Again the Lord appeared to Abraham. He was one day sitting in the opening of his tent at noon; on looking out, there were three men to be seen standing nearby. When he saw them, with nice courtesy, Abraham ran to meet them, and bowed very deeply as he asked them, and One of them in particular, not to go away until they might wash their feet, and rest under the shadow of the nearby tree while a little food was brought out for them. And they said, “So do as thou has said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to his wife, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes on the hearth,” then he ran to the barnyard, and picked out a tender and good calf, and gave it to one of his servants to prepare at once for dinner.
It doesn’t seem that Abraham knew yet who these strangers were, but when the One Who had led the party began to speak (verse 10) he found that this was that God who had spoken to him, and had appeared to him again and again before, the One Who had promised him that land, and in whom he trusted.
I love to read this chapter; it shows us again God coming. down to this world, coming near to us to talk with us, and see what we are doing. He had done this in the garden of Eden, you remember, after sin came in, and He had come again after the flood when the city and tower of Babel were being built, and now a third time He is seen here, this time with two angels all three appearing as men, and sitting under Abraham’s tree and eating the food Abraham brought out. Nov we hear His voice (verse 10), “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life, and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” Sarah hears inside the tent and laughs to herself, not believing, and then the Lord said to Abraham, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee . . . and Sarah shall have a son.”
Nothing is too hard for God; it must have been the hardest thing He ever has done, to give up the Lord Jesus to the death of the cross, but I think it cannot be an easy thing to get boys and girls and especially older folks to believe in Jesus, and to bring them all safely to God’s home in the sky, yet God is doing those very things, and all the saved ones will be brought right home to heaven. Will it not be hard, too, to send the lost ones to hell? yet they must go there because they have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour there is for anyone.
The three rise from the meal and start toward the wicked City of Sodom, Abraham going part way with them. And now the Lord speaks as though to Himself (verses 17-19), “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” Abraham should surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations should be blessed in him, but that was not all,—”For I know him”, said He, “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, etc.” How important it is for Christian parents to train their children in the fear of God; sometimes it is not easy for them, and sometimes even saved boys and girls find it hard to be willing and obedient, but God is taking notice of these things, and His books will tell in that day that is not far away, just how both children and parents have done about the things His word speaks of.
Then in verses 20 and 21 God is telling Abraham where He was going, and why; it was to Sodom and Gomorrah, because the “cry” of them was great, and their sin very grievous, “I 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.” O I wonder what He thinks of the world now, in this day of His patient grace, since Jesus has died, the Just One for the unjust ones, while it seems as though more and more, young and old, care for nothing of God, while the end of His grace is drawing nearer and nearer.
In the latter part of the chapter Abraham speaks alone with God, the two angels going on toward Sodom, while God waits to listen to Abraham’s pleading for that doomed city. Perhaps, he said, there are fifty righteous ones within the city— forty-five even, or only forty, or just thirty, even twenty, ten perhaps, the last number Abraham speaks of—would it then be destroyed? Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Indeed He would and He will, but there were not ten in Sodom that feared God, and before the next day was really begun, that wicked city, which was Lot’s home and Gomorrah too, was utterly destroyed.
In God’s Word there are many warnings of judgment on sinners who don’t turn to Him while they have the chance. I wonder if you are unsaved, my dear young reader, who hold this paper in your hand. If you have not fled for refuge to God through Jesus, let me urge you, don’t delay. Don’t let Satan fool you into waiting. Like the people in Noah’s time, and those in Lot’s day, you may wait a day or an hour, or a moment even, too long, and the door of mercy be forever closed to you.
Jesus is calling the children
Unto His side;
Opens His arms to receive them,
Opens them wide. Gently to lead them,
Guard them and feed them, Jesus is calling
The lambs to His side.