THEOPHANY
At the start of Genesis 18, we’re told that the LORD himself appears to Abraham— “And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.” Then, in Genesis 19:1, we learn that two of these men are angels— “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening.” So what we have here is a remarkable, supernatural encounter. God himself, accompanied by his angels, has appeared to Abraham.
This is what we would call a theophany, a visible appearance of God to people.
Throughout Scripture, there is a consistent emphasis on the invisible nature of God. For example, in Exodus 33:20, we’re told, “Man shall not see me and live.” Out of that truth we encounter an important question, “How can the invisible God appear visibly to man?”
Well, I think the New Testament gives us an important lens here. We’re told that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus himself said in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am.”
So, if Jesus existed before the foundation of the world, if he is the creator of all things, then it seems plausible that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus.
Now, I have no clue how that’s possible. But, I do know that with God all things are possible. So, we may not explicitly know how the Creator of all things makes himself visible to man here. But what we do know with full confidence is that the invisible God has made himself known to Abraham. The invisible God has made himself visible. He has drawn near to Abraham, meeting him right where he is, sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
ABRAHAM’S RIGHT RESPONSE
Now, I want us to next notice how Abraham responds to this appearance— “When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, ‘Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.’ And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.”
There are several things worth highlighting in Abraham’s response. As we watch him carefully, we see that his actions are humble, eager, extravagant, and selfless.
First, Abraham responds with humility. In verses 2–3, he bows himself to the ground and says, “O Lord… do not pass by your servant.” In other words, “Oh, Lord, please don’t go! Stay here and bless me with your presence!”
Humility flows out of a proper view of God and a proper view of self. Abraham understood who he is in relation to the one before him. God is great, majestic, and worthy, and Abraham approaches him accordingly.
Second, Abraham responds with eagerness. Notice the repetition of urgency in the passage— “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.”
In the ancient Near East, hospitality was expected, especially for travelers exposed to heat, hunger, and danger. But this goes beyond mere cultural obligation. There’s a sense that Abraham recognizes something unique about his visitors. And so he moves without hesitation. His actions model for us that there ought to be a readiness, even an eagerness, when it comes to serving the Lord.
Third, Abraham’s response is extravagant. He offers “a little water” and “a morsel of bread,” but what he actually provides is a feast. He provides a tender calf, cakes of fine flour, curds, and milk. He under-promises and over-delivers. Abraham doesn’t give what is minimal; he gives what is costly. His actions here remind us that God is not simply worthy of our leftovers; He is worthy of our very best.
Finally, Abraham’s response is selfless. Verse 8 tells us, “He stood by them under the tree while they ate.” There’s no indication that Abraham himself ate any of the meal. He prepares, he serves, and then he stands. He gives without any expectation of receiving.
That cuts against the grain of our natural instincts, doesn’t it? The sinful part of our hearts wants to give to receive. The sinful part of our hearts are willing to prepare extravagant things for others as long as we get to partake in extravagant things, too. Sin drives us to give in order to receive, to serve in ways that benefit us in return. But true service is often seen in one’s willingness to give generously, even when nothing comes back in return.
Are you will to prepare to do something for someone else even if you get nothing in return?
SERVING OTHERS = SERVING THE LORD
When the LORD and his two angels appeared before Abraham, Abraham extended a warm hospitality that was humble, eager, extravagant, and selfless. And you might be thinking, “Well, I sure hope he did! It’s God! If God showed up at my doorstep, I would do the same!”
But, I want to remind you of Jesus’ words about the final judgment in Matthew 25:31-46.
“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Please do not overlook the fact that Jesus is saying that we’re all in a similar situation as Abraham when it comes to the people that we come in contact with each and every day. We are not as far removed from Abraham’s situation as we might think. We may not have the LORD visibly standing in front of us. But every day we encounter people made in His image. Every day we encounter people whose needs present us with opportunities to serve. And according to Jesus, how we respond to them is, in a real sense, how we respond to Him.
Could it be that, if we’re honest, the issue isn’t a lack of opportunity, but a lack of awareness? Should our prayer life evolve into praying that God opens our eyes to the opportunities before us?
Spring time is a busy season for the Parazine household. From being a pastor to being a school teacher to being a barber to being a dad to being a husband, it feels like I’m wearing a lot of hats right now. My calendar is often full and I feel like I’m running from one thing to the next. And, if we’re not careful, busy schedules can lead to blind eyes. So, I’ve been praying this week that God will keep my head up, my eyes open, and my heart willing. That I will be able to see the opportunities that God has put in front of us to serve others humbly and selflessly, and that I will be willing to serve others humbly and selflessly.
THE ALL KNOWING GOD
Let’s continue reading.
“9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
So, the LORD has revisited the previous promise made by God to Abraham regarding Sarah having a child. But this time he does so with greater clarity. Sarah wont just conceive and have a child someday; within a year, she will be holding her own child.
But how does sneaky little Sarah respond?
As she’s listening from behind the tent door, she laughed to herself. She mumbled under her breath, “Psh. Am I going to have a child now that I’m old?”
And although Sarah isn’t present, God hears her mumble, which leads to him saying to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
We shouldn’t rush past what’s happening here. The text is intentional. Sarah is not in front of them; she’s behind the tent door. And yet, God knows exactly what she said. Not just her words, but her thoughts. The quiet, internal response of her heart was seen and heard by God.
This is a powerful reminder: there is nothing in our lives hidden from God.
There’s a temptation to believe we can keep parts of our lives tucked away hidden behind our own “tent door.” But no door is thick enough, no distance far enough, no silence quiet enough to keep anything from Him. God sees all, hears all, and knows all. So when the all-knowing God asks, “Why did Sarah laugh?” it’s not because He lacks information; it’s because He’s bringing her heart into the light.
And Sarah, afraid of being exposed, responds the way we often do: “I did not laugh.” And I love the LORD’s response: “No, but you did laugh.” God’s response is direct. It’s truthful. And it’s revealing.
Friends, we all have a little Sarah in us, don’t we? How often, when confronted with our sin, is our first instinct to deny it? To minimize it? To cover it?
We are natural hiders. We don’t want our shortcomings to come to light. And sin has a way of compounding itself. In Sarah’s case, doubt gives way to fear, and fear leads to dishonesty. And the same pattern can show up in our own lives.
But here’s the good news of the gospel: we don’t have to hide. We will sin. We are not perfect. But the invitation of the gospel is to come to the light so that you might be met with grace, mercy, and forgiveness. My hope as a pastor is that my words, tone, and posture will always be rooted in truth, communicating the seriousness of sin. But, my hope is that my words, tone, and posture will also always be rooted in grace, communicating the seriousness of God’s willingness to shower us in grace.
Grace without truth and truth without grace will keep us in the dark. But truth with grace gently calls us out of darkness where we can experience a freedom in Christ. The invitation of the gospel is not to cover up and hide our sin. The invitation of the gospel is to bring our sin into the light, where we are met not with condemnation, but with grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
A CHOSEN PEOPLE WHO WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE
God then shifts his focus to what’s taking place in the neighboring city of Sodom. Listen to what the LORD says in verses 17-21, “The LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed? For I have chosen him, 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 to Abraham what he has promised him.’ Then the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.’”
In these verses, we see a clear contrast being drawn. God is contrasting how He will relate to Abraham and his descendants with how He will deal with Sodom and Gomorrah. And not only that, He’s also contrasting the lifestyle of Abraham (righteousness and justice) with the lifestyle of Sodom (wickedness and injustice). In doing this, the LORD is essentially giving Abraham a glimpse behind the curtain of what he will do next. He’s showing Abraham what He is about to do and why he’s about to do it.
I want you to first notice how the LORD describes Abraham here— “For I have chosen him, 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 to Abraham what he has promised him.” God’s chosen people were (and still are) expected to walk in righteousness and justice.
At a fundamental level, righteousness means doing what is right; it is to live with moral integrity. But, what’s important for us to remember is the foundation of this righteousness. Back in chapter 15, we’re told that Abraham “believed the LORD and he counted it to him as righteousness.” So, righteousness was not a status Abraham acquired through his actions; it was a gift received through faith. In Genesis 15, we first see an imputed righteousness, and here in Genesis 18, we see a practiced righteousness. Before there was a righteousness practiced in Genesis 18, there was a righteousness credited in Genesis 15.
This pattern displayed in Genesis is carried over into the New Testament. In Romans, we’re told that in Christ we are made and declared righteous through faith. And then we’re told that those who have been declared righteous are expected to walk in righteousness! We are to become “slaves to righteousness (Rom 6:18.” We are to “present ourselves as instruments for righteousness (Rom 6:13).” Put simply, righteousness is a position we receive and a life we pursue. Those who have been declared righteous, will seek to walk in righteousness.
Now, right alongside righteousness, Abraham and his descendants are called to practice justice. The Hebrew word mishpat carries the idea of treating all people rightly are fairly.
Timothy Keller says, “The Hebrew word for ‘justice,’ mishpat, occurs in its various forms more than 200 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Its most basic meaning is to treat people equitably. It means (1.) acquitting or punishing every person on the merits of the case, regardless of race or social status. Anyone who does the same wrong should be given the same penalty... But mishpat means more than just the punishment of wrongdoing. It also means (2.) giving people their rights. Deuteronomy 18 directs that the priests of the tabernacle should be supported by a certain percentage of the people’s income. This support is described as “the priests’ mishpat,” which means their due or their right. Mishpat, then, is giving people what they are due, whether punishment or protection or care.”
So, in its purest form, “acting justly” means doing what is right and treating people fairly. It’s doing what is right in how we treat others. The things we do to, with, and for others should be described as true, honest, and right. In other words, they shouldn’t be manipulative, degrading, conniving, or wrong. Injustice will always be present until the day Jesus returns. But the inescapable reality of injustice is not an excuse for us to turn a blind eye to injustice. Therefore, we must be honest with ourselves and we must carefully evaluate our hearts.
God’s chosen people are expected to walk in righteousness and justice. In the midst of a world filled with injustice, the church must be filled with men and women who do justice.
JUDGMENT COMING FOR THE WICKED
Now, unlike Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah were a people known not for their righteousness and justice. Back in chapter 13, we see that “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD (Gen 13:13).” Their sin has become so severe that an outcry has risen up before God regarding them. And it has become very great, and their sin is very grave.
Their wickedness was not hidden. It wasn’t ignored. And it wasn’t overlooked. It was seen and heard by God, and he was prepared to take action against them.
Friends, we must never forget that God is just, and he does not turn a blind eye to sin. He sees the wickedness of the world, and he will deal accordingly with it. A righteous God demands righteous living, and he will deal justly with the unrighteous. A just God demands justice, and he will deal justly with the unjust.
After this news is brought before Abraham, Abraham seeks to intercede for the righteous who are in Sodom. He says, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.”
What I think we are finding displayed before us here is the fact that righteousness was far from the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were a wicked people, and judgment was coming. And God was willing to hold back if there was simply ten righteous people in the city. He was willing to save an entire city for the sake of ten righteous. But, they were no where to be found.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
In Genesis 18, what stands out to you about how God appears to Abraham? What might this teach us about God’s desire to be known?
Which aspect of Abraham’s response (humility, eagerness, extravagance, selflessness) challenges you the most right now? Why?
In light of Matthew 25:31–46, how does serving others become a way of serving God? What practical changes could help you be more aware of everyday opportunities to serve? Where might busyness be keeping you from seeing opportunities to serve? What is one concrete way you can serve someone this week with no expectation of return?
How have you personally experienced the difference between hiding sin and bringing it into the light?
The message distinguishes between imputed righteousness (Genesis 15) and practiced righteousness (Genesis 18). Why is that distinction important?
What does God’s willingness to spare a city for ten righteous people teach us about His character?