Chapter 18.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
LOOK WHO'S COMING FOR DINNER—18:1-8
The command of the Lord has been obeyed by Abraham and in the heat of the day his is visited by three men. They seem to appear out of nowhere. It is believed that they were angels that took the form of men and one of the men was the Lord who was appearing to Abraham. The pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the Old Testament is called a Christophany. The word for "appeared" is ra'ah which means "to view with one's own eyes". Abraham runs to greet them and bows to the ground. The word "bowed" is shachahwhich is the word for "worship" and it involved complete prostration of the body. It is the first time it is used in the Scriptures and is associated with the worship of God in human form. It carries this idea all throughout the Bible. Abraham invites them for dinner and hastens Sarah and his servants to have the meal prepared for his very special guests. Hospitality plays a very important part of life in the Middle East.
Hospitality in Bible Times
Hospitality was considered a sacred duty to Arab and Jews. A guest that was being entertained was believed to be sent by the Lord. Jews believed angels were sent to test their hospitality. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to care for strangers for some have unknowingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2). Travelers without lodging would wait at a well or public square for someone to invite them into their home. The Arabs felt they could not enjoy their meal knowing a stranger was without food or lodging. Inviting a stranger was considered as inviting the Lord (Matthew 7:12). The Greek word for hospitality is philochenia and means "love to strangers". Where there was lodging or hotels there were problems in some places with prostitution. Christians were encouraged to stay in the homes of other Christians when traveling and Christians were admonished to be hospitable and take care of these traveling believers.
Friends were always welcome to receive hospitality. You would think that would be normal or logical. However, an enemy would be received as a guest too if he dismounted and touched the rope of the tent. An enemy was not allowed to be starved to death. The book of Romans says if our enemy hungers, feed him. A guest was protected at all cost by the host because he was considered a very special person. An Eastern proverb states that the guest while in the house was its Lord. It was considered a great honor for the guest to ask a favor of the host.
In our country, we are opposite. We try to give our guest some privacy. In the East, leaving a guest alone was considered very rude. Guest were anointed with oil and their feet were washed after a journey or upon retiring to bed.
Mealtimes
Mealtime was a very special time in the East. When an Arab meal was ready, the man would go to a high spot and call out three times to others to come and join him in his meal. He would do this even if no one was around for miles. Easterners would decline and invitation to eat or lodge at first until he was repeatedly urged to come and dine. It was appropriate to decline at first. The host knew a friend or stranger really wanted to come to the meal and his friend would finally accept after seven invitations. Sharing food and water was very special and a pledge of friendship and peace. Sharing a meal was a way of making a covenant of peace or restoring a broken covenant.
Eating salt with someone was to be at peace with them. Salt was a healing agent and was considered to heal relationships. Eating bread was special too. A guest would not be greeted if they arrived in the midst of breaking bread because it was so sacred. When the bread was eaten, it was broken, not cut. Cutting bread was considered as cutting life itself. Other foods that were eaten were fruits, vegetables, olives, buttermilk, figs, raisins, cheese, raw grains, and on rare occasions, meat. Meat was cooked immediately after it was killed by roasting or by boiling it in camels milk. The choicest meat was the calf which was cooked for very special occasions. A common meat was a young goat. Milk was a favorite at meal times. The Bedouins drank cow, goat, and camel's milk which was very rich but not sweet. Sour milk kurd was a favorite of the Arabs and was known as leben. It was made from milk and yeast and covered with a warm cloth for about a day. It was known to make a sick man well.
Today, the Bedouins will keep a pot of coffee on the fire twenty four hours a day in the event a guest should come. Instead of making fresh coffee, they just add to what is in the pot. This coffee becomes very strong and bitter. They offer this coffee to their guest when they entertain them. As they serve the coffee, they say to their guest, "Life is filled with times of bitterness". Just before the departure of their guest, they offer them a very sweet, tasty tea and tell them, "Life also has times of sweetness and pleasure". They leave a good taste in their mouth and mind as they depart.
Departure
The considerate length of stay was about three days. When a guest did decide to depart, the host would beg them to stay another meal even if they did not want them to come to the meal. This was an act of courtesy. When the guest did depart, the host would honor them by walking with them a distance. Some would walk as far as an hour away. Abraham walked with the Lord when He departed from his tent.
Hospitality in the Scriptures
The Scriptures describe several kinds of hospitality.
- Threatening—Diotrophes considered John a threat and received him not. 3 John 1, 9, 10
- Treacherous—Sisera is slain by Jael. Judges 4:17-21
- Turbulent—A Jewish mob persecutes the missionaries. Acts 17:5-9
- Tickled—Zacchaeus joyfully receives Jesus. Luke 19:5, 6
- Tributed—Rahab is welcomed because of her faith in the Lord and she is spared from the destruction of Jericho. Joshua 6:17-25
- Thoughtless—Hezekiah unwisely shows all the treasures of his house to the king of Babylon.
Examples of Hospitality in Genesis
- Abraham invites the angels into his tent. 18:5
- Lot invites the reluctant angels into his home. 19:2
- Abimelech invites Abraham to dwell in the land. 20:15
- Laban receives Abraham's servant. 24:31-33
- Laban invites Jacob into his house. 29:13
- Joseph cares for his brothers in his home. 43:24
- Pharaoh invites Joseph's family to live in Egypt. 45:18-20
Tents of the Desert
In the heat of the day, Abraham saw the three men approaching. Noon is the siesta time among desert dwellers. The heat is very intense this time of day. Some Arabs would eat by the door of their tent in order to notice travelers in the area and invite them to dinner. Abraham may have been doing this.
Tents were made of goat's hair and were black or brown in color. Goat's hair was an ideal material to use for the tents because it was easy to acquire. The nature of the material helped the tent to breathe and not be stuffy because it was porous when dry. After the first rain, the hairs in the tent would shrink and make the tent waterproof. These tents were sometimes called "the house of hair". The goat's hair was the same material as sackcloth. It was prickly and coarse and worn by those in mourning.
The goat's hair was made in strips of cloth five to six feet wide. These strips were used to patch the rotted and torn areas of the tent and add on new sections to the tent in the event more room was needed. Most tents were oblong in shape and had about nine poles for the three basic sections it supported. The front section was the men's quarters, the second was for the women, and sometimes the livestock was put in the third section. A sackcloth curtain was hung between each section for privacy. Only the father was allowed to enter the women's quarters. Any other man entering these quarters could be punished by death.
Arabs that dwelt together would form their camp in a circle with the tent of the sheik in the middle of the circle. His tent could be identified by the spear stuck in the ground outside his door and the tent was usually large in its size. When weather permitted, the livestock were put in the center of the circle area at night for protection from predators.
Mats were placed on the floor of the tents for comfort. At the center of the tent was a hole dug for a fire and skins filled with wines and milk were hung around the tent poles.
IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?—18:9-14
When the men dined with Abraham, they asked where Sarah was located. How did they know her name? These men were the Lord and angels, that's why. The reason Sarah was not dining with them is it was the custom for the women to remain in a separate room from the men. Sarah seems to have been behind the curtain in the women's quarters for she hears the men speaking. They promised to return when Sarah would give birth to a son. This was wonderful because Sarah physically was supposed to be beyond the point of having children. Upon hearing the news she would have a child, Sarah laughs. Her laughter was one of doubt and disbelief. This was totally impossible to her and seems to have never happened before. The Lord knows she laughs and hears her words or thoughts of doubt. She is rebuked and challenged and asked "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" The answer is found in Matthew 19:26 which says that with God nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible for God.! What you and I cannot accomplish, God can! What we have given up on, God can see it through. The word for "hard" is the same word for "wonderful" which is used to describe the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6).
The Knowledge of God in Genesis
The Lord knew the thoughts of Sarah just as He knows ours. The book of Genesis reveals examples of what God knows.
- Crime—God knew the earth was filled with violence. 6:13
- Chuckles—The Lord knew Sarah laughed in her heart. 18:15
- Character—God knew the character of Abraham. 18:19
- Corruption—The Lord knew of the sin of Sodom. 19:13
- Consecration—God knew Abraham feared Him. 22:12
- Curt & Coarse treatment—God knew Leah was hated. 29:33
- Crookedness—God knew of Laban's unfair treatment of Jacob. 31:12
The Knowledge of God in the Scriptures
When Sarah was confronted with her laughter, she was frightened and denies the fact she ever laughed. Fear can make us do some things we never want or intended to do. Lying creates problems for us and get us into serious trouble, especially when we lie to cover up a sin. Lying has a snowball effect because you usually have to tell another lie to cover one already told.
What the Bible Teaches About Lying
- The Effects of Lying
- Develops Delusion—Amos 2:4
- Death—Zech. 13:3
- Depravity increased—Proverbs 29:12
- Destruction—Hosea 10:13-15
- The Definition of Lying
- Descriptive of the Devil—John 8:44
- Denial of the Truth—1 John 2:21, 27
- Denial that Jesus is the Christ—1 John 2:22
- Disobeying Christ's Commandments—1 John 2:4
- Despising a Brother—1 John 4:20
- The Punishment of Liars
- Sentenced to a Lake of Fire—Revelation 21:8, 27
- Safety is gone—Proverbs 19:5
- Stopped—Psalm 63:11
- Short-lived—Proverbs 12:19
- Silenced—Psalm 31:18
- The Attitude of Christians Toward Lying
- Spurn it—Ephesians 4:25 "put away"
- Shun it—Proverbs 30:8 "keep far from"
- Seek deliverance—Psalm 120:2
- Speak not—Zephaniah 3:13
- The Attitude of God Toward Lying
- Dissident—Ezekiel 13:8
- Disdains it—Numbers 23:19
- Discovers it—Isaiah 28:15, 17
- Detestable—Proverbs 6:16-19
CONFIDING IN ABRAHAM—18:16-19
As the group departs towards Sodom, Abraham accompanies them. As they walk, the Lord makes a decision to reveal to Abraham what He intends to do to Sodom. The Lord knew Abraham and felt confident with him. The word "knew" reveals that God knew him as an intimate friend. Abraham was called the "Friend of God" (James 2:23). He had an obedient spirit with the Lord. Are you this close to the Lord? Could the Lord call you His friend? Our love for Christ is demonstrated by our obedience and faithfulness to Him. God knew that Abraham would be a good parent and that he would command his children and household to keep the ways of the Lord. The book of Genesis gives us a number of insights on parents.
Parents in Genesis
- Praying—God prophesies that Abraham will be a good father. 17:18
- Poor Priorities—Lot offers his daughters to the Sodomites. Though this was their custom to protect a guest at all cost, the Scriptures teach we are to care for our family first. Lot should have never lived in that city in the first place. 19:18
- Prophecy about a Parent—God prophesies that Abraham will be a good father. 18:19
- Pattern of a Parent—Rebekah is a bad example to Jacob. 27:13
- Problems of a Parent—Jacob created his own problems by favoring Joseph. 37:3
- Predictions of a Parent—Jacob predicts the future of his sons and grandsons. 48:17-20; 49:1-27
THE CRY OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH—18:20, 21
Just as the Lord went down to see what was taking place at the tower of Babel, He now comes down to investigate the wickedness of Sodom. The cry of Sodom's sin was great and grievous to the Lord. The word "cry" means to shriek. The sin of Sodom was shrieking to God. God hates our sin. The sin of Sodom was "grievous", a word that comes from the Hebrew word kabad which means "to be heavy". Our sins are weighty before the Lord. Sin slows us down spiritually. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to lay aside every weight and the sin which easily besets us and run the race before us (Hebrews 12:1). What is crying to God in your life? It is your prayer and praise that cries, or your sin? May God help us to live for Him everyday.
The Cries of Genesis
Several cries are found in this book.
- The Cry of Baseness & Blasphemy—The cry of Sodom's sin came up to God. 18:20; 19:13
- The Cry of Blood—Abel's blood crieth from the ground. 4:10
- The Cry of Brokenness—Esau cries out in brokenness after being deceived. 27:34
- The Cry for Bread—The Egyptians cried out to Pharaoh for food. 41:55
After the angels depart to go to Sodom, Abraham talks with the Lord and asks Him if He will destroy the righteous with the wicked. The Bible says he "drew near" to the Lord. The Hebrew word is nagas which is used of the mind and heart reaching out to God in worship and confession. Abraham loved the Lord and was pleading for the righteous in Sodom, especially for his nephew Lot and his family. Lord, will you spare the city if you can find fifty righteous people, forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, ten? Surely there would be at least ten righteous ones in the city. There was Lot and his wife, his two sons, two married daughters and their husbands, and at least two single daughters. That total adds up to be ten people! Unfortunately, Abraham's mathematics doesn't add up as we'll see in the next chapter. This was Abraham's second intervention for Sodom (14:14). He was a man of great concern, compassion, and longsuffering at times. Abraham reveals his determination, boldness, and persuasiveness as he pleads with the Lord for these sinners. Our prayers have great influence with the Lord. He loves to hear from us! May we pray for others and pray for their salvation as Abraham interceded for the city of Sodom.
Persistence in Genesis
Abraham was persistent in his intercession with the Lord. He would not give up. May we be as he in attempting to reach the lost for Christ. The trait of persistence is filtered all throughout Genesis.
- Persistence in Prayer—Abraham pleads for the city of Sodom. 18:28-32
- Persistence in Provocation—Potiphar's wife tempts Joseph day by day. 39:10
- Persistence in Purity—Joseph refuses the temptation of Potiphar's wife day after day. 39:10
- Persistence in Politeness—Lot presses the angels to stay in his home. 19:3
- Persistence in Perversion—The men of Sodom would not give up their attempts to "know" the guests of Lot. 19:9
Outlines That Teach
Genesis Chapter 18
- Sitting at the Door 18:1
- The Sighting of the Strangers 18:2
- The Sociability of Abraham 18:3
Abraham is hospitable and invites the men to dinner.
- The Summons for Service 18:4-6
Sarah is summoned to prepare the meal and the guest are cared for in several ways.
- Cleaning—washing their feet
- Comfort—a place to rest
- Catering—they feed them a meal
- The Slaughter of a Calf 18:7
- Serving the Meal 18:8
- The Search for Sarah 18:9
They asked, "Where is Sarah thy wife?"
- A Son Will Be Born 18:10
- Stricken in Age 18:11 Abraham and Sarah are getting old.
- The Skepticism of Sarah 18:12
Sarah laughs within her heart with doubt about having a child.
- The Sensitivity of the Lord 18:13
The Lord knows what Sarah is thinking.
- The Strength and Skillfulness of the Lord 18:14
Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
- A Slanted Statement and a Scolding From the Lord 18:15 Sarah lies about laughing and is rebuked by the Lord.
- The Safari to Sodom 18:16
The men start on their journey to Sodom.
- The Sharing of a Secret 18:17-19
- The Shriek of Sodom's Sin 18:20
- The Substantiation of Sodom's Sin 18:21
The Lord comes down to confirm the cry of Sodom's sin.
- Standing Before the Lord 18:22
- Supplication For Sodom 18:23-32
Abraham intercedes for the righteous in Sodom.
- The Summation of Supplication 18:33
The Lord goes His way and Abraham returns home.
Index Topics for Further Research
Angels, Appearance of God, Before the Lord, Banquets, Covering Sin, Cry, Doubt, Faithfulness of God, I Will's of God, Knowledge of God, Lying, Mercy of God, Parents, Prayer, Rebuke, Boldness, Determination, Deception, Enthusiasm, Fearfulness, Generosity, Hypocrisy, Hospitality, Persistence.
Review
Chapter 18
- Describe hospitality in Bible times.
- What was the mealtime like in the Middle East?
- What were the tents in the desert like?
- Name five things God knows about.
- What should be the attitude of Christians toward lying?
- List the cries of Genesis.
- List the examples of persistence in Genesis.
Mattoon's Treasures - Mattoon's Treasures – Treasures from Genesis.