Genesis 18:2

THE DIVINE GUEST

‘When he saw them, he ran to meet them.’

Genesis 18:2

Let us draw near and see this great sight.

I. First, the Lord Himself becomes the guest of mortal man.—Three men came to the tent, but in the presence of the One, whom Abraham addressed as Lord, the others are hardly noticed. When that mysterious personage is withdrawn, the two others destroy cities. Did not the patriarch see and entertain the Christ that day? It seems that he did, for Christ said, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad.’ The Word of God ‘rejoiced in the habitable places of the earth’ before his Incarnation. His delights from of old were with the sons of men; and He is with us still, standing at the door to knock, that if any open the door He may come in and abide. To us He says, as during his earthly life, ‘Make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.’

The picture of God as the Guest of Abraham is a symbol of that spiritual relationship which is brought very clearly and beautifully before us in the New Testament. What an unspeakable privilege it is to have God as our guest, and for us to be His guest! (John 14:23; Revelation 3:20).

II. Our life in relation to God can be summed up in four words—sonship, worship, stewardship, fellowship.—The believer is at once a son, a subject, a servant, and a friend of God. The last-named relationship marks the later period of Abraham’s life, and seems to be (as always) associated with growth and maturity of spiritual experience. In Genesis 18 there are several aspects of the believer’s fellowship with God, and it is probable that from this period commence those experiences which led to Abraham being called the ‘friend of God.’ He is the only one to whom this designation is given in the Old Testament.

Illustration

Genesis 18:1: ‘Abraham sat in the tent door.’

Genesis 19:1: ‘Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.’

Lord, if ensnared by love of gain,

My eager steps I’ve bent

Toward sinful cities of the plain,

And, like Lot, pitched my tent

In Sodom, where the body’s fed,

But where the soul is famished,

Oh, help me to repent.

And in Thy mercy come to me,

And by Thy Spirit, say:—

‘Haste! fly thou hence, or sin will be

Thy ruin, if thou stay’;

And if, with ling’ring look, I stand,

In love with evil, take my hand

And lead Thou me away.

Thou bidd’st me seek for joys Divine

And oft to turn I vow;

Yet still entranced before the shrine

Of earthly good I bow.

Against myself, Lord, I complain;

Thou bidd’st me fly—I still remain;

Oh, help; and help me now.

I need not only Thy command

To shun the path of ill;

I need Thy kind and loving hand

To aid my falt’ring will,

And snatch me in temptation’s hour,

From evil’s dread ensnaring power,

To love and serve Thee still.

Oh, for Thy love my soul to fill;

Oh, for that time when never

Again shall waywardness of will,

My soul from Thee, Lord, sever!

But Thy will shall be wholly mine;

And mine be wholly lost in Thine,

Or rather, found for ever.