And Jehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre. And he sat at the tent-door in the heat of the day.
Genesis 18 opens with an appearance unlike any before it: the Lord comes to Abraham as a traveller at his tent in the hottest part of the day. Why does He come in this form, and why to this man?
The chapter before ended with circumcision, the sign God gave Abraham. One writer sees the order of the two chapters as deliberate.
Look at the amazing scene in the opening verses of Genesis 18. We cannot escape the conviction that the truth of circumcision, presented in the previous chapter, must be learned and accepted before the high privilege described here can be enjoyed. Here God not only appears to Abraham. He openly links Himself with him, in a setting designed to show how great His pleasure is in doing so.
The same order runs on to what Abraham does later. Once he has the sign of death, he stops asking for himself.
God has made Himself known to him, and the result of this is communion. Abraham draws no strength of his own from this; he is on his face. But he has the blessed familiarity of relationship. Does He now ask Abraham what he wants? No! He gives him a sign of death and resurrection in circumcision. Then in the next chapter do we find him talking about himself? No! Instead he is pleading for others.
Three men stand before Abraham. Two of them go on to Sodom in the next chapter, where Scripture calls them angels.
The style of His coming is as noticeable as everything else: there is no distance, there is intimacy. It is three men who come — in fact, two angels, and One before whom the angels veil their faces. But they come as men, and they keep that place. This stands out all the more because the two who left Abraham as men are called angels when they reach Sodom in the next chapter. Clearly this difference has meaning in it. How sweet a foreshadowing of what was to take place in due time — the One in whom faith sees the glory of Immanuel came to live among us in flesh, and to faith He is no longer only a Visitor.
Another writer notes the hour of the visit and how Abraham received the strangers.
This appearance was unusual. It was unlike any earlier one, because "three men" approached, and it came "in the heat of the day," just when no one would pay a visit in the ordinary way. Abraham's hospitality rose to the occasion, and he entertained angels without knowing it, as Hebrews 13:2 puts it. It was even more than that, for one of the three was Jehovah Himself appearing to him.
Abraham sits at a tent door, not a house door. One writer sees great honour in that.
It teaches us a great deal to see the honour put here on the character and condition of the stranger. In the whole wide world there was just one spot where the Lord could accept hospitality and make Himself at home. That spot was the tent of a pilgrim and stranger. The Lord would not honour the splendid halls and princely palaces of Egypt with His presence. No. All His sympathies and all His affections hung around the stranger of Mamre. In the middle of an evil world, he alone could be persuaded to take God for his portion.
Nothing outward marked one visitor out from the other two. Abraham still knew who had come.
There seems to have been no outward sign by which Abraham, or anyone else, could have known that Jehovah was present. All the world would have seen was three men at his tent door. But Abraham had the discernment of a man of faith who walks near to God. He tells the LORD apart from the two angels, bows to the ground in reverence, and speaks to Him directly.
The visit has a purpose beyond the meal. After the promise of a son, the talk turns away from Abraham's own affairs.
God is about to judge the world, and He now appears to Abraham to give him the immediate promise of the son who is coming... Now Jehovah will deal with Abraham as a man deals with his friend. He speaks with Abraham about what concerned the world, not himself. It is not Abraham's wants, or even Abraham's walk, but the purpose of God which He would have him know, opening His thoughts and plans to him... What a place of privilege and blessing! It is not worship. It is not a call to follow where the Lord led. All of that had its place. It is communion — personal conversation with God about what concerns Himself and His ways.
- Prepared — Chapter 17 comes first. The sign of circumcision clears the way, and open fellowship follows.
- Near — God does not send a message from a distance. He arrives as a man among men, which writers read as a foreshadowing of God coming in flesh.
- Humble — The one place on earth where the Lord made Himself at home was a tent. A pilgrim's tent, not Egypt's palace, held His affections.
- Discerned — Nothing visible marked Him out. Abraham knew Him because he was already walking near to God, and he bowed to the ground in reverence.
- Outward — The visit ends with Abraham pleading for others, not for himself. Nearness to God turns a man's eyes toward the world God is about to judge.
And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing near him. And when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent-door, and bowed himself to the earth,
Abraham is resting at his tent door in the midday heat. Three travellers are standing there, and everything turns on Who they were and on how Abraham treated them before he knew.
The answer comes out slowly, as the account moves on into the next chapter.
The manner of His coming is striking. Abraham looks up and sees that "three men were standing in front of him." As the story goes on we learn that two of them were angels. Later they appear as angels in the gate of Sodom (Gen. 19:1). The other, we know, was none less than the LORD Himself, appearing in human form. It points forward to the time when the Son of God becomes man and lives among people.
Another writer notes how close He comes, and that He keeps the form He has taken:
The style of His coming is as noticeable as everything else. There is no distance; there is intimacy. Three men come: in fact, two angels, and One before whom the angels veil their faces. But they come as men, and keep this place.
There was no glory and no announcement — nothing to mark these three out as more than travellers.
Here again the Lord appears, though we may notice this special feature about it now, that He leaves it to Abraham to find out Who was visiting him. There is no outward token of the majesty of His presence — no special intimation betrays Who was there. Notice also that this time the Lord came Himself, with two others who no doubt looked much like Him.
Commentators differ on how quickly Abraham realised. Kelly finds no sign that Abraham knew, or even suspected, Who it was at the start. Others read his opening words as proof he already knew:
And Abraham's practiced heart knew under all disguises Him who stood there. We learn this plainly from the first words with which he welcomes One whom yet in this garb he has never seen before. "Lord," he says, distinguishing Him by a title only given to God…
An elderly man breaks into a run to meet them.
He ran to meet them, though he was not a young man. The energy of his faith and affection for the Lord is lovely to observe. He bowed himself to the earth and begged the Lord to stay and accept his hospitality. He offered water to wash their feet and asked them to rest in the shade of the tree.
Bending low did not make him small. The two things sit together in him:
See the character of Abraham: it is very lovely — genuine lowliness, but remarkable dignity.
The Bible's most common word for worship first appears in this bow.
The word used most often for worship is proskuneo. It comes from pros and kuneo, "to fawn or crouch," and "to kiss." Its first use in Scripture is in Genesis 18:2 in the Greek Old Testament, when Abraham bows to the ground… It covers every act of outward honour, such as kneeling or bowing low. People gave such honour to kings and other superiors, and also to a divine person, or to one they treated as such.
These two chapters set two believers side by side, and the difference is where each one sits.
In Genesis 18:1, Abraham comes before us as sitting in his tent door. In Genesis 19:1, Lot sits "in the gate of Sodom." One believer is outside the world as a true pilgrim, with his tent. The other is not only in the world; he takes a share in running it. He sits in the gate — the place of judgment.
Abraham gave his welcome before he knew Who his guests were.
It is plain therefore, that it was not in the least on the ground of previous knowledge, or of social equality. If he had treated the stranger with suspicion, that would have ruled out the whole welcome that God's word records from long ago and urges now. So in faith and love Abraham received into hospitality, not angels only, but Jehovah Himself in the guise of man. Hospitality like this was not meant to be shelved, or merely admired as a virtue of long-ago saints.
- Place — Abraham is at the tent door, not the gate of Sodom; the pilgrim position is what the visit finds.
- Disguise — Two angels and the Lord Himself come as ordinary men. Nothing marks out His majesty, so Abraham must find out Who has come.
- Discernment — He greets One of the three by a title given only to God. Commentators differ on when he knew.
- Response — An old man runs, bows to the ground, and offers water and food. The Bible's first use of the word for worship describes this bow.
- Welcome — Abraham welcomed strangers before he knew Who they were. That kind of hospitality is still asked of us, not just admired from a distance.
and said, Lord, if now I have found favour in thine eyes, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.
Genesis 18 opens with the Lord appearing at Mamre while Abraham sits in his tent door. Abraham speaks his first words to one of them, not to all three — which raises two questions: who was standing there, and how much did he already know?
Abraham sees three visitors standing near him. Two of them turn up again in the next chapter. The third is no ordinary visitor.
Abraham looks up and sees that "three men were standing in front of him." As the story goes on we learn that two were angels. They appear as angels later, in the gate of Sodom (Genesis 19:1). The other, we know, was none less than the LORD Himself, appearing in human form. This points ahead to the time when the Son of God becomes man and lives among people.
The place where Abraham sits is not a small detail. Commentators set his tent door beside the spot where his nephew Lot is found in the next chapter.
The whole contrast rests on where these two men are placed. One is in the door of his tent at Mamre; the other is in the gate of Sodom. In the first we still see the persistent pilgrim. In the second we see a man who has been untrue to his pilgrim life, and has settled down among the pollutions of a sinful world.
One writer takes Abraham's opening word as proof that faith had already seen through the disguise.
Abraham's trained heart knew, under every disguise, the One who stood there. We learn this from the first words he uses to welcome One he has never seen in this form before. "Lord," he says, giving Him a title used for God alone, "if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant."
Commentators differ here. Others hold that Abraham did not yet know, and that he was careful not to break the disguise once he began to suspect.
At this time there seems no reason to suppose that Abraham had any knowledge, or even suspicion, of who it was. We shall find how soon he does work it out and knows it. But he behaves exactly as he should. He would not say it out loud. He does not break through the disguise that Jehovah had chosen to take on.
Abraham asks the visitor not to pass by, and He stays. Why does the Lord accept a welcome like this?
From Genesis 18 we learn the remarkable fact that the Lord seeks the company of those who, appreciating Him, are ready to accept an opportunity to minister to Him. We read, "refresh yourselves… since you have come to your servant." Abraham's moral fitness is most important to note. God had called him out. He obeyed. He lived as a stranger, looking for a city (see Hebrews 11:8-10). And he was circumcised — the flesh put to death (Genesis 17).
Abraham's next offer is water for the visitors' feet.
Here, too, we have the first mention of feet washing in Scripture. Here, as elsewhere, the point of washing feet is to refresh the one whose feet are washed. Abraham has the high privilege of washing the feet of the One who, in years to come, will become flesh. And in the greatness of the love that delights to serve others, He will stoop in grace to wash His poor disciples' feet.
The meal was not the end of the visit. After the welcome came a walk, and then words Abraham had never heard before.
The Lord comes to Abraham as he was sitting at the door of his tent near Hebron. Like one who knew Him well, Abraham rises and worships, and offers to get some refreshment ready for Him… So Abraham enjoys the grace in which he stood. The presence of God is his home… They rise together from under the tree where they shared the meal. As they walk on together, the Lord tells Abraham His secrets.
- Place — Abraham is at his tent door at Mamre, the pilgrim's position; Lot is in the gate of Sodom. Where a person settles decides what kind of visit God pays.
- Person — Three men stand there. Two are angels who reach Sodom in the next chapter. The third is the LORD Himself in human form, pointing ahead to the Son of God coming as man.
- Plea — Abraham addresses one of them by a title given only to God and asks Him not to pass by. Commentators differ on whether he knew at once or only inferred it as the conversation went on.
- Provision — Abraham offers water, rest and food, and the Lord accepts. The Lord looks for the company of those who value Him and are ready to serve Him.
- Privilege — The welcome opens the way to more. The meal ends, they walk on together, and the Lord tells Abraham His secrets.
Let now a little water be fetched, that ye may wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Three travellers stop at Abraham's tent in the hottest part of the day. His first words to them are about water, feet, and shade — plain courtesy, yet one of these guests is the Lord Himself.
Washing a guest's feet was the ordinary custom of that part of the world.
Washing the feet was one of the duties of hospitality. The Lord rebukes His host in Luke 7 for neglecting it. See 1 Timothy 5:10. It gave the guest two benefits, I may say. It cleansed the traveller after the dirt of the journey, and refreshed him after the tiredness of it.
The same custom returns at the last supper, with the roles reversed.
It was the custom of the country. If a man invited you to his house, the first thing he would do was provide water for the feet. In Genesis 18:3-4 Abraham did this; in Luke 7 the Lord reproaches Simon because he did not. Here the Lord takes the place of host and provides the water, and He also takes the slave's post and washes their feet.
Abraham had spoken first to one of the travellers. His offer of water reaches all three.
He does not limit himself to the one he first spoke to. He is thinking of what was needed, not only out of courtesy but out of love.
Abraham senses more than he says. He does not force the matter into the open, and that restraint is itself treated as a mark of a spiritual mind.
The mystery here is clearly intentional. Abraham's perception of faith, and his already exercised spiritual mind, are instructive and divine. He knew he was dealing with One who visited him in this way. But until the Lord reveals Himself, Abraham acts towards Him in the way He comes. This was true deference and heavenly fitness. Because of it, he receives the fruit: the Lord's gracious familiarity with him.
The travellers accept the offer of rest. One of them is God Himself.
What lovelier picture do we have in Genesis than the visit of the three strangers to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8)? He sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. The faithful patriarch sees these strangers draw near, and is quick to offer them the hospitality of his home. One of them is the living God; the other two are His angels, whom He will shortly send on other service. The holy God accepts the hospitality offered, and becomes a guest in the tent of Abraham the pilgrim.
Abraham is usually the one receiving from God. Here he gives instead.
Genesis 18 teaches us a remarkable fact. The Lord seeks the company of those who appreciate Him and are ready to take an opportunity to serve Him. Abraham's moral fitness is very important to notice. God had called him out. He was obedient. He lived as a stranger, looking for a city (see Hebrews 11:8-10). He was circumcised — the flesh put to death (Genesis 17).
Abraham offered this service to his guests. The Lord later asks it of His people.
Feet-washing is His own service at heart, yet He often carries it out through others. So He puts us under the obligation, and gives us the privilege, of washing one another's feet. It is a blessed service. It is not done by trying to correct one another (however necessary that is at times), still less by finding fault. It is done by ministering Christ to one another, for only a ministry of Christ will bring refreshment to a weary soul.
Three men came to Abraham's tent. The service cost him a little water and a meal, and what it brought him was far greater.
Their presence stirred him into activity at a time when he would usually have wanted quiet rest. Though three men appeared, it came out afterwards that two were angels and One was the Lord Himself. God rewarded the patriarch richly. He made known to him what He was about to do.
- Water — washing feet was the host's ordinary duty. It cleansed the traveller from the dirt of the road and eased his tiredness.
- Deference — Abraham senses who has come, yet serves Him as He chose to appear. The Lord answers with gracious familiarity.
- Shade — the holy God accepts the invitation to rest and becomes the guest of a man living in a tent.
- Reversal — the Lord looks for the company of people ready to serve Him, not only for people ready to receive from Him.
- Reward — kindness shown to strangers turned out to be kindness shown to God, and God told Abraham what He was about to do.
And I will fetch a morsel of bread; and refresh yourselves; after that ye shall pass on; for therefore have ye passed on towards your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast said.
Abraham offers three passing travelers water, bread and a rest under a tree. One of them turns out to be the Lord Himself. Two questions follow: did Abraham know who his guest was, and what does he mean when he says they had come to him for this very reason?
Note: the ESV says "refresh yourselves." Older translations say "comfort your hearts," and the quotes below use that older wording.
God does not only speak with Abraham here. He accepts his hospitality, and Abraham gains a name from it.
The special privilege here was that God Himself agreed to be the guest of Abraham. More than that, He treats him as His close friend. He stamps on Abraham forever that remarkable title, "the friend of God," which comes from this very chapter.
Commentators differ here. Some read Abraham's words as ordinary courtesy to travelers, with recognition coming later.
At this time there seems no reason to suppose that Abraham had any knowledge, or even suspicion, of who it was. We shall find how soon he does work it out and becomes conscious of it. But his behaviour is exactly right. He would not speak out openly; he does not break the disguise that the Lord chose to take.
Others read his opening words as proof that he had already seen through the disguise.
And Abraham's practiced heart knew, under every disguise, the One who stood there. We learn this plainly from the first words with which he welcomes One whom, in this dress, he has never seen before. "Lord," he says, marking Him out by a title given only to God.
The Lord answers by taking the offer. Abraham had made it without fear.
In beautiful confidence of faith, Abraham meets the One who has come to him as man, and as man gives Him a human welcome. He receives Him as He comes and puts before Him whatever he has — and the Lord accepts without hesitating.
Abraham treats the visit as a chance to serve, not an interruption.
From Genesis 18 we learn the remarkable fact that the Lord seeks the company of those who, valuing Him, are ready to take an opportunity to minister to Him. We read, "comfort your hearts … for this is why you have come to your servant." … Notice his readiness, and his household's too. "He ran," v. 2; "hastened," v. 6; "make ready quickly," v. 6; "ran," v. 7; "hurried to prepare it," v. 7.
The next chapter gives the contrast. Lot also takes guests in, but for a different stated reason.
Lot says the two men had come to his home for protection. Abraham's words in Genesis 18:5 are very different. He understood that his visitors had come to have their hearts comforted by his fellowship.
Abraham lives apart from the world around him. Yet three strangers at his door move him to act.
The most complete separation to the Lord does nothing to hinder the largest and most active kindness — not only to the people of God, but to all men. At this time Abraham did not know who or what his visitors might be. He only saw three men, and his heart went out to them at once.
The promised "morsel of bread" became fine flour and a calf. The food itself carries meaning.
We too can enjoy, in the simplicity of faith, communion with the blessed Lord in what speaks of Himself. These "three measures of fine flour" and the "calf tender and good" speak of none other than Christ Himself. Occupation with Christ is still the essential requirement for communion with Him.
The New Testament points back to this meal when it tells Christians to keep their homes open.
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). … Richly was the patriarch rewarded. God made known to him what He was about to do, having first confirmed the promise of a son by Sarah, fixing now the date of his birth (Genesis 18:10). And when He told Abraham of the coming overthrow of Sodom, He let him plead with Him to spare it if only ten righteous people were found there.
- Saw — three strangers stop at his tent; Abraham does not know who they are, and his heart goes out to them anyway.
- Ran — every verb in the passage is hurry: ran, hastened, quickly, ran, hurried.
- Offered — he promises little, "a morsel of bread," and treats the visit as their errand to him, not his favour to them.
- Served — the fine flour and the calf speak of Christ Himself, and occupation with Christ is what makes such fellowship possible.
- Received — the host ends up the guest: God fixes the date of Isaac's birth, lets Abraham plead for Sodom, and stamps on him the title "friend of God".