Genesis 18
As this begins Abraham is sitting in his tent in the heat of the day. Like a hot 100+ day in Tennessee where I grew up, this was a scorcher. Perhaps Abraham desired nothing more than a cold, fresh brewed glass of sweet iced tea. (I did in Tennessee.)
He’s staring into the blazing sun for just a moment,when suddenly he notices three men standing near him. He springs to his feet and does what any one would have naturally done in that day… assume the role of gracious host.
Look at the Hospitality of Abraham:
He runs to them. Bows to the ground. He encourages them to enter into his tent and offers them something to drink and eat. Maybe Abraham suspects there is more to these men than meets the eye… or perhaps not. The text doesn’t tell us. It does reveal an age old mistake that husbands are prone to making. Inviting guests in and then telling his wife about it. “Come in,” Abraham tells the three strangers, we’ll get you a bite to eat. … ‘Sarah, hurry, three men are staying for dinner.’”
The men begin to eat and suddenly one says, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He not only knows the name of his wife, but the covenant name… Sarah.
Right then and there the stranger reveals what Abraham already knew. This time next year, Sarah will have a son.
Behold the Unbelief of Sarah.
Now Sarah nearly chokes trying to hold back her laughter. Ha! She says secretly to herself. Me? Have a child? “You did laugh” the men say when she denies her mirth.
It appears that one of the missions of the three mystery men was to strengthen the faith of Sarah. They weren’t there for Abraham. They were there for her. It is important for a couple to be on the same page spiritually.
But the men discuss among themselves if there might be a second purpose for their visit: to inform Abraham of God’s coming judgment on Sodom.
Genesis 18:16-21
Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. [17] The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, [18] since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? [19] “For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” [20] And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. [21] “I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
This is an invitation for Abraham to pray. Do you recognize those moments in your own life? It may come disguised as hopeless news segment on the nightly news… a challenging prayer request in your email inbox… a few words spoken to you by your grandchild which sadly reminds you of the world he or she will have to live in. These are invitations to pray.
One man stays behind. It is actually the Angel of the Lord. No one has seen God at anytime, the Bible says. But often in the OT, men and women saw the Angel of the Lord, and they respond by saying, “I have seen the Lord.”
Abraham stays and intercedes for Sodom with God’s ambassador. Intercession is a difficult but powerful endeavor. One might think otherwise. Brigid E. Herman (1875-1923) once said: “Wheras in former times intercession was looked upon as hard toil for strong men, it has come to be regarded by the majority of people as a nice, quiet occupation especially suitable for delicate persons and invalids. Comparatively few look upon it as a part of a Christian’s vocation. [Intercession] means making Christ’s interests our own. It means to learn to think with God, to have the mind of Christ, to see the world through His eyes, to share His passion to save and redeem. And that heart is formed in us by prayer. (Pray Magazine)
Abraham speaks with humility. “I venture to speak with the Lord.” (v. 27, 31) “I am but dust and ashes.” (v. 27) He knows the Lord favors him. He is aware of the Lord’s love, but he is also aware of his place before Him.
Dean Merrill in his article Whatever Happened to Kneeling? writes: “Who can deny that over the past 25 years we have been kneeling less and less? When I get down on my knees to pray, the quality of my interaction with God is somehow changed. And I don’t think it’s just the nostalgic memory of boyhood days when, as a preacher’s kid in the Midwest, I knelt on a plank floor with the rest of the congregation at our Wednesday night prayer meetings. I benefit from the practice now.
The biggest benefit is that kneeling reminds us who’s in the dialogue. Prayer is not a couple of fellows chatting about the Dallas Cowboys. It is a human being coming face to face with his or her Supreme Authority, the ineffable God who is approachable but still the One in charge.
Thus kneeling is a way of saying, “I fully understand who’s Boss here. Far be it from me to try to manipulate you or play games with you. I’m well aware of my status in this relationship, and I deeply appreciate your taking time to interact with me.”
But although Abraham was humble, he still exhibits a boldness. Where does one got to take their problems they have with the Cosmos? To the management, of course. God actually welcomes us and invites us to take it up with Him.
Genesis 18:23-25
Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? [24] “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? [25] “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”
Very humble, very bold. But there is one problem with Abraham’s prayer: He never says what is actually on his mind and in his heart. There is one name Abraham is thinking about,… but not saying… his nephew LOT! Lot and his family, who had moved there not too long ago, is surely behind his passionate bargaining with God. Why doesn’t he just say that? It might have saved him a lot of maneuvering.
Got someone on YOUR heart? Go bold! Be Honest with God! He already knows what is on your heart anyway…so approach him with boldness and ask for your request (Hebrews 4:6). In Ephesians, Paul ends one of his prayers with: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Remember your prayers are powerful not because of the words you utter, but because of a powerful God that hears them… and acts on your behalf.
Blessings!
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