JESUS and the Visit with Abraham (Gen.17-19)

In Gen.17:1, the LORD appears to Abram... and again, we're not sure exactly how.  Maybe just in voice, but what's important in this chapter is the message.  The LORD reminds Abram of God's covenant with him, and that his name will now be Abraham, because God will make him the father of a multitude of nations, exceedingly fruitful... nations will be made of him... and kings will come from him.  And the sign of this covenant would be circumcision.

Then God tells Abraham that Sarai's name will now be Sarah, because God was going to bless her... she would have a son... and become a mother of nations... kings of peoples would come from her.

Abraham falls on his face laughing!  He was 100 and Sarah was 99.  What follows is this... Because of Abraham's persistence, God finally tells Abraham that Ishmael would be blessed... he would be fruitful... God would multiply him exceedingly... and become a great nation.  Then - God spends quite a bit of time convincing Abraham that they would indeed have their own son named Isaac.

And right after this message from God that Abraham and Sarah would have an impossible birth... God appears to Abraham in flesh-like-form (still 100% God)...

(Genesis 18:1-3)  Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he (Abraham) was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by..."

HERE IS a manifestation of God... in man-like-form, along with two angels also in man-like-form... Abraham obviously recognized the LORD.  After he had prepared a wonderful meal for the "men",  Abraham was told once again that he was going to have a son with Sarah - within the year.  And this time it was Sarah's turn to laugh, for she had been inside the tent eavesdropping.  Being all-knowing, the LORD mentions this to Abraham, as well as makes this statement... "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?"  Interestingly, after the virgin Mary had been told that she would conceive a child of the Holy Spirit, the angel who delivered the news also stated... "For nothing will be impossible with God."

At the end of their meal, the LORD sends the two angels out to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (because of their great sinfulness), but He stays behind to let Abraham in on what was going to happen and why... giving Abraham a chance to petition for his nephew Lot and his family who now lived in Sodom.  Abraham negotiates with the LORD, who agrees that if there are ten righteous people found in the city, the city would not be destroyed.  Obviously God knew that there were not even that many.  The city is destroyed!  But God, having Abraham's concern in mind, had compassion and arranged for Lot to safely escape, along with whichever family members wanted to be saved.  Only Lot and the two younger daughters were spared.  And even THEY had to be dragged out!  How much did they love that sinful environment???

Anyway, my personal takeaway from all this is that Jesus wants us to have discussions with Him... He cares!... we CAN ask Him for favors... and He CAN make things happen... After seeing the consequences of what can happen when we persist with selfish prayers... now when I ask God for something - I try to follow that up with - "I only want that to happen if it is in Your will... If something is going to cause misery to me or someone else... I do not want it.  Give me peace and contentment no matter what happens."  GOD KNOWS BEST best ! ! !