It starts off by saying the Lord appeared to Abraham, then it says three men were standing nearby. This illustrates that the Lord can appear to people in various ways. Following the great cultural emphasis on hospitality, Abraham bows down to them, and invites them into his tent for refreshments. The visitors agree.
This refreshment was no simple cup of tea and a biscuit, but Abraham and Sarah went to great lengths to prepare high quality food. Hebrews 13:2 tells us to entertain strangers for some have unwittingly entertained angles, possibly alluding to this incident. At the outset Abraham did not know who he was welcoming. In Abraham's day hospitality was greatly values, today our natural reaction is to be suspicious of strangers, perhaps we need to reassess this approach.
The visitors asked where Sarah was, and the Lord then said she would have a son. Note also that the Lord said He would return. Naturally it was impossible for her to have a son, but the Lord's presence makes anything possible.
Sarah heard this, and like Abraham in the previous chapter she laughed. The Lord knew that Sarah considered the promise to be a load of nonsense. If we are honest, there are things that God says that we doubt or find hard to believe, but we put on an act and pretend everything is OK. This really is stupid, as the Lord can see everything and knows all our thoughts. Far better to be honest with God and let Him sort us out.
This refreshment was no simple cup of tea and a biscuit, but Abraham and Sarah went to great lengths to prepare high quality food. Hebrews 13:2 tells us to entertain strangers for some have unwittingly entertained angles, possibly alluding to this incident. At the outset Abraham did not know who he was welcoming. In Abraham's day hospitality was greatly values, today our natural reaction is to be suspicious of strangers, perhaps we need to reassess this approach.
The visitors asked where Sarah was, and the Lord then said she would have a son. Note also that the Lord said He would return. Naturally it was impossible for her to have a son, but the Lord's presence makes anything possible.
Sarah heard this, and like Abraham in the previous chapter she laughed. The Lord knew that Sarah considered the promise to be a load of nonsense. If we are honest, there are things that God says that we doubt or find hard to believe, but we put on an act and pretend everything is OK. This really is stupid, as the Lord can see everything and knows all our thoughts. Far better to be honest with God and let Him sort us out.
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