Gen 18:1-21

Gen 18:1-8 (ESV) And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.



• Did Abraham know who the visitors were?
• It is not clear
• He does call him Lord
• He seems particularly pleased to have him stay at his home
• It was and still is common practice in the Middle East to offer visitors hospitality
• In fact, we don't understand how important hospitality is (as we will see later with Lot)
• One is the "Lord," also called the Angel of Yahweh (vs 13, 17, 20, 33)
• The other two are angels (19:1 and 18:22)
• How long did this visit take?
• Probably quite a few hours
• It was around noon in contrast to the night visit to Sodom (one of the motifs in scripture, day (light) and night (dark))
• Also in contrast will be how the visitors are received
• Hospitality
• 1 Peter 4:7-10 (ESV) The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace
• Heb 13:1-2 (ESV) Let brotherly love continue. 2  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
• APPL:  How do we do hospitality-wise?  When was the last time you had someone (non-family) over?  Christian?  Non-Christian?


Gen 18:9-15 (ESV) They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent." 10 The Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?" 13 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14  Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."



• What is unusual about the first verse?
• The Lord had only recently renamed Sarah from Sarai, a few to several weeks earlier
• A stranger would not have known her new name
• There are a lot of ways to view this "laughter," what do you think it meant?
• Maybe joy or excitement
• Most likely unbelief for years of disappointment in not seeing a prayer answered
• Her response to God's challenge suggests unbelief
• God knew why she laughed. By asking the question, what is he trying to get Sarah to see?
• Maybe her long disappointment, her unwillingness to let that dream come alive again
• It was a glimpse of His power (recognized later).  "If he is able to see me and know me when I'm not there, then he is also able to give me a baby"
• Verse 14 - Is anything too hard for the Lord?
• This is a key point and cannot be dismissed. While God does not seem to intervene a lot, he does not have to do things in a logical way. He can just do it. Arguing that it can't help is really illogical -- virgin birth as an example
• This is the second time that God gives a definitive date for the answer to his promise. Previously, it has always been an undated promise
• APPL: 
• What do we have a hard time believing God can do? Has He really answered our prayer, no, or is He wanting us to continue to pray and wait for Him?
• Have we given our disappointment to God? Or do we hide our disappointment behind laughter or jokes?


Gen 18:16-21 (ESV) Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to 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 have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21  I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know."



• Why does God say "I will go down toward Sodom to see …," since he already knows? And incidentally, he does not go, only the two angels
1. For the Angel's benefit (not omniscient)
2. For Abraham's benefit, because he wants Abraham to pray (next section)
• What is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah?
• Gen 13:13 (ESV) Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
• Deut 29:23-24 (ESV) … the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath— 24 all the nations will say, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What caused the heat of this great anger?'
• But the nations excuse this as myth
• The nations no longer remember
• Isa 3:9 (ESV) For the look on their faces bears witness against them; // they proclaim their sin like Sodom; // they do not hide it. // Woe to them! // For they have brought evil on themselves.
• Makes you wonder about things like "Gay Pride Month" and "Pride" in general
• Ezek 16:49-50 (ESV) Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
• Jude 7 (ESV) … just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
• Jude describes the fire as eternal fire -- it was really both
• APPL:  We must pray for our country -- we can't force them to do what is right -- new laws don't change people -- they need a change of heart and that can only occur through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must pray!