Genesis 18:1-5 "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said."
Abraham appears to have been a man given to hospitality. Scholars tell us that Abraham was not simply shielding himself from the heat of the day. He sat in the door of the tent watching for any travelers who would certainly need a respite from the heat and some refreshment for their journey. At a time when Abraham was looking to aid anyone in need, the LORD appeared unto him.
This is one occasion in the Old Testament where we see a manifestation of the Triune God. Abraham looked and saw three men approaching his tent. He ran from his tent door to meet them. This might not seem like a big deal until we recall that Abraham was already a hundred years old. Yet, seeing the LORD draw near, Abraham ran to meet Him and bowed down in worship.
The LORD often appears when we are looking to do some kindness, not for recognition or reward, but simply because it is right. He has given us this desire to start with and shows Himself to us as we seek to deal kindly with those around us. God revealed something of Himself to Abraham in this encounter. And Abraham recognized these three as One.
Notice when Abraham spoke to them, he did not say “my Lords” as though he spoke to three men. He spoke to the three and said, “my Lord.” It might seem strange to us that God would come to Abraham in such a fashion. Why would the LORD be moved to wait for His feet to be washed, or want to rest, or eat a morsel of bread?
There is a beautiful picture here of the words of Jesus. He told us in the gospel as recorded by Matthew that if we do one of these kind deeds to the least of our brothers or sisters, we have done it unto Him. Abraham was the very embodiment of this teaching. And it pleased God to wait on Abraham’s ministrations.
Dear ones, let us watch for every opportunity to be of help to another. It may be that we will look up from out tent door and realize that our Lord stands before us. What a wonder it is that God the Son finished all that God the Father gave Him to do, and God the Holy Spirit reveals this wonderful truth to us! And yet we understand that these three are One just as Abraham did.