Verses 1-2 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 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 name “Mamre” means “strength” or “fatness” and is most likely a place near where Abraham was eventually buried. It is also thought to be near the town of Hebron. Because Abraham was nomadic and traveled with his herds from good grass to good grass, he and his servants lived in tents. He never had a permanent dwelling place in the land of promise. It was the custom to be hospitable to strangers and to provide them with food, water and anything else they might need. By bowing to the ground, Abraham was showing humility. Notice the number three recorded in these verses, three being the number of perfection.
Verses 3-5 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 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.
The word translated as “Lord” in verse three above is “Adonay” and it was used in place of the name Yahweh as a show of deep reverence. Clearly Abraham knew that one of the men standing before him was God or he would not have used this title. This is one of the manifestations of Jesus before coming to earth to inhabit a fleshly body.
Chapters and verse numbers were not in the original writings of the books of the Bible. They were added much later to help organize and find information. Regardless, a name of the LORD was listed in verse three above. Coincidence?
Verses 6-8 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. 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. 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.
Looking at the verse numbers above, Abraham told Sarah to make cakes out of three measures of meal. Why not four or some other quantity? An obvious reason was that there was one measure for each of the three men. However, this making of a type of bread points to the body of Christ which was broken for the sins of mankind. Luke 22:19 says, “And he (Jesus) took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
Verse seven contains the shedding of blood and the death of a “good calf” to meet the needs of the visitors. Seven is the number of divine perfection. This is representative of the shedding of the blood of Jesus and His death on the cross in order to provide for the needs of all sinners everywhere. Jesus said in Matthew 10:17, “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Application: Believers are called to be many things, but among them is to be hospitable. Hebrews 13:2 states, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Just as Abraham entertained Jesus and angels, so can the believer today. Think about it.
Verses 9-10 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 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.
The LORD revisited the promise of a son through Sarah and now Abraham had a projected date. The time of life for a pregnancy would have been nine months from the date of conception. The miraculous birth of the son promised so many years before was just around the corner of time.
Verses 11-12 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
Sarah was too old for normal ovarian function. She was well past that menopausal stage all women go through when they cease to be of child bearing age. No wonder Sarah laughed. Remember that Abraham had laughed at this idea in the previous chapter and had tried to convince God that Ishmael would do just fine as his heir.
Verses 13-15 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 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. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Sarah had not laughed out loud so that the strangers could hear, but had laughed to herself. Yet the LORD knew what was on her heart and what had been going through her mind. A very important question is asked in these verses. “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?” Of course, the answer is “No, God can do anything.”
Application: When life is hard or disappointing, remember that the LORD knows what you are thinking and feeling at all times so have a little talk with Jesus. And remember that nothing is too hard for Him. Have faith and never quit. The answer is just around the corner of time.
Verses 16-19 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
The LORD had such confidence in Abraham that He decided to share His plans with him. He knew Abraham would follow his God and raise his children to do likewise. He could be trusted with the things of the LORD.
Application: How would all the nations of the Earth be blessed in Abraham? Notice it does not say all the nations would be blessed by Abraham becoming a great and mighty nation. In other words, all the nations would not be blessed by Israel or the Jews. The preposition used is “in” and not “by”. The only answer is that all the nations would be blessed by the seed (singular) which was in Abraham which would be/was the LORD Jesus Christ. From Abraham came King David, and Jesus was called “the son of David” when ministering on Earth. It is through the shed blood of Jesus that people in all the nations can be saved from sin, death, and Hell, unto eternal life in Heaven. No nation has been a blessing to other nations. The blessing is spiritual and not earthly.
Verses 20-22 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
The Hebrew word translated as “cry” is “za aqah”, pronounced zah ak. It can mean outcry or clamour. Obviously, the sin situation in these towns was so terrible that the LORD Himself had to visit them and intervene with pending judgement.
Application: Does the LORD come down and see what is occurring on Earth today? Oh yes. God is not sitting in Heaven and just allowing sinful mankind to do whatever comes into their hearts and minds. God is still in control, and He still makes visitations both to His people, the Church, for blessings and to the wicked for judgement.
Verses 23-25 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Abraham, knowing that judgement was going to fall on Sodom and that his nephew Lot was there with his family, dared to question the LORD about His plan. Abraham began a bargaining process and appealed to the righteousness of God. He was interceding on behalf of Lot.
Application: It is not wrong to question God. When the believer does not understand what is happening in a situation, asking God is proper and safe because He will give the answer to the question and not be angry with the believer for asking Him. The answer may not be given right away as it was in this situation with Abraham. But when the timing is right, the believer will get an answer to his question. You can count on this because God is not the author of confusion and He wants His followers to understand. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33
Verses 26-33 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Abraham’s questioning paid off as, when the LORD left to go to the cities, Abraham knew that Lot and his family were safe. So the reader knows that there were at least 10 people related to Lot dwelling in Sodom and that the LORD would have mercy and not destroy the city for their sakes. Why? Because He is a righteous Judge.
Application: It is the believers’ job to intercede on behalf of anyone God puts in their lives. Intercessory prayer takes time and commitment, but it is the way to the heart of God and it will have an effect on those being prayed for. Just as Abraham interceded for Lot and his family and changed the outcome of their lives, so the prayers of believers can change the outcome of other people’s lives. Take the time today to pray for someone who needs the help of the LORD.