraham, he was blind to all of this.
God knew that Abraham would instruct his household in the ways of the LORD. Justice and judgement would abide in Abraham’s house. God knew this because it was according to His purpose to bring these things to pass. Nowhere do we read that God blessing Abraham was because God knew what Abraham would do. God knew what Abraham would do because He was going to bless Him to do it.
The LORD revealed to Abraham that He was going to see about the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah. His explanation to Abraham was that He was going to see if the cry of the city was as bad as it seemed. Again, God was not in the dark about what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather, He was assuring Abraham that He never acted on hearsay or on misinformation. God never makes a mistake in His judgment, and no one can accuse Him of acting unjustly.
Knowing that God was true to His word, Abraham then asked Him if He intended to destroy the righteous with the wicked. Abrahm goes on to bargain with God for the city, finally settling on the LORD sparing the city if He found even ten righteous people there. God did not find ten righteous people and He did destroy the city. But in that action, we also see that God always sees and spares those who are striving to live righteously. Even though He destroyed the city, He brought out Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and his immediate family.
Be assured that when we are blessed to see and know what it is God is doing, it is because He has been pleased to reveal these things to us. He always acts on what He KNOWS is right, rather than reacting to situations as we often do. He is always faithful to preserve the righteous, and He is just as faithful to purge wickedness. Wait on the LORD and trust His judgments!