Genesis 18:5 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 18:5

Comments

In verse 5 Abraham discloses that he thinks they have only called in order to take refreshment. Why did the Lord and the two angels come as three men? Perhaps so that they should not immediately be recognised – a little test for Abraham. How kindly; how hospitable would he be? Perhaps because they have a task to do – to go to Sodom, as well as to test Abraham. Perhaps out of kindness, to assure Abraham by coming in this most familiar manner.Here you see Abraham’s humility. ‘I will fetch a morsel of bread’, or, as we might say, a bit of bread, and that bit of bread turns out to be, for the times, quite a feast and an elaborate one. He calls it a morsel of bread, and a little water, when in fact what he is going to do is prepare almost a feast and get the baking and the roasting going. But there is this combination of humility, and yet abundance of provision. He speaks very humbly of what he is going to present. ‘And comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant.’ He expresses their coming to him on this occasion in terms of his being able to serve them, and they accepted his hospitality. He does not mean that they came seeking hospitality from him, but that in the providence of God, this is how it has turned out, and he is glad to do it. You see the elaborate arrangements. Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and asked her to make ready quickly three measures of fine meal. His whole family is expected to be deployed in this act of hospitality which he leads the way in. His household is an orderly household. Then he ran to the herd and selected himself the ideal tender calf, and brought it to the one who would prepare it and cook it. And he took butter and milk and the calf, all very elaborately described. So, of course, you can imagine the debate. By now some say that he must have known that his visitor was divine; his preparations were so elaborate. Yet again others say, ‘No, quite the contrary, because if he had known his visitor was divine, he would not have offered him anything to eat, because God could not be thought of as eating.’ But at some stage he realised the visitor was divine, for he begins to intercede on behalf of Lot.

Application

This was no doubt characteristic of the way Abraham interacted with strangers, although Calvin says, ‘if he had slaughtered calves for all kinds of travellers, his house would soon have been emptied by his profuse expenditure’ and argues that he saw some unusually ‘excellent endowments’ in these three persons. It is a great test of character to see how we conduct ourselves with strangers. We know little about them at first. There is no question of us paying back a debt, so how will we treat them? Will we react humbly and honour them above ourselves? This was probably one of the events in mind when the writer of Hebrews speaks of entertaining angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). If so it confirms that Abraham did not realise who they were at first. God’s people show hospitality to stranger in the confidence that thy will not be the loser, for what we give to strangers, we give to the Lord.

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Genesis 18:5 Commentary and Bible Study