Now the LORD
appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in
the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men
were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to
meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, “My lord, if now I have
found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. “Please let a
little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree;
and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you
may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you
have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly,
prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” Abraham
also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the
servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf
which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them
under the tree as they ate. Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
And he said, “There, in the tent.” He said, “I will surely return to you at
this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah
was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah
were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to
herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being
old also?” And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I
indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the
LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and
Sarah will have a son.” Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for
she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:1-15 NASB)
In Genesis
18 is the record of a unique visit by God in the form of a man. Regardless of your particular view of
“Pre-Incarnate Appearances of Jesus”, this visit is rather startling. After walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden
in the cool of the day, this is the first record of a conversation face to face
with the Creator of the universe and one of His human creatures. The closest between these two recorded
conversations is Enoch who walked with God, but no record of a conversation
between them. This event is
special. But it is not the first time
God has appeared to Abraham.
God spoke to
Abraham to call him to Canaan in Chapter 12 and then “appears” to him after he
arrives. In Chapter 15 God binds Himself
to Abram in a covenant, and then in 17 the sign of the covenant is given as
circumcision and Abraham binds himself to God.
It is in 17 that the promise of great nations is said to come through
Sarah rather than Hagar. Here Abraham
laughs, asking that Ishmael might live before God. So God blesses Ishmael as well, but not with
the promise. That makes four
conversations with God having taken place before the three men show up, and it
has already been established that Isaac will be the “one”.
There seems
to be a two-fold purpose for this visit.
The first purpose is to establish a time for the promised child. The second is to discuss the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah. I want to focus on
the first purpose because it is here that I find a very interesting picture of
my Master’s character (not that I don’t with the second purpose, but it’s
different). Here I see the Great I AM
again taking a personal touch with His human creatures to make something
crystal clear, but gently. Why not leave
things as they have been with the coming of Isaac being established? Why this visit?
This visit
shows me a few things about my Master. I
see the close intimacy that Adam and Eve had in the Garden once again in this
encounter. I see that Abraham’s
familiarity with his Master enabled him to respond properly to the
visitors. I notice that my Master enjoys
the preparations of His servant permitting him to provide cultural
hospitality. There is a camaraderie that
maintains the Master – servant relationship.
The Holy Creator of all matter sits in the heat of the day under an oak
with two other men, and eats beef and curds while His human host stands in
attendance. I wrestle with what I read
here because I want it for myself.
But look at
this scene again. I notice that the
impression of the Almighty Yahweh of Armies into my world is a gentle
person. He asks about Sarah, and then,
as the King James Version puts it, He mentions that when he returns “according
to the time of life” she will have a son.
The absurdity of this is explained in the passage; Sarah has stopped her
cycles, she and Abraham are too old. But
she also describes it as “pleasure”; she still has the ache of her desire for a
child. In response to what she hears
Yahweh say, she laughs internally to herself (it’s specific about that). Yet the God of all comfort hears her silent
laugh.
I believe,
because I choose to believe, that my Master hears the silent laugh because He
also hears the ache of desire, the fear to hope, the despair in herself that
she could not be for her husband what she most desired. I believe my Master hears it all. He points out the laugh, and asks, “Is
anything too difficult for Yahweh?” I
need to ask that question repeatedly.
When despair threatens me, I must ask, “Is anything too difficult for
Yahweh?” When my hope ebbs then I must
ask, “Is anything too difficult for Yahweh?”
When I’m confronted by my failures as a husband and a father I must ask,
“Is anything too difficult for Yahweh?”
In fear,
Sarah denies falsely that she laughed.
He heard what she knew made no sound.
The one sitting being served by her “lord” was his Master, and the
Master of all. How else could He have
heard? And if He heard that, what else
did He know? She was right to fear. She was wrong to be false though, and the
Master of the universe gently rebukes her.
He doesn’t slam her, He doesn’t get angry, He doesn’t reject her. He gently corrects, and moves on. He has let her know that, knowing all He does
about her, He accepts her and intends to use her. She is included by the Almighty of Holy
Armies in His plans. I sit in awe of the
grace of my Master.
This is the
One who calls me. This is the One who
has chosen me for a purpose. He sits
with me and eats, and permits me to serve Him.
He sees the depths of my heart with all the pains and fears, and loves
me anyway. The One forming stars is
gentle with me. He isn’t surprised by me
and doesn’t reject me for my many failures.
He is patient with me, but does not leave me in the condition He finds
me. He has chosen to live within me in
the most bizarre interaction imaginable.
And yet being that close in intimacy with me, He still is gentle and
waits for my submission to Him. How can I
not be in awe of my Master? From all
this, I learn love.
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