In the First Reading for this Sunday, taken from the Book of Genesis, we see Abraham haggling with God. Anyone who has bought something from a merchant in the Middle East would know the experience. The original Middle Eastern audience of the text would no doubt have found an element of humor in Abraham presuming to haggle with God himself.
In Middle Eastern cultures, haggling was (and often still is) an everyday part of financial transactions, usually involving an element of theatricality as both sides try to prevail over the other. But we see one key difference in the interaction between Abraham and God. Unlike in traditional haggling, in this account, only Abraham is arguing, as he is trying to lower the number needed to save the city. God gives in to him each time, without a counter argument.
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