Genesis 18:1-17
Ge 18:1
And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre:
and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Then Abraham was sitting in the door of his tent.
It was probably around noon time when Orientals rest from the oppressive
heat of the day and enjoy a gentle wind for cooling off.
The door of the tent is the fold of the lower part of the tent which is
fastened by a loop to the tent and can be opened or closed as needed.
He may have been among the oaks of Mamre or the Terebinth trees which
were giving him shade and cooling.
Ge 18:2
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men
stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent
door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
The Abraham looked and saw three men who stood by him and
when he saw them he ran from the tent door to meet them.
He bowed himself to the ground which means he prostrated himself before
them until his head touched the ground which was one way of greeting someone in
the Middle East. He did not know
who these men were as the Scripture states one was the LORD and the other two
were angels.
Ge 18:3
And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy
sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
In the Oriental mindset, visitors grace the host and he
feels privileged to be able to give the visitors food and rest.
It is not known if Abraham knew who his guests were at this time.
Abraham showed his humility by addressing the guests as Lord.
Ge 18:4
Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your
feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
In the Middle east where the climate is dry and hot, it
was also a common aspect of hospitality to wash the feet of the guests.
It was done for comfort as well as health reasons.
Many walked barefoot or wore open sandals which allowed the sand and dirt
to get between the toes and cause discomfort.
Abraham invites them to rest under one of the trees by his tent.
Ge 18:5
And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your
hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant.
And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
Abraham offered them not only a foot washing but he also
offered them some food which they were happy to accept.
To comfort their hearts was to be refreshed and strengthened.
Then once they are fed and have taken some time to rest, they may
continue on in their journey and they told Abraham that he should do as he has
said. They did not come to Abraham
specifically for the hospitality but it was ordered by the providence of God
that they should come to him.
Ge 18:6
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said,
Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes
upon the hearth.
The fine meal spoken of here is wheat flour finely sifted
and was considered very choice. The
three measures equals about 28 cups of flour for each guest which would be flat
cakes of bread to be baked on hot stones.
The amount may seem like an over- abundance but that was the normal
amount which was baked at one time.
Since this was a hasty baking, the bread was no doubt unleavened.
Ge 18:7
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender
and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
Then Abraham went unto his herd and chose one of the best
calves that he had. Then he had one
of his servants prepare the calf for cooking as soon as the calf was killed.
Then the servant had hurried to complete the preparation of the calf for
cooking.
Ge 18:8
And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had
dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and
they did eat.
The term “butter” is probably the sour milk curds which
was fed to strangers as it is today.
It was considered a refreshing treat in the heat of the day.
Abraham did not eat with his guests but had the meal prepared and he gave
it to them to eat while they sat under a tree and he stood close to them.
It is still a common sight in the Middle east that guests of Bedouins eat
under trees.
Ge 18:9
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife?
And he said, Behold, in the tent.
Then they asked Abraham where his wife Sarah was?
He answered them and said that she was in the tent.
The one who asked the question was no doubt the Lord himself.
Abraham had not yet told Sarah the promise that God gave him that he
would have a son through Sarah. He
knew Sarah’s name and where she was which was a lead in for the more important
reasons for their visit to come.
Ge 18:10
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according
to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard
it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Then the promise of a child was once more given to
Abraham that the same time next year Sarah will give birth to a son.
This time Sarah heard it as she was standing by the partition in the tent
which separates the men’s and women’s quarters.
This was not the tent door which was spoke of in verse 1.
Ge 18:11
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well
stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of
women.
Both Abraham and Sarah were well stricken in age.
Sarah was 89 and Abraham was 99. Sarah probably already went through
menopause so in the natural realm, she would have been unable to bear a child.
Ge 18:12
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I
am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Then Sarah had laughed within herself which mans she did
not have an outward burst of laughter as she thought about the conversation
going on and knowing Abraham’s and her physical age making it impossible for her
to bear a child. She laughs
concerning their age and would they have pleasure in conceiving a child in their
old age?
Ge 18:13
And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah
laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Then the LORD said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh
concerning having a child in her old age?
The LORD knew exactly what Sarah was laughing about and what she was
thinking because he has the ability to read hearts.
And needed not that any should
testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:25)
John 2:25 speaks about Jesus knowing the hearts of man.
Ge 18:14
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed
I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a
son.
Then the LORD poses a question to Abraham.
Is anything too hard for the LORD?
Not only things being hard but what about awesome, difficult,
extraordinary? The same God who
hung the stars and the sun in the sky, created the earth and all it contains,
would having a child in old age be too hard for the LORD to perform?
Then the LORD once again tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son the
same time next year.
Ge 18:15
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Then Sarah attempting to hide her unbelief had denied
that she laughed since she did not laugh out loud.
She was frightened because she knew that the LORD knew that she laughed
within herself even though she did not laugh out loud.
She feared that God would bring a judgment upon her for her unbelief.
However, the LORD did not punish her for her unbelief.
Ge 18:16
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom:
and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
Then it was time for the men to leave the presence of
Abraham and continue on their mission.
Abraham was situated at an elevation of about 3,000 feet and Sodom was
about 1,200 feet below sea level.
At this point they were looking down at Sodom.
Abraham had decided to escort them on their way for a little distance.
Ge 18:17
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do;