Genesis 18:1-18:15
Is Anything to Hard for the Lord?
Genesis 18:1-15
Introduction
In our study of the life of Abraham we have noticed, many times, encounters between the Lord and Abraham. It was the voice of the Lord that called Abraham to leave his familiar surroundings and go to the land of promise. It was the voice of the Lord, heard through Pharaoh that rebuked Abraham for leaving the land of promise and going to Egypt. It was the voice of the Lord that told Abraham, after he separated from his nephew lot, to look up and see the land that he was giving to Abraham’s descendants. It was the voice of the Lord, heard through the Melchizedek that reminded Abraham of his source of victory and blessing. It the voice of the Lord, through a vision, that the Lord cut his covenant with Abraham in Genesis chapter fifteen.
In all of the Lord’s encounters with Abraham, three of those encounters had to do with the appearing of the Lord before Abraham. The first time that the Lord Appeared to Abraham is found in the seventh verse of the twelfth chapter of Genesis; there we read, “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.” The next time the Lord appears to Abraham is in chapter seventeen. In Genesis chapter seventeen we are told in the very first verse, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram…” The appearing of the Lord in Genesis twelve and seventeen precedes the voice of the Lord. Most of the encounters have been n audible, and somewhat visual through means of visions. But two of those encounters are described in a visual manner of God appearing. We can only speculate on how the Lord appeared, but the evidence given in verse twenty-two of chapter seventeen reveals that at least one of these appearings of the Lord was a visual appearing, “When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.” Clearly this advent of the Lord was a visual advent to Abraham.
In Genesis chapter eighteen we are once again confronted with the reality of the advent of the Lord to Abraham. That is, the Lord, after going up from Abraham in verse twenty-two, will now once again appear to Abraham, “Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre.” The text does not tell us exactly who the Lord appeared to, but we can know that the antecedent to the personal pronoun “him” here in verse one is none other than the Abraham of the previous chapter.
The fact that the author uses a personal pronoun for Abraham instead of his proper name gives us indication that this chapter is connected to the previous chapter. In the previous chapter the Lord appeared to Abraham to reaffirm and expand his covenant with him. In chapter eighteen the Lord’s appearing deals with the covenant with Abraham, but here he will not expand upon it. This time he reaffirms the promise of the child through Sarah, but now, in chapter eighteen, Sarah is going to be aware of the promise, if she is not already, and if she is, she is going to hear it from the Lord himself.
The narrative that is found in the first fifteen verses is connected with the concept of covenant. One could say that what is revealed in these verses are the natural outworking of the covenant relationship. Two things really stick out in this narrative: intimate fellowship and imminent fulfillment. Both of these observations are centered on the Lord. The intimate fellowship reveals the close relationship between the Lord and those who are in a covenant relationship with him. The imminent fulfillment reveals the extraordinary ability of the Lord to fulfill his covenant promises to his covenant people.
The intimate fellowship and the imminent fulfillment that is revealed in these fifteen verses are closely connected. Those who are in fellowship with the Lord can be sure that God will fulfill his promises. There is one statement in these verses that really underscores this reality and it is found in verse fourteen. In verse fourteen the Lord responds to Sarah with a rhetorical question, “Is anything to difficult for the Lord” This question does not need an answer because the answer is obvious. It is this rhetorical question that is at the heart of this advent of the Lord to Abraham.
In observing this advent of the Lord we will notice the intimate fellowship as revealed in verses one through eight; and then we will notice the imminent fulfillment as revealed in verses nine through fifteen. Then, after we notice what is taking place in this passage I want to then show you the immediate reality of this passage to us today. Therefore, let us first observe the intimate fellowship of this passage that is declared at the advent of the Lord.
I. The Intimate Fellowship
A. The Intimate Revelation of the Relationship (1-2)
“Now the Lord appeared to him at the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent of the door in the heat of the day.” The tents that Abraham lived in were most likely made out of goatskin and were designed to hold the heat in by night, and to let the cool breeze of the day blow through as the tent gave shade to the occupants. It was the hottest part of the day so Abraham was sitting in the shade enjoying the cool breeze that would blow through his tent.
The author of the narrative reveals to us that it is the Lord who is appearing to Abraham in verse one. This declaration given in verse one is for the reader. It is so that we, who read this narrative, can know that what is taking place in these verses is none other than a divine advent of the Lord.
Unlike the previous appearings of the Lord to Abraham, this appearing tells us how the Lord appeared to Abraham in verse two, “When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him.” The Lord is appearing to Abraham, and he is doing so in human form.
Some say that the three men in this passage represent the Trinity, but that is not the case. The three men in this passage are the Lord and two angels. We know that two of the men are angels because verse one of chapter nineteen tells us that two of the men were angels. Whenever you have an appearing of the Lord such as this, theologians call this a theophany and believe that encounters like these are encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ.
B. The Intimate Response to the Relationship (3-8)
Whether Abraham knew from the start that the Lord was appearing to him is debatable. Some argue that he knows from the start that the Lord is appearing to him on the account of his hospitable response. But Abraham’s hospitable response was the customary response to guest in the Near East.
Another argument that he knows is the fact that Abraham addresses one of the men as “my lord” in verse three. The Hebrew word for Lord here is “Adoni.” This word is used often to refer to God as the Lord. At the same time this word is also used to refer to someone who is in a position of authority. So you see that whether Abraham knows whom he is speaking to is debatable. Even though it is debatable, one thing is for sure; at some point during the encounter with the three men, Abraham understands that he is speaking with the Lord.
I believe that Abraham at least believed that these men where from the Lord, if he did not understand that one of them was the Lord. I believe this on the basis of his request in verse three, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.” The statement of favor as well as being a servant indicates to me that Abraham had some understanding of the divine nature of this visitation.
Though Abraham was showing hospitality common of the Near East, the manner in which he responded seems to suggest also that he understood the divine nature of the situation. After Abraham welcomed his guest and communicated his desires to serve them, we are told in verse six, “So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.’ Abraham also ran to the herd and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf which he prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.” Notice the actions in these verses, “hurried into the tent “quickly prepare,” “ran to the herd,” and “hurried to prepare it.” Abraham had some knowledge that this visitation was of a divine nature.
The meal that is taking place in these verses is significant to the covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham. It was common practice, as revealed in both the non-biblical and biblical record, of eating a meal after cutting a covenant or treaty . The reason that it was common practice is that was important that the two parties that entered into a covenant eat a meal together because it was symbolic of the peaceful agreement that was just entered into .
In the twenty-forth chapter of the book of Exodus we see God making a covenant with the people of Israel on Mt Sinai. After the covenant was made the people of the covenant ate and drank in peace before the Lord. In the Levitical code you find the peace offering. The intention of this offering was to signify that the people had a peaceful relationship with the Lord. In the book of Judges Gideon has a visitation from the Lord, and the Lord rains down fire upon Gideon’s sacrifice, and Gideon names the altar “Jehovah Shalom” or “The Lord is peace.” The point is that the communal meal and sacrifice signified that the people who participated in the meal had peace with God. They had peace with God, which meant that they had a close intimate fellowship with God.
Another indication that this text is revealing intimate fellowship with the Lord is that the three men were in Abraham’s tent or home. This is another indication of close and intimate fellowship.
Here lies the significance of the advent of the Lord to Abraham in this passage: the Lord is conveying that Abraham has peace with the Lord, that he is a friend of God, and that he has intimate fellowship with the Lord. And it is because Abraham has this intimate fellowship with the Lord that the Lord goes on to remind Abraham and to tell Sarah of the imminent fulfillment of his promise to Abraham.
II. The Imminent Fulfillment
A. The Imminent Realization
The Lord asks Abraham a question, one that seems to be a rhetorical question, in verse nine, “Where is Sarah your wife?” The fact that the stranger knew Abraham’s wife’s name indicates divine attributes. If he knew her name, then most likely he knew where she was. The question brings Sarah into the dialogue, albeit through eavesdropping.
After the Lord brings Sarah into the conversation he then gives the imminent realization of the fulfillment of his promise in verse ten, “‘I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.’ And Sarah his wife was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.” The Lord becomes precise in his promise. He tells Abraham, and Sarah indirectly, that they were going to have a son and it would be the same time next year, and Sarah would respond with an impossible reaction.
B. The Impossible Reaction
We see the impossible reaction on the part of Sarah in verses eleven and twelve, “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” Just as Abraham laughed in chapter seventeen, we now have Sarah laughing in chapter eighteen. Abraham’s laugh was not a total doubt of God’s ability to fulfill his promise, just a laugh of putting limitations on God’s ability. But Sarah’s laugh seems to be one of total doubt on God’s ability to fulfill his promise.
Now, before we are to hard on Sarah for her laughter, we must put ourselves in her shoes. The author tells us in verse eleven that “Sarah was past childbearing.” This means that Sarah had already gone through the change of life. Humanely speaking she was unable to have children. She recognizes the impossible nature of the promise from a human standpoint when she says, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure.” Sarah is questioning her ability to conceive. Humanly speaking it is impossible.
You will notice that it says that Sarah laughed to herself. That is, she was laughing on the inside, but you did not know it from the outside. And once again the reaction of the visitor will reveal the divine quality of this stranger. And once again the divine stranger will point them to recognize the incredible nature of the one who is making the promise.
C. The Incredible Recognized
We see the ability of the stranger when he ask Abraham in verse thirteen, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old?’” Only the Lord himself could have known that Sarah had laughed inside herself. The Lord was able to see that Sarah didn’t see the incredible nature of the promise, but the impossible nature of the promise from a human perspective.
The Lord points Sarah to recognize the incredible when he asks another rhetorical question in verse fourteen, “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?” The word that is translated “difficult” is the Hebrew word “Pala.” It can mean, “to be wonderful,” “to cause a wonderful thing to happen” or “to fulfill.” In any case in seems to always have the idea of doing the surpassing or the extraordinary. The word speaks of the unusual, those things that are beyond human capabilities.
The Lord declares with this rhetorical question that nothing is too wonderful for him; nothing is too extraordinary for him. What is beyond human capabilities is not beyond his ability. What is humanly impossible is divinely impossible.
The same God who made heaven and earth is the same God who can bring this extraordinary promise about. The same God who spoke and it came to be, who commanded and it stood firm, is the same God who can do that which surpasses human comprehension.
The Lord declares to Sarah his delight in performing all that seems impossible, all that seems to marvelous, all that seems to extraordinary, and yes, all that seems surpassing.
It is after the Lord declares his delight by means of a rhetorical question that Sarah understands that this is no ordinary stranger, but the Lord himself, “Sarah denied it however, saying, ‘I did not laugh;’ for she was afraid.” Sarah’s denial of her laughter and her fear is indication that she understood this to be from the Lord. The denied her doubt, but the Lord would respond, “No, you did laugh.”
And every time Sarah said or heard her soon to come son’s name Isaac, she would be reminded of her doubt. She would be reminded that the Lord delights in doing the impossible, doing the extraordinary, doing the marvelous, and doing the surpassing.
The appearing of the Lord to Abraham and Sarah communicated the intimate fellowship the Lord has with his people, and God’s ability to fulfill his promises to those who are in an intimate fellowship with him.
Let me know drive this truth home by showing you the immediate reality of fellowship and fulfillment to you and I who are living under the New Covenant. In driving it home I want to take you to another advent or appearing of the Lord. This appearing of the Lord would come some two thousand years after the Lord’s appearing to Abraham and Sarah, yet the nature of the appearing communicated the same things: fellowship, fulfillment, and future.
III. The Immediate Reality
A. Fulfillment
The Lord would appear to another woman, all though, compared to Sarah, she was hardly a woman. Sarah was on up in her age, but the woman that the Lord would appear to thousands of years latter was a young girl, a virgin girl, around the age of thirteen. Sarah had been married for several years when the Lord appeared to her, but this young virgin girl was only engaged when the Lord appeared to her. Sarah was barren; this young girl had never even had sexual relations.
Yet, when the Lord appeared to this young virgin girl, he would declare once again “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?” The Lord would once again state his desire to do the extraordinary. But this time, instead of a lady advanced in age have a child beyond the change of life, God would have a young girl conceive, not of natural means, but of supernatural means. This young girl would become pregnant apart from sexual relations and apart from an earthy counterpart. This young girl would conceive by means of the Holy Spirit and she would give birth do a son who would be fully God and fully man, born without sin, and she would name him Jesus Christ, because he would come to bring salvation to a dying world.
The young virgin girls name was Mary. And after the Lord declared to her his plans for her, he said to her, “For nothing will be impossible with God .” Instead of posing a rhetorical question with Mary, the Lord gives the obvious answer to the question, “nothing will be impossible with God.”
The son of Mary would be the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. He would be the great king that would come from Abraham that would bring the blessing of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles alike. Not only did this advent of the Lord bring about fulfillment, but it also brought about fellowship.
B. Fellowship
Just as the advent of the Lord to Abraham communicated intimate fellowship and peace with God, the advent of the Lord some two thousand years later made possible the intimae fellowship and peace with the Lord.
Jesus Christ, the son born of Mary would be born without sin and live a sinless life. He would give his life as a ransom for many on the cross of Calvary. Just before his death the Lord had his disciples in the upper room as the observed the Passover feast. The Lord lifted up the bread and said, “This is my body, eat in remembrance of me.” He then lifted up the wine and said, “This is my blood, shed for the remission of sins, drink in remembrance of me.” This supper was to declare that the Lord was initiating the New Covenant and making possible for man to truly have peace and intimate fellowship with the Lord.
We, who are a part of the church, observe this truth every time we participate in the Lord’s Supper. It is the Lord’s Supper that reminds us that Christ’s sacrificial death, and faith in that death, enables us to experience God’s forgiveness; it enables us have peace and intimate fellowship with the Lord. It is the fulfillment and fellowship in Christ that also gives those who belong to Christ a future with Christ.
C. Future
Right now, we who are God’s people only enjoy partial fellowship with the Lord. We are longing for the day when we have full fellowship, the day when we have that great marriage supper with the Lord, and we can be sure of that day’s arrival.
The same God who said “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?” is the same God who will brings us to that great marriage supper. The same God who said, “For nothing will be impossible with God” is the same God who will get us to our final destination.
The great rhetorical question of the scriptures is “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?” And the great answer that the Lord always gives is “No!” The same God who created the heavens and the earth is the same God who can make a barren womb fruitful. The same God who can make a barren womb fruitful is the same God who can make a virgin girl pregnant by means of an immaculate conception. The same God who can bring about an immaculate conception is the same God who can raise his son to life on the third day. The same God who can raise his son to life on the third day is the same God who can promise salvation to all who come to his son by faith. The same God who can do all these extraordinary things in history can also do them in your life as well.
The question “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?” deserves a personal response from all. Are there any problems, and troubles, and circumstances in your own life that are too difficult for God to handle? Absolutely not!
Some people struggle with God’s ability to save. They say to themselves, “I beyond forgiveness. Surely God cannot forgive the things I have done.” I am here to tell you that the Lord can forgive the vilest of sinners who come to Jesus Christ by faith.
Some people struggle with family issues, financial issues, and other problems in their life and it seems that the problem is to difficult for the Lord, but the reality is “for nothing is impossible with God.” God can and will take care of his people who are in a covenant relationship with him.
