In his book entitled Salvation Symphony, Guy H. King relates a story which took place in the reign of King George V.
A certain London hospital was informed that England’s monarch intended to make an informal visit. It is easy to imagine the excitement this news caused, especially among the children. One small boy could hardly contain himself. As the afternoon wore on, many people passed in and out of the hospital. About 4:00 pm, a large party of people came in. One gentleman was very kind, patting the little fellow on the head, and speaking gently to him. Then the group disappeared. As the little lad settled down to sleep that evening, he was evidently disappointed, and said to the attending nurse, “The king didn’t come.”
“But don’t you remember a kind gentleman who came and patted your head and spoke so nicely to you? Well, that was the king!”
The boy’s eyes opened wide in wonder, but then with a frown he said, “But he didn’t have his crown on!”
How well this incident illustrates the opening verses of Genesis 18. The Lord does not always appear with His crown on (see Isa. 53:1-3), and so it was here on that hot afternoon that the Divine Visitor arrived quite unassumingly and unexpectedly at Abraham’s home.
Do we always recognize the Lord when He comes to us? How He delights to visit with us, and what condescending grace on His part (see Prov. 8:31; 1 Kings 8:27 with Isa. 57:15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 19:1-10; 24:28-31; John 2:1-11; Rev. 3:20).
The Lord’s Presence (18:1-8)
His Revelation (vv. 1-2). Once again the Lord appeared to Abraham, this time accompanied by two angels. He is always present, but on this particular occasion, He made Himself visible. Theologically, this event marks what is called a theophany, that is, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Himself. He is often called “the Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament (see Gen. 16:7). As always, when the Lord shows Himself to His people, it is for the purpose of promise and blessing. Notice the time of His appearance here: “in the heat of the day” (v. 1). All activity had ceased and Abraham was at rest, thus in a position to receive the Lord. Sometimes the “heat” of various circumstances causes us to cease from activity, forcing us to be quiet and restful. At such times we should expect that His hand is at work, preparing us to receive some blessing or further revelation of Himself.
It may be that Abraham was in a state of expectancy (v. 2) and, if so, he was not disappointed. He forgot about the heat and ran to meet the Divine Visitor and His heavenly companions. His first act was that of worship.
Abraham’s Response (vv. 3-8). Abraham’s address, “my Lord” (v. 3), does not necessarily mean that he immediately knew his visitor’s identity, since this form of greeting was used of man as well as of God. Furthermore, if Hebrews 13:2 is a reference to this incident, then Abraham was not immediately aware of his guest’s identity.
If we are inclined to be spiritually lazy, how easy it is to let the Lord pass by. Had this been the case with Abraham that day, he would have missed some magnificent blessings. The great lesson of verse 5 is that Abraham was so in touch with the Lord’s mind that his proposals were divinely commended and commanded to be carried out. The urgency of Abraham’s service is clearly revealed in verses 6 and 7. After his service was finished, we observe that he “stood by them under the tree,” a suggestion that no service is acceptable to God except as the sinner has taken his place under the shelter of the cross.
The action of the Lord and His angels reveals condescension and fellowship, also as He showed later to His disciples. As W. H. Griffith Thomas has said, “The supreme characteristic of a believer’s life is fellowship with God.”
The Lord Jesus Christ often comes in the guise of a stranger (see Matt. 25:35-45). F. B. Meyer tells the story of a little German boy who left the door open for the Lord to enter and sit with his mother and himself at their frugal supper table. When a beggar appeared at the door, the lad said, “Perhaps the Lord could not come Himself, and has sent this poor man in His place.”
The Lord’s Promise (18:9-15)
His Inquiry (v. 9). At this point, Abraham could have had no doubt as to the identity of his Visitor.
His Promise (18:10). “He,” referring to the Lord, gave them the promise that they would become parents, even though Abraham was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah eighty-nine (Gen. 17:17). One thing is certain: whatever we do unto the Lord, He never leaves us in His debt. In time of famine, He sent Elijah to lodge with a widow and her son, and provided meal and oil for all of them for many months. Jesus accepted an invitation from friends to a marriage feast, and then returned their simple kindness to Him with earthen jars brimming with water turned to wine. He used Peter’s fishing boat, and then gave it back nearly submerged with the weight of fish He had driven into the nets. He used a lad’s lunch of five barley loaves and two small fishes, and not only provided the lad with an ample meal but also fed the multitude.
Sarah’s Unbelief (vv. 11-13). Sarah was separated from the Divine Guest and Abraham by a thin tent flap, so she easily overheard their conversation. She might have been still ignorant of the Divine Visitor’s identity, but following the words of 18:13, she knew. Abraham could have done her a real favor if he had just whispered through the tent flap, “Psst, it’s the Lord!”
His Question and Reaffirmation (v. 14). “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The most fitting answer to this grand question is found in Jeremiah:
“Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard [lit. wonderful] for thee . . .” (Jer. 32:17).
Sarah’s Denial (v. 15) was the result of fear, having realized that it was indeed the Lord speaking to her. That Sarah’s spiritual life was not closely akin to Abraham’s is evident. However, like all of us, she was rebuked and taught by the Lord, and she passed from unbelief to faith (see Heb. 11:11). It was C. T. Studd who wrote, “Faith laughs at impossibilities, and cries, ‘It shall be done!'” God grant us that kind of faith in these days (see Heb. 12:1-3).
The very name of Sarah’s son would remind her of her unbelief, for Isaac means “laughter.” Was Abraham’s laugh (Gen. 17:17 with 15:4-6) a laugh of unbelief? Let us assure ourselves that walking by faith, and taking to heart what God has to say to us through His Word, is no laughing matter. Today, multitudes of unrepentant sinners laugh in unbelief, but God will laugh at them in their calamity (Ps. 2:4). But, for the true believer like Abraham, the life of walking in faith with God will certainly result in the laughter of holy joy and blessing. Faith will watch at the tent door for a visit today!