What a lovely meal Abraham provided for the three men who came to his tent door! Perhaps you never thought God takes knowledge of what we serve for our guests, but He does! Abraham and Sarah both had their part, as well as one of Abraham’s young men, in preparing the cakes, the meat which was so “tender and good,” along with the butter and milk too! Wouldn’t you like to have helped in preparing that lovely meal for those three men, who were really the Lord and two angels? What a privilege it was! But I hear some people saying, “The Lord never came to my house, nor angels either!” Well, they haven’t come in a way that you could see them — that’s true — but we have a nice verse for you. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40). When you help mother prepare the dinner, you can do it as if you were really doing it for the Lord! That would make you want to do it well, would it not?
Sarah’s Unbelief
The Lord again promised that Sarah was going to have a son. When Sarah heard this, she laughed. She did not think it was possible. The Lord heard her and asked why she had laughed. Sarah then denied it and said she had not laughed. Abram had laughed with pleasure in the seventeenth verse of the previous chapter, but Sarah laughed because of unbelief. The Lord knows the very reason why we do things!
At last the three men set out for Sodom, and Abraham accompanied them. It is just another little reminder of the kind of hospitality Abraham showed his guests.
Many years ago a dear servant of God had been holding meetings in a certain place. There was a young man in the home who always managed to stay out of sight. He did not want to be spoken to about his soul, though it was evident he was under deep exercise. On the night of the last meeting he went quietly to his room and accepted Christ as his Saviour. Can you guess what was the first result seen in his life? Well, it was just this. Early the next morning, the preacher had to take the train for home, and who should offer to carry his bags to the station but this very young man who had been avoiding him! Yes, he now wanted to be in his company, and like Abraham he helped “to bring him on his way.”
God’s Purposes in His Word
Would God hide His purposes from Abraham? No! That is why God has given us His Word. He has told us about all His counsels, though unsaved men cannot understand them. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Don’t expect your unsaved friends to understand the Bible. It is not until we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Saviour that we have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us to teach us its meaning.
Abraham was a strict father, though he was a loving one too (Genesis 22:2). God said of him, “He will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord.” He did not allow his children to do as they liked. He made them obey because he loved them, and he knew that true happiness was the result of obedience.
Further Meditation
1. Why did Sarah laugh when she heard the Lord’s promise that she would have a son?
2. Serving others is a huge privilege for every believer. Often that service comes without thanks or encouragement from other people. How did Ruth serve in a simple way without trying to attract attention to herself? What were some of the results?
3. You would no doubt enjoy and benefit from reading the pamphlet Christian Service by W. J. Prost.