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Genesis Chapter Eighteen
Preface
This chapter is notable in that it demonstrates the grace of God by means of His personal care of and personal communication with those who have faith in Him, and in this particular case, with the preincarnate Christ. The chapter also contains one of the finest examples of prayer in which boldness and humility are entwined, a combination that is particularly pleasing to God. Genesis 18:1-5 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 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." They said, "Do as you have said."
Sometime after Abraham had carried out God’s instructions to be circumcised, as well as his entire household, God (Jehovah, the self-existent One) appeared to him while he was camped by the terebinth trees of Mamre. While setting in his tent’s doorway, he looked up and saw what appeared to him as three men standing by (Hebrew, nitstsabim alaiv, over near) him. What Abraham saw was a theophany (see also Genesis 32; Joshua 5; Judges 13), which is an appearance of Christ in a preincarnate physical body, along with two angels. This becomes clear when one understands that God the Father never revealed Himself in such fashion to man throughout Scripture, except through the Person of Jesus Christ, and from analysis of the context in both this chapter and the next two chapters.
Abraham either immediately or while approaching the three recognized (or became aware in some fashion) that one of the three was God, and so addressed Him while bowing himself to the ground in homage. And in accord with the most polite customs of the day Abraham requested that God and company not pass him by, that they should take rest at his tent and allow him to minister to them. They in unison agreed to his request. As to why God (in the Christ) did not speak for all three, but allowed the two accompanying angels to have a say in the matter, can only speak of Christ’s humility and the fact that there is indeed unity in heaven among God and His celestial staff.
This passage points out a very important truth that should affect every Christian. And the message is that during one’s life after his spiritual birth into the family of God, the believer never knows to whom he may entertain or minister. In Hebrews 13:2 it is stated, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Another important passage, and although it has specific application to Israel in the Kingdom Age, is Matthew 25:34-40. The wise believer will take it to heart and heed the words of Christ (since they have application in the Church Age) when He said:
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Genesis 18:6-15 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
The enthusiasm of Abraham must have been at fever-pitch as he rushed to prepare the very finest food that his household could offer to the visitors—he would settle for nothing but his best for their meal. And as he stood by them in order to respond to their every request, they inquired of him regarding the location of his wife Sarah. He confirmed that she was inside the tent. Then God confirmed to Abraham what he already knew (Genesis 17:19, 21), that upon the “time of life” (ordinary term of pregnancy—from conception to birth) God would provide Abraham a son by Sarah.
All the while Sarah was listening in on the conversation between God and Abraham and upon hearing that she would have child, she laughed “within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old [literally, “worn out like an old garment”], shall I have pleasure [which comes to a mother who is blessed with a child], my lord being old also?’” The Hebrew word for “laugh” is sahaq, which can mean either “laughter in joy” or “incredulity.” This same word is used to describe both Abraham’s and Sarah’s reaction to the pre-announcement of Isaac’s birth. And judging from God’s different reactions to their laughter, it is apparent that Sarah’s laugh was one of “incredulity,” a lack of faith; whereas, Abraham’s laughter was of joy grounded in faith in God’s Word.
Either Abraham had already told Sarah that they would be granted a son and her laughter was only a continuation of her ridicule as to the outcome, or this was the first time she heard it and her derision was spontaneous. In either case, God, who knows every thought and action of man, was witness to her mockery. His reaction was, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Upon hearing this, Sarah quickly denied having laughed; but then, there was no fooling God, just as there is no fooling God about anything, at anytime and anywhere. Genesis 18:16-19 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
This passage gives the reader of God’s Word a touching, dynamic and awe-inspiring insight into the mind of God. Even though man disobeyed God initially in the Garden of Eden and accrued a record of defiance toward Him from that time forward, God still acts and carries out His plan with a deep appreciation and consideration of man. This is a true and significant confirmation of God’s great love for man, only to be eclipsed by the giving of His Son to die on the cross of Calvary. And God’s mindfulness of man in regards to His plan was particularly true in the case of Abraham, the man of such great faith that God chose him to be the “father of many nations,” and especially of the nation Israel, a people who were destined to be God’s chosen then and now. This is why this commentator believes God takes the time to reveal in this passage a brief moment of time in which He either “talks with Himself,” or expresses Himself to the two angels that accompanied Him.
God knew that Abraham would be the proper influence for good toward his children and his household, that they would follow Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice, and that he would be submissive to God unto God’s end, the fulfillment of God’s plan and future for Abraham. Because of this, God knew that Abraham needed to be advised of God’s intentions for Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18:20-33 And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
This passage presents an exquisite example of intercessory prayer, which was made efficacious by means of boldness (persistence toward God) and humility (meekness of self). After the Lord revealed to Abraham His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham stood in the path of God while the two angels continued down the path toward Sodom.
With great boldness, born from Abraham’s knowledge of and faith in the righteous character of the “Judge of all the earth,” and in great humility, which only an intimate knowledge of God can give, Abraham challenged God’s plan as he pleaded for any righteous that may have at that time resided in Sodom. And in Abraham’s intercessory prayer countdown from 50 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 20 to 10, valuable lessons are revealed to every believer, as follows:
Every man who loves God loves his neighbor also; and he who loves his neighbor will do all in his power to promote the well-being both of his soul and his body. Abraham cannot prevent the men of Sodom from sinning against God; but he can make prayer and intercession for their souls, and plead, if not in arrest, yet in mitigation, of judgment. He therefore intercedes for the transgressors, and God is well pleased with his intercessions. These are the offspring of God’s own love in the heart of His servant. (The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes, by Adam Clarke, LL.D, F.S.A., &c., Abingdon Press) |