Who was it that came to Abraham at his tent in Genesis 18?
Let’s read about that event in Genesis 18:1-10 – “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 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, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 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. 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. 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. 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. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 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.”
It’s said that in those days that if an ordinary person approached someone at his tent, that the host would stand up and greet the person. If the visitor was someone special, then the host would walk towards them and welcome them. Here, we read that Abraham ran towards these three men as they approached. Abraham somehow knew that He was in the presence of someone extremely important. So, who were these men? Hebrews 13:2 makes it clear for us. It says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” No doubt, this is in reference to what we just read in Genesis 18. Abraham entertained these strangers, only to find that they were angels. Of course, these angels took on the form of men so that they might communicate with Abraham.
The man in verse 10, was without question, the Lord Himself. “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.” Who else but the Lord Himself could speak with such knowledge and authority? The Lord had promised a child to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17:16 – “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.” He now comes to Abraham to fulfill His promise.
How comforting and encouraging to know that the Lord will always fulfill every promise that He makes. We often do not fulfill our promises for one or two reasons. First, we realize we cannot do what we promised to do. Secondly, we change our minds about the promises we made and therefore we don’t do what we promised. The Lord will not do either of these things.
Let’s read Romans 4:13-22 – “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Abraham knew that whatever the Lord promised to do, that He could do it. He is able to perform, or do, everything He promises to do.
What about you? Do you believe what God says? We just read how that this faith in God is why the Lord imputed His righteousness to Abraham. Are you convinced that what God has promised, He will do? Do you believe the Lord when he says 1 John 5:12 that, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” This is so clear. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, you have eternal life. If you have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you do not have eternal life. Simple. So, dear friend, do have life or not? Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior or not? Your eternity depends on this very question that the Lord asked, “Whom say ye that I am?” Simon Peter answered this question by stating, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This exchange is found in Matthew 16:15-16. What about you? Do you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who loved you and gave His life a sacrifice for you sins?
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