Announcing Isaac’s Impending Birth

Genesis 18:1-16

“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.” (Genesis 18:1-5)

About three months after making his covenant with Abram’s descendants, God appeared to him again, this time in visible form. It seems evident that two of them were in fact angels, as they are described in Genesis 19 when they appeared to Lot. The third one seems to have been Christ himself. There are several instances where it appears Christ personally intervened, as in the case of Melchizedek, or in the fiery furnace, but others were clearly one of the angels instead.

That Abraham put himself out to such a degree to be hospitable is rather typical of the attitude of the modern day Bedouin nomads from what I read, and does not indicate any special appearance on their part. People who live in remote areas and have little contact with outsiders desperately crave interaction with other people. As a school teacher once said, it seems those who have had the most socialization are the most anti social. I wonder if part of the violence in our society is the result of being forced large groups too early, so they never learn to interact with individuals on a personal level?

“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 fetched 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.” (Genesis 18:6-8)

Fresh goat meat, fresh milk and homemade butter, and fresh pita or tortilla like bread. It took a great deal of effort to prepare it, starting with milking the cow or goat or camel, churning the milk, grinding the flour and butchering the goat. In a society which puts so much stress on gourmet cooking this just wouldn’t be acceptable to a lot of people, yet it was the best Abraham could offer. His guests waited patiently for the preparations to be made.

“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.” (Genesis 18:9-10)

Sarah was busily overseeing the preparation of the food for the guests, but she was out of sight of the visitors. God had previously told Abraham that Sarah would have a son about a year from their previous meeting. While Abraham had undoubtedly told her what God had said, she hadn’t heard it for herself. It probably seemed like mere wishful thinking day dreaming and she didn‘t take it seriously.

“Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (Genesis 18:11-12)

When the angel made the statement, Sarah finally considered the possibility seriously. Considering that she was almost ninety and Abraham was almost a hundred, she laughed at the very idea it could happen. It would be wonderful if could, but she didn’t think it would.

“And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 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. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.” (18:13-15)

The “Lord” spoke to Abraham. Not “the angel” spoke. Christ isn’t just some god who lives “way up there,” he is personally involved in his children’s lives. If you’ve ever had someone doubt your word, you know how frustrating it can be. Why would Sarah doubt God’s word? Why do we? As Matthew 19:26 states, “…With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Luke 1:37 declares, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Sarah will have a normal term of pregnancy, and give birth to a son.

Sarah didn’t want to admit she hadn’t believe because she was afraid. Not believing other people makes them mad, how might God respond? The Lord didn’t let her get by with denying her doubt. As Romans 14:23 says, “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

“And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.” (Genesis 18:16)