Genesis 18:1-33; James 5:16; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; Genesis 19:1-29; Genesis 12:1-9.

 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

 From the start, Abraham wanted to be used by God for mission. This truth can been seen, for example, in Genesis 18:1-33, when God warned him about what was going to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). And in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, “His servant the prophet” was Abraham.

 Abraham was resting during the heat of the day when he saw three travelers. “Abraham had seen in his guests only three tired way­farers, little thinking that among them was One whom he might worship without sin.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets,pp. 138, 139.

 Abraham, however, soon became personally involved in God’s mission. His involvement, as revealed in this chapter, was to pray for and intercede for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. That is, he wanted to see if, somehow, these people, despite themselves, could be saved. In a sense, if that is not what mission is about—what is?

 Throughout this chapter, three great spiritual qualities of Abraham are revealed: hospitality, love, and prayer—qualities that can greatly aid in mission, as well.

 *Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 28.

 Read Genesis 18:1-15. What elements of hospitality are demonstrated in Abraham’s response to his guests?

 Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. This behavior was unusual. At that time of the day in summer, when the sun is at its zenith, everyone is looking for shade and for a fresh breeze. But, perhaps, Abraham was enduring the heat in order to help anyone who might be passing by.

 While there, he saw three travelers. His practice, most likely, was to offer hospitality to strangers. This is why the initiative of the encounter was from Abraham: in the text he ran toward them from the entrance of his tent. That is, and this point is important: Abraham took the initiative to meet them even before they came to him.

 “ ‘Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant’ ” (Genesis 18:4-5).

 Abraham was aware of his mission, which was to share with everyone the knowledge of the Lord in a world engulfed in paganism, idolatry, and polytheism. As we can see in this incident, his most immediate way to fulfill his mission was through hospitality toward these strangers, who seemed to have just appeared on the horizon.

 Meanwhile, Abraham’s “great household consisted of more than a thousand souls, many of them heads of families, and not a few but newly converted from heathenism. Such a household required a firm hand at the helm. No weak, vacillating methods would suffice. . . . Abraham’s influence extended beyond his own household. Wherever he pitched his tent, he set up beside it the altar for sacrifice and worship. When the tent was removed, the altar remained; and many a roving Canaanite, whose knowledge of God had been gained from the life of Abraham His servant, tarried at that altar to offer sacrifice to Jehovah.”—Ellen. G. White, Education,p. 187.

 From the start, this man understood that God had called him to mission, and that his going to the Promised Land was not for a vacation but to be a blessing to those around him and, through his seed, to the world.

 Read Genesis 18:16-33. How did Abraham exercise his great quality of love for all people without distinguishing tribe, race, or people?

 The second quality of Abraham drawn from Genesis 18:1-33 was his love for people, even for those he did not personally know. This is a great lesson for each of us. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were sinners, far removed from his values, but his heart was full of love for everyone without any distinction of race, gender, language, or religion.

 God, then, reveals to Abraham His decision to annihilate the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Then the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know’” (Genesis 18:20-21).

 With great humility and reverence, Abraham addressed his request to God: “‘Far be it from You to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’” (Genesis 18:25).

 Through his love, Abraham hoped to save all the people in these cities, not only the righteous. Certainly, Abraham knew just how evil and wicked the people were who lived there. Who knows what stories he had heard regarding those people and their practices? And from what we know about them, as revealed in the next chapter, with the sordid story of Lot and the mob outside his house (see Genesis 19:1-11), these were very evil people.

 Yet Abraham, knowing for himself the love of God, appealed to Him in their behalf. Abraham knew that human beings always can return to God in repentance. To Abraham, saving the inhabitants of these cities would give them a chance to repent.

 In the end, Abraham based his request on what he personally knew about God’s love for human beings. He himself had a great love for sinners, and he knew that as long as there is life, there is hope for salvation.

 Read Genesis 18:23-32; James 5:16. What should this teach us about the power of intercessory prayer?

 The dialogue between Abraham and God is a type, a representation, of intercessory prayer. Abraham is presented in this chapter as an intercessor before God for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was pleading for them, in behalf of them; that is, he was in a way acting as a type, a symbol, of Jesus as our Intercessor before the Father. Our mission today will be successful only if we proceed with these kinds of prayer.

 Abraham had learned to love the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities close by. This is why his prayer was honest and sincere. He already had fought against some kings who had defeated the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. After Abraham’s victory, Bera, the king of Sodom, came to meet Abraham with Melchizedek. Bera asked to have his people returned to their homes: “‘Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself’” (Genesis 14:21). This is an indication of the love of this king for his people. Since one of the great characteristics of Abraham was love, he loved the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, and he prayed for them and their people. “Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham’s prayer.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets,p. 140.

 Abraham exercised humility and perseverance in his prayers. As soon as God accepted the first request, to save the city as long as 50 righteous people were living there, he continued his intercession.

 Our mission cannot be successful without prayer, intercessory prayer. After meeting someone, after giving a sermon or a Bible study, we must pray for the people we have been in contact with. God is heedful of these prayers in touching the hearts of the people we have contacted. It is not our words or eloquence that will convert our friends or acquaintances—it is the Holy Spirit. This is why in any mission in which we are engaged, we must pray for each person individually.

 Read Genesis 19:1-29. What was the result of Abraham’s spirit of hospitality, love, and prayer?

 The text gives an interesting indication about the position of Lot in the city of Sodom: “Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom” (Genesis 19:1). This means he was an important character in the city, certainly a public officer, because sitting in the gate is a privilege of officers, judges, and kings (2 Samuel 19:8; Jeremiah 38:7; Ruth 4:1).

 Genesis 19:1-38 almost parallels chapter 18 and the story of the angels with Abraham. Abraham and Lot were each sitting at an entrance or gate (Genesis 18:1; Genesis 19:1); Abraham and Lot each invited strangers to rest in their abode (Genesis 18:3-4; Genesis 19:2); Abraham and Lot each prepared food for their visitors (Genesis 18:4-8; Genesis 19:3). Whatever else his faults, Lot had some good characteristics, it seems.

 “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground” (Genesis 19:24-25).

 We don’t know how many people were living in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of this account, but among these thousands of people only four left the city, and only three were saved. The same with the Genesis flood. We don’t know how many were alive then, but we know that most were not saved.

 The small number of residents of Sodom who were saved has implications for our own mission: not everyone will be saved. We would like everyone to accept Jesus and His plan of salvation, but each person has free will. Our task is to invite as many people as possible to make the choice for Jesus. While we are carrying out our mission, God assists us through the Holy Spirit, but He will never go against the will of anyone. Free will means that, in the end, no matter what we do, no matter how much we pray, salvation comes down to each individual’s choice.

 Read Genesis 12:1-9. What do these verses teach about submitting to God’s will, even when the path ahead does not seem clear?

 One of the main qualities of Abraham was his submission to God’s will. All the experiences of Abraham with God were characterized by this submission.

 His calling: Abraham received a challenging call from heaven: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’ ” (Genesis 12:1). When he heard a voice from heaven, his first reaction could have been to disregard this voice, thinking he was having a hallucination. Or he could have challenged the message, saying something such as, I don’t want to go; I like it here. “ ‘The land I will show you’ ” may have seemed a strange description of a destination! But he accepted the call. He submitted his will to the will of God and left his father’s household and his country: “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4).

 Choice of the land: A quarrel erupted between the servants of Lot and those of Abraham, but Abraham was not a man to fight with his own flesh and blood. He submitted to God’s will, who again blessed him: “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, Now raise your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever” (Genesis 13:14-15).

 Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: When God revealed to Abraham the destiny of these two cities, Abraham, full of love, tried to save the cities. Because there were not even ten righteous persons in the cities, the cities were destroyed. Abraham submitted to the will of God and accepted God’s judgment of these cities.

 The Lord was able to use Abraham because of his submission to God in all circumstances. It must be the same with us today.

 “Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham’s prayer. While he loathed the sins of that corrupt city, he desired that the sinners might be saved. His deep interest for Sodom shows the anxiety that we should feel for the impenitent. We should cherish hatred of sin, but pity and love for the sinner. All around us are souls going down to ruin as hopeless, as terrible, as that which befell Sodom. Every day the probation of some is closing. Every hour some are passing beyond the reach of mercy. And where are the voices of warning and entreaty to bid the sinner flee from this fearful doom? Where are the hands stretched out to draw him back from death? Where are those who with humility and persevering faith are pleading with God for him?

 The spirit of Abraham was the spirit of Christ. The Son of God is Himself the great Intercessor in the sinner’s behalf. He who has paid the price for its redemption knows the worth of the human soul. With an antagonism to evil such as can exist only in a nature spotlessly pure, Christ manifested toward the sinner a love which infinite goodness alone could conceive. In the agonies of the crucifixion, Himself burdened with the awful weight of the sins of the whole world, He prayed for His revilers and murderers, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ Luke 23:34.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets,p. 140.

 “Abraham was honored by the surrounding nations as a mighty prince and a wise and able chief. He did not shut away his influence from his neighbors. His life and character, in their marked contrast with those of the worshipers of idols, exerted a telling influence in favor of the true faith. His allegiance to God was unswerving, while his affability and benevolence inspired confidence and friendship and his unaffected greatness commanded respect and honor.”—Patriarchs and Prophets,pp. 133, 134.

 1. What other examples from Scripture show us an individual who fulfilled his call to mission? What about John the Baptist? Would you call him successful?
 2. Read Genesis 19:30-36. What does this tell us about the character of some of those saved from Sodom?
 3. What other lessons can we learn from the example of Abraham regarding mission and how it is done?
 4. Think about this: Would you deem Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah successful or a failure?