God went to visit Abraham one day. This devotional reading looks at Abraham playing host to His Creator.
Nuggets
- Three Heavenly Beings visited Abraham one day.
- We have to meet God in a quiet place.
- God frequently reminds us in His Word to be watchful.
- Middle Eastern culture in Abraham’s time – and God – put great emphasis on hospitality.
- Abraham showed how deep his faith was by running to God.
- God gives us perfect rest.
- When family, friends, neighbors, and travelers came to visit, it was their duty to show hospitality to them.
- Abraham prepared a feast for his visitors.
- Yep, God and the angels performed human actions.
God has finished setting up the covenant with Abraham. Now, it was growing closer to the time of the sign of the covenant to be given.
But something had to be cleaned up first. Well, somewhere – Sodom and Gomorrah.
To start this process, God goes personally to meet with Abraham.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Abraham the Patriarch series
Let's Put It into Context #2
Let’s keep adding to the Biblestudy.org’s timeline.
1960 BC — Abram born (Gen. 25: 7)
1890 BC — Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Lot move from Ur to Haran (Gen. 11: 31)
1885 BC — Abram called at age 75 (Gen. 12: 1-3)
c. 1880 – 1875 BC — Abram defeats King Chedorkiamer to rescue Lot (Gen. 14)
1875 BC — God promises an 85-year-old Abram that he will have a son (Gen. 15)
1874 BC — Ishmael born (Gen. 16: 15)
1861 BC — God reestablished His covenant with Abram; and Abraham, Ishmael, and males are circumcised (Gen 17)
1861 BC — Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed one year before the birth of Isaac (Genesis 18 – 19).
1860 BC — Isaac born (Genesis 35: 28).
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Heavenly Visitors
“The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby ...” (Gen. 18: 1-2 NLT)
The Lord Appeared/Three Men Standing Nearby
Three Heavenly Beings visited Abraham one day.
Let’s take a look at the beginning and ending of this passage. Both are talking about the visitors.
One of the visitors is initially identified. Our version translate the word as Lord. The Hebrew word is Hashem. The part of speech is a proper masculine name.
I really wish I could find something that translated the Dead Sea scrolls. Bradford has said somewhere in his lessons that I’ve seen online that God’s name has been changed to the title the Lord.
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I wonder if this is one of those instances.
It is God that appeared as a man. We may scratch our heads on that one. Never in a million years would we even think we would entertain angels, let alone God Himself.
Some, thought, this was Jesus. Yes, this is before He came down to earth as a baby.
Meyer had an interesting take. He wrote,
“It was thus that the Son of God anticipated His Incarnation; and was found in fashion as a man before He became flesh. He loved to come incognito into the homes of those He cherished as His friends, even before He came across the slopes of Olivet to make His home in the [favored] cottage, where His spirit rested from the din of the great city, and girded itself for the cross and the tomb.”
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I don’t know if I would go that far. But something just popped into my head.
We have other verses where it may be attributed to it that the angel was Jesus. One such time is in the fiery furnace.
“So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?’ ‘Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,’ they replied. ‘Look!’ Nebuchadnezzar shouted. ‘I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god’!” (Dan. 3: 23-25 NLT).
We talked about whether the mighty angel in Revelation 10: 1-3 was Jesus. To me, that one does seem logical.
“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered” (Rev. 10: 1-3 NLT).
In Daniel and Revelation, it was Jesus. Here in Genesis, to me, I see this as God. I see God as the One coming down in the burning bush to call Moses and coming to Patmos to give John the Revelation of Jesus.
In verse 2, it does call them men. The Hebrew is Shloshah (three masculine) Anashim (people). The Heavenly Beings were in human form.
I can see why some would think it would be three angels/messengers here, and not God/Jesus Himself. I don’t think that. It was God.
Edwards had an interesting take on this that I don’t remember ever hearing before. What if this was the Trinity? At a minimum, maybe it was meant to be a foreshadowing of It.
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But let’s come back to this discussion in a little bit. Let’s just end this part of the discussion by saying God visits His children. It can be in human form, and it can be we don’t recognize Him.
God comes to us when we need Him and blesses us.
The Oak Grove Belonging to Mamre
We have to meet God in a quiet place.
Hmmm. The Hebrew word used here was terebinth. When I googled it, it didn’t say oak tree.
The tree described by the Hebrew word was part of the pistacia tree family. It was known for its resilience and medicinal properties, probably using the resin.
We’ve heard about Mamre before. Mamre was one of the allies that went with Abram to rescue Lot (Gen. 14: 13).
A grove of fruit trees is a peaceful place. It would be a wonderful place to meet with God.
Abraham Was Sitting and Looked
God frequently reminds us in His Word to be watchful.
This is interesting. It was the heat of the day. Instead of seeking relief inside the tent, Abraham was sitting at the entrance.
Go back to verse 1. Here were these three “men” standing near the grove. God was inviting Abraham into the shade with Him.
But Abraham did more than just sit there. He looked up and saw the visitors.
I love what Edwards said. He wrote, “… the presence of God cannot be realized, unless the soul of man directs its gaze above the objects of the sensual, earthly life.”
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God is right there, calling us to Him. We just have to hear His still, small voice.
In other words, we can’t focus on our earthly interests. We have to pray to Him and set our minds on this above (Col. 3: 1).
We, like Abraham, have to get out of our tent and go toward the Heavenly Father. But that is the next section.
Meeting with God
“... When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.’ ‘All right,’ they said. ‘Do as you have said.’ So Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, ‘Hurry! Get three large measures of your best flour, knead it into dough, and bake some bread.’ Then Abraham ran out to the herd and chose a tender calf and gave it to his servant, who quickly prepared it. When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees” (Gen. 18: 2-8 NLT)
Middle Eastern culture in Abraham’s time – and God – put great emphasis on hospitality.
Ran to Meet and Welcomed Them
Abraham showed how deep his faith was by running to God.
I hadn’t put two and two together before. I had heard that Jewish men never ran. That was what made the father in the Prodigal Son parable so interesting, He ran to meet his kid when the son was far off. (Lk. 15: 20).
But here, Abraham ran to meet God. We know he recognized Him right off because he called Him “‘My lord,’ …” (Gen.. 15: 3 NLT).
Our faith should be deep enough that we recognize God right off if He pops up before us. We need to want to get into His close presence as soon as we can get there.
When we are running toward God, we are proactively looking to Him for His help in our spiritual matters. We put that much importance on our relationship with Him.
It is an act of submission and obedience. It shows our commitment to Him.
Stop and Rest
God gives us perfect rest.
One of the ways we search for and seek God is to meditate on our walk with God. “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night” (Ps. 1: 1-2).
This is where we think about what we have heard and read and apply it to our lives. But it is more than that.
This is where we just enjoy God’s presence.
How does Edwards say we do that? He wrote, “The hours taken from the world and spent in Divine worship, in the calm peace of the church; the hours in which the soul enters into the closet, shuts the door, and prays to the Father which is in secret, are the hours in which man rises into the realization of the eternal life.”
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We must worship God, listen to Him, talk to Him, and love Him. We have to make Him a large part of our lives.
We have to abide with Him.
Normal Hospitality Practices
When family, friends, neighbors, and travelers came to visit, it was their duty to show hospitality to them.
There weren’t any inns around. Abraham wasn’t going to take Them out to the nearest Texas Roadhouse restaurant.
Even if the visitor came from across town, their feet would have been duty in their sandals. Remember, we weren’t talking paved roads here.
It was up to Abraham to be the host. There were several things that a good host would do in that culture. By doing these action for people – whether they knew them or not – showed kindness, generosity, and reverence for God.
Feet washing was important because sandals were the type of shoes worn. These open shoes allowed the dust – depending on how far they had traveled – to cake on people’s feet. When they got where they were going, they needed a good wash.
At a minimum, the host would offer water. If the host had servants or slaves, they would be given the task to perform.
There are several instances in God’s Word in the Old Testament where it talks about washing of feet.
- “‘My lords,’ he said, ‘come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again’” (Gen. 19: 2 NLT).
- “So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet” (Gen. 24: 32 NLT).
- “The manager then led the men into Joseph’s palace. He gave them water to wash their feet and provided food for their donkeys” (Gen. 43: 24 NLT).
- “So he [an old man] took them home with him and fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet, they ate and drank together” (Jdgs. 19: 21 NLT).
- “She [Abigail] bowed low to the ground and responded, ‘I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!’” (I Sam. 25: 41 NLT).
Of course, food was involved. This showed Abraham’s generosity and care.
Also, a host may provide shelter for the night. If the travelers could spend the night there. Like I said, no inns.
Yeah, Abraham treated them as he would other travelers. He may not have pulled (but probably did pull) out the fatted calf for others, but the rest was standard operating procedure.
Look how quickly the meal was put together. They had probably done this many times before. This time, they had special visitors.
But look at verse 8. Abraham didn’t even eat with them!
It doesn’t say that Abraham went on about his business and let them eat by themselves. It says he was taking the role of a servant, standing ready to refill drink glasses and get Them whatever They would ask.
The writer of Hebrews spoke to the importance of hospitality, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Heb. 13: 2 NLT).
Abraham Said to Sarah
Abraham prepared a feast for his visitors.
Ummm. Something isn’t adding up here.
The New Living Translation says, “… let me prepare some food …” (Gen. 18: 5 NLT). The Orthodox Jewish Bible says, “And I will bring a morsel of bread …” (Gen. 18: 5 OJB).
Some food is more in line with what Abraham spread before his Visitors than just a morsel of bread. From the list of food in verses 6-8, Abraham had a feast prepared,
I never caught before that Abraham gave Sarah instructions for the meal. Then, he started the servant on preparing the calf. But put it all together himself.
It is interesting that, when Abraham gave Sarah the menu, he asked for cakes, not bread (Gen. 18: 6 OJB).
Rittenbaugh made a fantastic observation. He wrote,
“How long do you think that it took Abraham to do all of that? How long did it to take him to run, order a calf killed, have someone slaughter the calf, bleed the calf, skin the calf, butcher the calf, roast the meat, and then serve it to Him?”
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Here’s God and He’s running the whole universe. Do you ever feel rushed at times because you have too many things to do? I mean, here is the busiest.
As They Ate
Yep, God and the angels performed human actions.
God and the angels ate the meal Abraham prepared. Well, if hospitality was so important to Him, how could He refuse it?
While He conversed with Abraham, God also spoke to and heard him.
Making the Connections #1
Does it seem strange to us that God Himself would have appeared to Abraham? We know Abraham was noted for his righteousness.
- “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Gen. 15: 6 NLT).
- “For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith’” (Rom. 4: 3 NLT).
- “In the same way, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith’” (Gal. 3: 6 NLT).
- “And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ He was even called the friend of God” (Jas. 2: 23 NLT).
- “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith — for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Heb. 11: 8-10 NLT).
We think God can’t even be “in the same room” with sin. We get this from Habakkuk. “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil …” (Hab. 1: 13 NLT).
Stand the sight of doesn’t necessary mean can’t be in the proximity of.
We know God takes us residence in our sinful hearts (Jer. 17: 9). But that doesn’t stop God.
“Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them’” (Jn. 14: 23 NLT).
Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean They will physically be in our hearts, does it? He was probably thinking They would be with us in spirit and in truth.
Making the Connections #2
How did Abraham know that it was God standing out under the trees? The verses imply that Abraham never flinched. He knew that this was God, and he needed Him.
We need to run to God.
Edwards said that we are not in control as to when – or if – God appears to us. He wrote,
“Man cannot by his own will cause God to be either present or absent from His sanctuary and throne of grace. ‘His tabernacle is with men.’ But man can neglect to fulfil those conditions upon which God’s presence can be realized by his own soul. By sloth, prayerlessness, and apathy, he can remain beneath the shadow of his earthly tent, and lose the vision of God, because he will neither lift up his eyes, nor go forth to meet Him.”
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We are not in control – God is. We don’t call the shots – God does.
Abraham was visited by God because he was righteous. No, not self-righteous. He had been given God’s righteousness. He had found favor in God.
Making the Connections #3
Hospitality was given to create community. People in Abraham’s day wanted everyone to feel welcome.
Olitzky said hospitality wasn’t just for the home. It was for the synagogue and community institutions.
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I like the remark of Jonathan Roumie’s Jesus in Season 2 Episode 1. You don’t have to have a home to show hospitality. In that episode, hospitality was planting a field. In other episodes, it was making sure firewood was cut for the next traveler.
Hospitality is about meeting the needs of others. It is about making sure they are satisfied. It’s about a welcoming environment.
How Do We Apply This?
- Be kind to strangers.
- Have faith in what God has promised.
- Draw aside to meet with God, running to Him.
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Father God. We want to be in Your presence. Help us to obediently serve You as we should. Amen.
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