Studies In Genesis: Chapters 18 Series

Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.

Genesis 18

1. 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,

Here we see the generosity of Abraham. It was very customary to be nice and kind to all who came by. Here we see that Abraham, not knowing that it was the Lord still accepted the strangers.

3 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:

To be able to set in a persons house and wash your feet was a welcome in the Bible customs. After a long dusty walk it was good to clean the feet. This shows the kindness of Abraham.

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.

6 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.

It was customary for the wife to stay away from the other people of the house. She usually cooked but hardly ever let her presence be known to the others. Usually Abraham waited on the guests as was customary. This is why the next question was surprising.

9. And they said unto him, Where [is] Sarah thy wife? And he

said, Behold, in the tent.

I believe he stuttered here not expecting this question but it led up to the next response of these three men.

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.

Here we see that the true identity of these men begin to come out. They were not ordinary people. Here they give an answer to a question that Abraham has been wondering about. This whole visit was a visit of encouragement for Abraham.

11 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?

So we see that Sarah was listening at the door while the men were speaking to Abraham. I believe that she was not suppose to be doing this but we see it got her into a little trouble. She heard the response of these men and she laughed. Was it a laugh of doubt? or Was it a laugh of misunderstanding? I believe a litter of both. She knew she was barren and Abraham probably never informed her of God's early promise so she just kind of chuckled.

13 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.

Then we see the Lords response. Look at verse 14.

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this

is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

If any thing that has been stressed throughout scripture it is this pharase. Nothing is impossible with God. Oh how important it is for us to realize this. I just finished reading a book by Noel Brooks on the doctrine of Divine Healing. He explicitly states as one of his arguments for divine healing is that with God nothing is impossible.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was

afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.