seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 18:18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,[a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs (b) of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,[a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs (b) of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Genesis 18:3 Or eyes, Lord
Genesis 18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
36 pounds of flour.... to make bread with.... that is a lot of bread!
The Bible is rich with stories about how to treat visitors. There will be a lot more to learn about visitors when we get to Sodom. It's verses 10-15 that come to life for me this morning.
It's the heat of the day. Three guests have just appeared out of nowhere and Sarah has to make bread. It's hot.... and she's baking bread and then these three visitors start talking about Sarah having a baby. It's been 13 years since God told Abraham that he would be the beginning of a great nation. Sarah had done everything she could do to make that happen. She had even offered Hagar [that proud, gloating woman] as a surrogate just so Abraham could have the family he was always bragging about. She's 90 years old for crying out loud. She should be post postmenopausal by now. Here she stands, baking bread and these men are talking childbirth.
It's not that she wasn't desirable. She couldn't be an old hag. Just a few years ago the king of Egypt wanted her. Everyone back then talked about her beauty. She just couldn't conceive a child. She wanted to.... but she was 90 now and she must have resigned herself to the "fact" that she just never going to have a child.
This, to Sarah, has got to seem like some cruel joke. I bet in today's vernacular she'd be saying "Yeah right!" or "Are you out of your mind?"
Then those three men had the nerve to ask "why do you laugh?" It's a wonder to me that she didn't just throw that 36 pounds of flour at them. Everyone thinks she just should accept what these three men say, but come on.... she's 90 and her internal clock has simply got to have run out.... After all there were no fertility clinics or OB/GYN doctors to visit back then. Everyone thinks that she lied, but in Sarah's situation I would consider that she was just facing reality, as she knew it.
It would have been rude to laugh at these guests. She wasn't being rude.... she wasn't lying.... she was just totally convinced, based on everything that she had learned about being a woman that the idea of her getting pregnant now was just out of the question. She had resigned herself to it. As much as she wanted to be a mother.... I think Sarah really wanted a baby but she just figured it was impossible now that she had tried so hard for so long with no results.
I don't think Sarah was laughing at the guests.... I think she was tired of everyone rubbing it in.... especially these guests who were about to eat all that bread that she was preparing for them in the middle of the day.... 36 pounds of flour makes a whole lot of bread.
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