By Rev. Dan Puckett, of Life Action Ministries

In the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 18, we see an amazing meeting between the Living God of Heaven and Abraham.

Abraham was sitting in his tent door in the heat of the day, looked up, and saw three strangers. Abraham, in typical Middle Eastern culture, hurried to greet and entertain his guests. There is no indication that Abraham knew who these men were, even though he addressed one of them as “My Lord” (verse 3). We see who they were later in verse 13 where it states, “And the Lord said to Abraham . . . .” The text has all letters of the word “Lord” capitalized, which means this was Jehovah God appearing as a man at Abraham’s house.

Abraham, his wife Sarah, and his servants were busy washing the strangers’ feet, preparing a meal, and making the visitors feel welcome. All of this had to take some time because the text says they also killed a calf and cooked it.

While they were eating, Abraham stood by them to serve them (verse 8). They asked Abraham where Sarah was. He said she was in the tent. Then “He,” Jehovah God, told Abraham that Sarah was going to have a baby boy. Now Sarah was listening in on the conversation, and when she heard about the child to be born to her, she laughed (verse 12). God, “the Lord,” said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” I do not sense this was a rebuke; just a question. Sarah said she did not laugh, but God said, “No, but you did laugh.”

This warm exchange between Jehovah God, Abraham, and Sarah shows us a side of God that we usually do not realize. We hear how loving and gracious God is, but here we see it.

The men stood up to leave and Abraham walked with them. Now God showed profound respect for Abraham by including him in a conversation about the future of Sodom. God said of Abraham, in verse 19, “For I have chosen him . . . .”

If God came to Abraham’s house, maybe He will come to ours. Are we ready to receive Him?