Dining with God: (1.) Abraham and Sarah

Dining with God: (1.) Abraham and Sarah. 

“And Lord Yahweh appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18:1).

The Oaks of Mamre. Oh, if only trees could talk, what tales they could tell. Take the famous oak grove found in Mamre, an area in Hebron straight east of the Dead Sea. These oaks would tell us that that famous landmark was where Abraham pitched his tent for many years. That grove saw a lot of action. It was where Abraham built an altar for sacrifice after God spoke His covenant (Genesis 13:18). It was also where Abraham was the gracious host to the Lord Himself, accompanied by two angels, or was it the Trinity? (Genesis 18). At this site God told Abraham that his being 99 years old was irrelevant… He and Sarah would have a son within the year. What could Sarah do but laugh? After that birth announcement, the Lord told Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their extreme wickedness. Abraham and God then bargained for awhile, haggling over numbers, Abraham advocating for Sodom and Gomorrah, probably because his nephew Lot lived there. All that bargaining didn’t matter in the end anyway. Those towns were toast. All this happened near that oak grove at Mamre. Abraham and Sarah lived there off and on for many years. In fact, as it turns out, both Sarah and Abraham were buried there, in a nearby cave. Those oak trees have been venerated ever since, at first by ancient religions convinced there was something holy about that grove. In fact, there remains at that site the Oak of Abraham, also called the Tree of Rest, right there in modern day Hebron, and it is still honored by all three Abrahamic faiths. At the site of this ancient tree stands a Russian Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity. Legend has it that that oak tree is 5,000 years old, but moderns say it is about 850 years old. This tree is huge, 32′ around the trunk. The tree remains standing, even though it reportedly died in 1996.

Abraham. Father Abraham was definitely a man after God’s own heart. He was uniquely called a “friend of God” in Scripture, and as he aged, he developed a close relationship of trust with the Lord. One of the reasons Yahweh chose Abraham to be on the point for the eternal Covenant that established the Chosen People in his family, was that Abraham possessed the qualities of fatherhood that would be so crucial as the Faith was handed down from one generation to the next. (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-7). Abraham firmly believed that God knew what was best for mankind and would execute justice for all people. Abraham knew that God was merciful and would protect the believers when judging the sinful. So in Genesis 18, it was a hot day as Abraham sat in the shade of his tent’s entrance.  Abraham looked up and saw three “men” were standing right there next to him, and, calling one of these men “Lord,” Abraham pleaded with these visitors to stay and have a meal. Abraham, Mr. Hospitality, unsure of what else to do, fulfilled the common dictates of any host. Abraham, that towering Patriarch who continues to be the grandfather of the faithful, was known in ancient rabbinic circles as one big Welcome mat. According to a Hebrew saying as old as the hills, “Abraham always had all four of his tent flaps open.” He is the epitome of that sacred virtue known as hospitality… a magnanimous heart, an open spirit that welcomes all comers, known or unknown. This reflects the heart of God, for sure. A traditional prayer in the Jewish Passover liturgy highlights this spiritual gift of Abraham’s: “May the All-Merciful One bless this table at which we have eaten. May it be like the table of Abraham our father; All who are hungry may eat from it, and all who are thirsty may drink from it.” 

The Three Heavenly Visitors. There were many times in the Hebrew Bible when God appeared in bodily form as a man. But can Yahweh be seen that way? Can one visibly witness a sighting of God face-to-face? There are a couple of reason why this contradicts Scripture:

• God is a Spirit (John 4:24). One can’t see a Spirit. A Spirit is formless, shapeless, and basically invisible. The Spirit is more like a wind and can’t be encountered visibly;
• We cannot actually see God and survive the experience (Exodus 33;20; John 1:18). God is a consuming fire of purity and light and unimaginable substance. God burns too hot for personal human experience.

Christophany. “The Angel of the Lord is the visible Lord God of the O.T., as Jesus Christ was of the N.T.” (Amplified Bible notes). Early Church theologians, and numerous Biblical scholars since, have believed that when God is in visible form, the truth is that Christ has made an appearance. Every physical appearance of God is a revelation of Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form. There is a particular character who flits in and out of the Hebrew Bible, the Angel of Yahweh also known as the Angel of God, the Angel of the Lord, the Messenger of Yahweh, or the Angel of His Presence. It is widely accepted in Biblical scholarship that this mysterious Angel is none other than the bodily appearance of Jesus Christ. The Deity of Jesus is clearly portrayed in His role of Angelic Messenger, God’s special representative that speaks God’s mind and performs His will. “That the Angel of Yahweh is an uncreated angel, distinguished from other angels, and in many places identified with the Lord God is undeniable. On the other hand there are passages in which He seems to be distinguished from God the Father. The simplest way of reconciling these two classes is to adopt the old view that this Angel is Christ, the second Person of the Godhead, even at that early period appearing as the revealer of the Father.” (Lange’s Commentary).

God in the Flesh. Why do we think that Abraham, Jesus and two of His angels were having some teatime together? Remember the first verse in this passage was rather straightforward, “The Lord Yahweh appeared to Abraham…” Also, Abraham immediately recognized these were extraordinary visitors because he “ran” to them, which was highly unusual, and fell prostrate before them. Abraham realized at once he was in the presence of a divine being. Then, 18:13 reports that the Lord Yahweh Himself speaks to Abraham personally about a son being born within a year’s time. Then again, in 19:1, it is reported that two angels were entering Sodom while the Lord and Abraham were bargaining about the forthcoming number of fatalities in Sodom. Well, if Abraham did not know for sure he was serving heavenly visitors at the start of this scene, he certainly knew it by the time they were haggling over numbers on the road to Sodom. Evidently, Abraham even addressed the threesome in the singular, which led the early church theologians to believe that the three visitors might well be a foreshadowing of the Three-in-One, the Holy Trinity. The famous icon of Rublev that shows these three Visitors at a Eucharistic table shows that this was a serious belief early in the Christian church.

Dining with God. What did Abraham do to deserve his reputation as the ultimate host, Mr. Hospitality? Let’s take a look at the scene, and see what Abraham was made of…

1. He was on the look-out. Abraham was comfortably relaxing on his front porch, and he “looked up.” He noticed. He was able to welcome his guests only after he was aware enough to notice their presence. Hospitality begins with the conscious decision not to turn a blind eye, but instead to look up and notice, and then act. What might keep us from being observant? Too busy? Tired? Just plain cheap? Father Abraham starts us out sweet and simple… just look up and be aware.
2. He gave more than enough. Talk about extravagant and over the top! He sent Sarah and the servants off to the kitchen to get 20 quarts of fine flour, enough bread to feed 100 people! And remember that wonderful custom of killing the fatted calf, as in the Prodigal Son story? This was traditionally the “feast calf,” and was intended to feed a small village of about 100 people as well! So here is Abraham, the host who seems generous to a fault, reflecting the very heart of the Host of the Universe, who welcomed us to His world, providing more than we could ever need, way more, simply out of extravagant, even wasteful love.
3. He was at their service. Don’t you love this picture of Abraham standing near his guests while they are eating his food, the towel tastefully draped over his forearm, eager to make his guests feel at home, fat and happy? He was so busy being the host that it appears he didn’t even eat at his own feast! In his mind, it wasn’t self-denial or noble sacrifice. He was happy only when his visitors were satisfied. So it appears that hosts sometimes go hungry. One could always eat leftovers later, right?
4. He completed the welcome. There is something very tender-hearted about Abraham “seeing them out,” walking them out to the road away from their tent when the feast was done. What a perfect time to personally confirm your care for the guests, a time for a final handshake or hug, a genial good-bye, and providing that extra bit of friendliness to complete the welcoming care.

If only our front porch would reflect the values of Father Abraham, who in turn demonstrated the values of Yahweh Himself as He dined with Yahweh’s Son! We pray that anyone in need who approaches our house will experience the refuge of God, the hospitality and generous spirit of Abraham, a man after God’s own heart. And as Jesus said in His parable about the Sheep and the Goats, we may find ourselves dining with Jesus Himself when we offer hospitality to the needy. (Matthew 25:31-45).