"I Know Him"--Gen. 18

"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" (Gen. 18:19).

A hot day, an aged patriarch sitting in the door of his tent, and figures of three strangers appearing out of the shimmering heat: a recipe for timelessness.

Abraham bid these strangers stay, and he served them with his own hands. Food, rest, water to cleanse their feet: nothing was left undone that could not be brought to them. And God commanded this act of hospitality to be recorded for ages since to read and take heed.

After giving evidence of divinity by pronouncing the blessing of a child upon the aged couple, the Lord (as He is now revealed) and His two holy companions head toward the city. The Son of God pauses, and as if speaking to Himself, says, "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?" (Gen. 18:17,18).

And then, those words: "For I know him."

Rewritten in simple English, God is asking, "Why should I not tell Abraham what I'm going to do, especially since he is going to be great in the earth as My messenger, My friend?" And almost like assuring Himself, adds, "Yes, it is safe to tell him. I know him. I know he will honor Me."

Then, the legendary back-and-forth between dust and eternity. "Fifty?... Don't be angry at me, but what about forty-five? ...forty? ...thirty? ...twenty? ...ten?"

Each time, God replies, "For the sake of so many, I will not destroy the city."

And then, so humanly, "the Lord went His way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place" (Gen. 18:33).

What must Abraham have carried away from that face-to-face conversation with the Omnipotent? The hope that Sodom would not be destroyed after all? Awe and wonder at having been in the very presence of God?

Or perhaps it was that sentence, that sentence fragment: "I know him."

God knew Abraham. He knew that he would keep the faith, teach his children and his household to love God and keep His commandments. He knew that Abraham's descendants would treasure this knowledge, though they would have many setbacks.

Thus, "I know him."

My question is this…

What would be the following words, if the Lord said of you, "I know them"?

May it be that our rendering by the Most High would be like that of Abraham of old.

Lord, I want you to know me...as Abraham.