"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." Psalm 25:14. Abraham had honored God, and the Lord honored him, taking him into His counsels, and revealing to him His purposes. "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?" said the Lord. "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." God knew well the measure of Sodom's guilt; but He expressed Himself after the manner of men, that the justice of His dealings might be understood. Before bringing judgment upon the transgressors He would go Himself, to institute an examination of their course; if they had not passed the limits of divine mercy, He would still grant them space for repentance.

Fortroligt samfund har Herren med dem, der frygter ham. Sl. 25, 14. Abraham havde æret Gud, og Herren ærede ham, indviede ham i sine planer og åbenbarede sine hensigter for ham. Skulle jeg vel dølge for Abraham, hvad jeg har i sinde at gøre? sagde Herren. Skriget over Sodoma og Gomorra er stort og deres synd er såre svar. Derfor vil jeg stige ned og se, om de virkelig har handlet så galt, som det lyder til efter skriget over dem, der har nået mig - derom vil jeg have vished! Gud vidste godt, hvor stor Sodomas skyld var; men han udtrykte sig på menneskelig vis, så de kunne forstå hans retfærdige handlemåde. Inden han bragte straf over overtræderne, ville han selv undersøge, hvordan de opførte sig. Hvis de ikke havde overskredet barmhjertighedens grænse, ville han endnu give dem anledning til anger.