King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 19 notes
1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
And the lord appeared — same as chapter 17 verse 1: “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect…” 👌
However, here we see that God's appearing was in physical form. I believe the previous appearances were also physical except otherwise stated by the text.
This visit was of a short interval from the first, which wasn’t the norm - likely a few months apart.
Because in a year’s time Abraham was 100 years - and the previous encounter was when Abraham was 99 years.
2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
How did he know who they were? Could it be the suddenness of their appearing?
Or could it be that he recognized one of them from previous God encounters? One of which was not too long ago. Barely a year actually because by 100 years of age, Isaac was born and at 99 God had appeared to Abraham so this 2nd appearing was between 99 years and the 9 months preceding Isaac's birth.
Even within the sudden appearance of these men there might have been a semblance to how God had been appearing to him in time past. This MOG ABRAHAM knew God and could therefore tell this was God.
In verse one we are told God appeared to Abraham, however the beauty of this passage of scripture is that it explains how God appeared unto him in details.
Most times we are told God appeared to Abraham or someone or say the ‘word of the lord came to or appeared’ to someone.
And left blank without going into the intricate details but here we have the intricate details.
What made him know they were divine?
I suspect because of their sudden appearance out of nowhere by him.
They just appeared out of nowhere.
3And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
God did eat.
9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
He had told Abraham this earlier and privately now he was telling them both in public.
Maybe Abraham did not even tell Sarah what God had said the last time.
They had had enough. No wonder Sarah laughed 😂.
11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
“Shall I have pleasure” is what she was thinking of, the process was laughable to her more than the end result.
She couldn’t imagine herself having sex again.
13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
God is very mild and gentle in his dealings with man, see how he answered fearful Sarah, he simply said, “Nay but thou didst laugh”
Like an extremely generous Lord with his favourite servant, no need to fear.
See also Abraham’s reasoning with God over Sodom.
14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Dakes says, the purpose of this earthly visit of God was to see if Sodom was as wicked as God’s scouts had reported to Him. On the way … they visited their friend Abraham.
Such imagery. What a thought. See, God had been skyping and video chatting Abraham for decades, through dreams and visions and apparitions.
And now that he was driving through town he came to his friend, yes his friend.
15Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Oh my lord and my God. So loving and understanding, almost human.
16And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
Ah but God is God, of course he is under no compulsion to tell Abraham anything. Abraham is but a man.
That’s true, but you see, God is logical, humane, emotional and he is like us. There’s a reason in verse 18.
18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
God having made man custodian of the earth and renewed it in Abraham with plenty promises, how could he pass by Abraham’s house, eat, chat and yet keep mute over a matter concerning Abraham’s vicinity?
That is not just unfair but disrespectful and breaking of all sane protocol.
19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
The Jacob and Esau prophecy at birth is just like the “Gods Are Not to Blame” story.
Was it because God said what he said that caused Jacob the younger to inherit the promise or was it going to happen anyways?
Interesting read, God says, “I will go down and see” and in the next verse we see rather the two angels going down towards Sodom, and the Lord staying to converse with Abraham. After which scripture tells us the lord went his way. Meanwhile, down in Sodom, Lot welcomes two angels.
So God has a kind of oneness with the two angels such that them carrying out his commands was him carrying it out - POWER OF ATTORNEY. And we see many such examples of these in scripture and in visions of the prophets etc. Maybe the other two angels were really God.
This brings another question to mind. Why was God walking with two others? Why not come alone?
I can almost imagine God say, guys let’s go visit Abraham today.
Genesis 19 talks of the angels of God rescuing Lot from Sodom. This story presents many interesting facts.
That Lot was willing to hand over his virgin daughter for the men to rape showed the sacrifice orientals made or were ready to make for their guests.
It also shows the degree of control that fathers had over their daughters.
In verse 11 it says…
God said he would go down to Sodom and then his two companions immediately turn and head for Sodom and Gomorrah.
Could the two be the other persons of the trinity?
Later Lot calls them angels 😇 but maybe they were or not.
Both can be right because we have seen angels referred to as God or the trinity.. For instance the angel 😇 of the lord’s presence is the holy spirit.
In this case we see God say I will go and then he himself does not go but the others do.
Some food 🍲 for thought 💭.
22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Of course God was wiser than Abraham and knew not to destroy the righteous with the wicked, yet he expects us to be able to reason with him. That’s how come he created us with his breath in us to function like him. So he appreciated the conversation.
In same manner we are each created with different ways of reasoning, we thus should be able to freely reason our thoughts without fear that some other person would differ in opinion. That’s how it’s meant to be because we are all different. There is no conventional way of thinking so long as it can be defended with reason.
So God would say, come let us reason together.
24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Why did Abraham start with fifty, guess he wanted to start with a large respectable number?
33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Throughout scripture we see statements like the word of the lord came to someone saying.. but we are not told how… whether it is just a voice they hear or some whirlwind or apparition.
The descriptions are not given and that may be because they see nothing.
Because when men see visions of the most high we are clearly told.
However, here a vivid description is given because God came in person and bodily, meaning all previous times were as stated: just the word of the lord came, they heard but saw not.
Looking at how Abraham negotiated down to 10, it was a very rare privilege for man to relate with God where one could ask literally anything and get immediate answers…seeing God’s mouth and facial expressions as he talked and could hear his voice and tone.
Such a blessing, it literally lifts you to the realm of the God kind.
No wonder God rarely appears that way.
Now I wonder did he ever appear that way to any other - directly as the lord… I know Joshua beheld him as the angel of the lord’s army but not as the lord.
I think Moses also did as testified by the lord himself.