Gênesis 18

Gênesis 18

Spurgeon says that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." NET NOTE - Hebrew “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant. Warren Wiersbe Few people ever traveled when the sun was so hot, so Abraham was immediately both curious and courteous. Hospitality is the first law of the East, and Abraham faithfully obeyed it. Three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them - The Hebrew word for opposite (preposition עַל ’al) indicates the three are relatively close (within running distance). The picture by Tissot above is excellent but it does not really depict Abraham running from the tent but has him on his face in the tent. Notice that the three appeared as men, not as glowing angels, etc. Another famous painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1667) is entitled "Abraham and the Three Angels" indicating that Murillo misinterpreted the text (don't get your theology from paintings as he even paints a house not a tent!) As alluded to above, the fact that Ge 18:1 says the LORD appeared is clear support that one of these men is the LORD! It is very likely that the other two men were angels, and in fact are most likely the same two angels we see in Ge 19:1+ where "the two angels came to Sodom in the evening." This could be referring to the same day because Abraham's visit was in the heat of the day and Genesis 19:1+ takes place in the evening. (So the angels would have had lunch with Abraham and would later have dinner with Lot, so to speak! Ge 19:3+) As an aside the Church of England has interpreted the three men as the Trinity, because there are three persons but they are addressed as one and the name 'the LORD' is given in Ge 18:1. So each year on Trinity Sunday, they read the first part of Genesis 18 because they see this as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If one examines the context of the entire chapter, clearly one of the men is Jehovah (Ge 18:13) and the other 2 men are angels who are sent on mission to Sodom (Ge 18:22, Ge 19:1). THOUGHT - Keep context "king" if you want to avoid misinterpretation of the Bible! He ran from the tent door to meet them - The fact that Abraham ran to meet them suggests he recognized them as not routine sojourning strangers. And if there was any doubt that he recognized their special nature, the next action of bowing to them removes all doubt. THOUGHT - The Lord did not come to Abraham's tent and say, 'I am Yahweh. I'm coming in! Open that tent flap--I'm coming in.' He waited for Abraham to show hospitality and Abraham invited Him in. That's how God works. The Lord works by invitation. He will never force Himself on you. He waits for you to invite Him in. Do you feel far from God today? Guess who moved? Invite Him to come fellowship with you again, returning to that joy and excitement you had when you first fell in love with Him (cf Rev 2:4-5+). (Adapted from Skip Heitzig) Jon Courson - I like this! Here’s a ninety-nine-year-old man who runs to meet the Lord. How do you and I greet the Lord when the alarm clock goes off for devotions and prayer, for meditation and worship? (See Courson's Application Commentary page 77) ESV Study Bible (borrow - see page 80) on ran from the tent door -- Abraham’s actions suggest that he viewed the men as exceptionally important. he ran. In the Middle East, an elderly man of some social standing would not normally respond in this way to visitors. bowed himself to the earth. While this may have been a common mode of greeting others (see Ge 19:1+), it shows that Abraham regards the visitors as worthy of great respect. And bowed (shachah; Lxx = proskuneo) himself to the earth - This demonstrates Abraham's humility and reverence. Remember Abraham is a man of esteem in the land, and is tantamount to what we would call a sheikh and yet he chooses to bow down! Bowed (shachah) in the hithpalel (causative-reflective) stem indicates the subject is willingly bowing to the ground. It is translated in the Septuagint with the verb proskuneo (pros = before + kuneo = kiss or adore) which means to prostrate oneself in homage before another in the full sense of worship, not mere reverence or courtesy. Note that Lot has the same reaction to the two angels in Ge 19:1+ where bow is also (shachah; Lxx = proskuneo). In Ge 22:5 Abraham says he is going to worship (shachah; Lxx = proskuneo). So while one might consider this to be a customary greeting, in the context of Abraham's running and preparing a lavish meal would support that bowed in this passage was a reflection of his recognizing something special about the 3 men. Did he know one was God at this point? While I think it is very possible, it is difficult to be dogmatic. When Abraham encountered Melchizedek, he did not bow to him or address him in such a manner as we see Abraham doing in Genesis 18:2-3, even though Melchizedek was superior to him in rank and authority due to his position as priest of the Most High God. This would indicate that Abraham recognizes that the Lord Himself came in human form to pay him a visit. Bob