14 THREE VISITORS

The appearance of God to Abraham that we find in Chapter 18 of Genesis seems on the surface to have more of freedom and familiarity, and less of grandeur and majesty, than the ones we have already looked at. So this visit resembles a somewhat later great more personal visit which, in the fullness of time, the Son of God was to make to the world, when the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.

Here is a profound matter (“The Lord appeared to Abraham”—a truly wonderful thing) along with an earthy common and sweaty one (“while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.”) which is rather indicative of the way things are in our earthly existence when we humans have a relationship with Divinity. Sitting there could also hint that he sought an opportunity of doing good, by giving entertainment to passing strangers and travelers, since there were no roadside inns to accommodate them. We are likely to have the most personal inward joy of service and usefulness from the good works we anticipate doing such as is demonstrated by Abraham being ready to entertain travelers.

Were visits from God becoming regular? God graciously visits and revisits those who have the greatest expectation and anticipation of Him. He shows Himself to those who wait for him. When Abraham was sitting alone, he saw three men standing nearby. These three were spiritual heavenly beings, now assuming human bodies, so as to be visible to Abraham, and could talk with him.

Some think that they were all created angels, others that one of them was the Son of God, a Christophany, the angel of the covenant, whom Abraham could possibly distinguish from the rest since he called him “lord,” “He said, ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by’” (3) and again in verse 13, “Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?”’” Hebrews 13:2 tells us that we could unknowingly entertain an angel, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Who knows? Maybe you have already done that. What if we treated strangers like we would treat an angel? Wouldn’t it be better to feed five humans if they were not angels than to miss the opportunity to feed an angel? It would be a better honor to err on the side of helping too many.

Abraham entertained the strangers, and his entertainment was kindly accepted. The Holy Spirit takes particular notice of the very free and affectionate welcome Abraham gave the strangers. He was very respectful to them. Even though well up in years, “he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf” (7).  He was generous and cordial; he hurried and chose the best. We should take pleasure in showing kindness to any; for both God and man love a cheerful giver. We don’t know at what point Abraham became aware that he was entertaining the Lord, but, in any case, can you see the rich symbolism in Abraham’s fine entertainment of his Divine Guest? God is a guest worth entertaining.

Can you also see that his entertainment, though it was very free, was yet plain and homely, and there was nothing in it of the gaiety and niceness of our times. His dining-room was the shade of a tree. Can you see the great meaning in the Lord being willing to receive the common fare? It was the best he could offer, under a tree; no rich table-linen, no nice dinning room table set with plates. His feast was a piece or two of veal, and some cakes baked on the hearth, and both hastily dressed. Though Abraham was very rich and his guests were very honorable, here were no dainties, varieties, spiced-meats, sweet-meats, but just good, plain, wholesome food. God is happy to receive what we can do. 2 Corinthians 9:12 make this practical principle very clear, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” “Are you willing?” is a more important question than “What can you do? or “How much will you give?”

We ought not be overly preoccupied or concerned in our diet. Let us be thankful for convenient food, even if it is common and not be desirous of dainties, for they can be distracting, deceitful meat to those that love them and set their hearts on them. I see a joyous yet practical picture in Abraham and his wife who were both very attentive and busy, in accommodating their guests with the best they had. Sarah herself is cook and baker; Abraham runs to bring the calf, brings out the milk and butter, and does not think it is below him to wait at table as he shows how heartily welcome his guests were.

This couple had men and women servants, but chose to serve these guests themselves. Those that have real merit do not need to focus on their own nobility of social or organizational position or actions. Yet their disregard for personal merit does not take away from the nobility of personal merit. Hearty friendship will stoop to anything but sin. Christ Himself has taught us to wash one another’s feet in humble love. Those that humble themselves like this shall be exalted. Abraham’s faith showed itself in good works and so must ours. The father of the faithful was famous for charity, generosity, and good house-keeping. Neither did Job eat his morsel alone, Job 31:14 & 17 say, “What will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? . . . if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless.” And of particular interest to Christian leaders, we see in the list of qualifications of church leaders, that Paul includes: “hospitality” (1 Timothy 3:2). Yes, there are practical lessons for Christian leaders in the lives of the Patriarchs.

These heavenly guests were evidently sent to confirm the promise recently made to Abraham, that he should have a son by Sarah. They also demonstrate a principle mentioned in Matthew 10:41: “Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.”  Abraham received angels and received angel’s reward, a gracious message from heaven just for him. While the angels are receiving Abraham’s kind entertainment, they return his kindness with a special message.

It seems that a deliberate effort was made that Sarah should be within hearing. She too exercised faith in bearing Isaac, “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (Hebrews 11:11). She was given the opportunity to conceive by faith, and therefore consistent with Genesis 17:16, the promise must be made also to her.

At that time women did not sit at a meal with men, at least not with strangers, but kept themselves separate. Therefore Sarah is out of sight, but not out of hearing. The angels enquire, “Where is your wife Sarah?” By naming her, they hinted to Abraham that, though they seemed strangers, yet they knew him and his family very well. By enquiring after her, they showed a friendly, kind concern for the family and relations of their host whom they found respectful to them. Asking about Sarah is a piece of common civility, which ought to proceed from a principle of Christian love, and then it has spiritual significance. And, by speaking of her (she over-hearing it including the use of Sarah, not Sarai), they drew her to listen to what else would be said. “Where is your wife Sarah?” say the angels. “There, in the tent,” says Abraham. Where else should she be? ‘There she is as usual in her place and is now within call.’ I see here a hint of the truth Paul includes in his instruction to Titus regarding wives, “to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” The daughters of Sarah must learn from Sarah. There is nothing gained by moving from place to place talking all around the town or neighborhood of trivial things. Those are most likely to receive blessings from God who remain on duty in their places.

God’s promise to Abraham is renewed and ratified,“I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son” (10). Wow! That would get her attention! God will return to those that welcome Him, that entertain his visits. Then the profound promise is repeated again in verse 14, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Could this be a reminder to us that the promises of the Messiah were often repeated in the Bible, for the strengthening of the faith of God’s people. We are slow of heart to believe, and therefore need a line upon line restated affirmation. This is that word of promise which the apostle repeated in Roman 9:9, “For this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.’” The same blessings which some seem to have from ordinary and natural causes, believers have from a promise, which makes those thing that were promised very sweet.

In an earlier lesson we observed that Abraham laughed with joy when he heard that he would have a son through Sarai turned Sarah, but now we see that Sarah thinks this news to be too good to be true, and therefore cannot as yet find in her heart to believe it: “So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” (12) She laughed in disbelief at the preposterous idea. It was not a pleasing laughter of faith, like Abraham’s, but of doubting and mistrust. The same outward behavior or action (laughter, for example) may be done for very different inward motives or reasons that only God, who knows the heart, can judge. The great objection which Sarah understandably could not get over was (1) her age, (2) her baron condition and (3) Abraham’s age. Reasons and human improbabilities can be a great hinderance to faith. Ha!

Sarah calls Abraham her lord, “my lord is old” (12). It was a good word, and the Holy Ghost takes notice of it to her honor, and recommends it to the imitation of all Christian wives. In an earlier lesson we learned of the nobility of Sarah’s faith when she called Abraham her lord as they journeyed towards Egypt. That conversation shows that she truly considered him her lord and submitted to him. Later as this couple travel to Gerar this will be repeated when weak-faith Abraham on the way to Gerar again will say, “tell them you are my sister.” She evidently regularly submitted to her “lord.”

The angel reproved the laughter of her distrust. Though Sarah was now kindly and generously entertaining these angels, yet still, when she spoke amiss, they, interestingly, reproved her for it, just as Christ reproved Martha in her own house. We can learn from this that the truth of a kind rebuke is better than fair words. If our friends are kind to us, we must not therefore be so unkind to them as to allow them to make a mistake without our letting them know about it. God gave this reproof to Sarah by Abraham her husband. To him he said, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Perhaps because he had not told her of the promise which had been given to him some time before. If he had communicated it to her with its explanations, it might have prevented her from being so surprised now. Or perhaps even now Abraham was told of it that he might tell or remind her. Mutual reproof, when there is a need for it, is one of the kindest and most important duties in the marriage relationship.

The reproof itself is plain, and backed with a good reason: Why did Sarah laugh? Our unbelief and distrust are a great offense to the God of heaven. He justly dislikes to have our mere puny human objections of earthly sense set up in contradiction to His sure promise, as Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, learned. “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years’” (Luke 1:18). And, as God reasons with Abraham, He asked this very important question about which any Christian leader needs to think, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (14)  Jeremiah said, “Nothing is too difficult for you.” It would be difficult to be a Christian leader without believing God can perform miracles.

Sarah foolishly tried to conceal her fault as recorded in verse 15, “Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‘I did not laugh.’” Is anything so secret as to escape His knowledge? No, not Sarah’s laughing, though it was only “within herself.” Or, is any thing so difficult as to exceed His power? No, not the giving of a child to Sarah in her old age.

Sarah then attempted to cover a sin with a lie. It is a shame to do amiss, but a greater shame to deny it; for by the denial we add another sin to our first sin. Fear of a rebuke often betrays us into this snare. “Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?” (Isaiah 57:11)  We deceive ourselves if we think we can hide anything from God; He can and will bring truth to light, to our shame. He that covers his sin cannot prosper, for the day is coming in which everything will be discovered. A Christian leader must have a pure heart and faith. Anything false in us will be discovered and disqualify us from Christian leadership. If we have a sin, let’s confess it. It was wrong for Sarah to disbelieve, but worse for her to lie about it. You will notice there is much and a great variety of subjects to learn from the patriarch’s lives even in this visit of the angels