LIFE SCRIPTS

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
Genesis 18:1‭-‬2 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.18.1-2.NIV

The reference used in this passage to depict God is the Hebrew word Yahweh. It can be transliterated into Jehovah. It refers to God as the Supreme God. The previous verses in chapter 17 use the term Elohim in reference to God. This is the same term used in the book of Genesis chapter 1 in reference to the Supreme Being who created the earth and the universe. Here at the beginning of chapter 18, God appears to Abraham. However, unlike the way He appears in verses before, this time, He takes the form of man. Scripture says in verse 2 that Abraham ‘looked up and saw three men standing nearby’. These three men had in the previous verse been refered to as ‘The Lord’. It’s important to note the posture of these three ‘Men’ as noted in scripture. They were standing away from Abraham. It looked like they were alive to the custom of the people of that age. Strangers, sojourners and foreigners usually sought refuge by standing in a public place for any person to show them hospitality. It’s also important to note Abraham’s posture before and after he noted the presence of these ‘Men’. Scripture says in verse 1 that Abraham was ‘sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day’. This must have been an extremely hot day going by the climatic conditions in the Middle East. Probably Abraham was taking a rest after a busy early morning. Possibly he could have been gearing up for an afternoon siesta, a normal habit for people living in very hot climatic zones. However, Abraham’s posture after noting the ‘Men’ is much more interesting. Scripture says in verse 2 that after seeing them ‘he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them!’. As restful as he could have been he still had room for hospitality towards others. However, one would pose a question…Did Abraham know that he was entertaining God when he responded hurriedly to the ‘Men’? Possibly yes. At the end of verse 2 we see why. It says that he bowed down to the ground when he met them. In those days, someone only bowed down to those he saw as greater than them. Looking at Abraham’s life at this point, it’s hard to see any other person within his community who had a greater stature than him. However, Abraham was not just having a first time encounter with the personification of God. In Genesis 14 after the defeat of Chedorlaomer and kings allied to him, Abraham was met by a priest by the name of Melchizedek, King of Salem. He had had a one on one encounter with God. He had experienced His presence before. He had communed with God and sought Him on numerous occasions. He had walked with God at such a personal level that he could not mistake His presence. In the previous chapter, God had spoken to him so clearly. Here in this passage, the same God was revealing Himself more to him. In the eyes of an ordinary men, these ‘Men’ could have been mistaken for lost herdsmen, strangers or foreigners. However, Abraham knew that they weren’t ordinary men. They were representative of God Himself. Are there instances in our lives when we miss the move of God because we are not in touch with Him? Are there instances in our lives when people inspired of the Holy Spirit speak to us while pointing us towards God’s will yet we ignore them? Are there instances when we are bypassed by God’s presence because we can’t sense Him? Our constant communion with God draws us close to Him. The more we commune and fellowship with Him, the more He reveals Himself to us in more different and unique ways and the more we shall be able to sense His move and fellowship with Him all the more.