A Friend of God
Genesis 18
1 Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.” 10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Genesis 18 is one of the most remarkable incidents in human history. The Lord Himself visited Abraham along with two angels in human form (Gen. 18:1, 10, 13, 17, 22; 19:1). The three heavenly visitors ate a meal and then the Lord revealed to Abraham and Sarah that the promise concerning a son would be fulfilled the following year. The two angels left and went toward Sodom to rescue Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family before the Lord rained fire and brimstone on that wicked city. The Lord stayed behind with Abraham and revealed to him what He was about to do. Abraham then interceded with the Lord on behalf of Sodom.
It is partly based on Genesis 18 that three times in Scripture Abraham is called the friend of God. In 2 Chronicles 20:7 King Jehoshaphat prayed “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” In Isaiah 42:8, the God Himself says, “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.” Then in the New Testament James writes, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:23).
Listen to what the LORD says in about Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19:
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him … “
The LORD says, “I have known him.” God knew Abraham intimately and because of this, He shared His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Isn’t that what friends do? We share our secrets with those we know intimately. In John 15, Christ called His disciples, and therefore us, friends, saying:
13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13–15).
Friendship with God is based on love: first, His love for us and in response, our love to Him (1 John 4:10, 19). Jesus laid down His life for His friends. He made known to His apostles all things that He heard from His Father. His friends are those who keep His commands. Friendship with the Lord is based on His sacrificial love; is a relationship of intimate knowledge; and results in our obedient faith.
God had such a deep friendship with Abraham. In Genesis 18, we will see characteristics of Abraham’s friendship with God. My hope is that each of us can similarly grow in intimacy with God as we study His word. (I drew from Gregory Brown for today’s outline).
1. Friends of God worship Him (Gen. 18:1-3)
The narrator, Moses, clues us in immediately what a special encounter Abraham has here in Genesis 18, “Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.” This event is an appearance of the Lord Himself to Abraham. It happened as Abraham is sitting in the entrance to His tent in the heat of the day.
Genesis 18:2 says, “So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him.” It seems like these three men appear out of nowhere. At this point, we don’t know if Abraham recognizes these “three men” were special and that one of them was the Lord God Himself. Many commentators believe that Abraham didn’t know this until after the meal when the Lord asked about Sarah and promised that she would give birth to a son within a year. The New Testament writer of Hebrews may be thinking about this episode in the life of Abraham when he writes, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Heb. 13:2).
Others say Abraham recognized the Lord immediately. I’m inclined to agree, because we know that God had appeared to Abraham before, and therefore, he had a familiarity with God’s presence and how the Lord appeared (Gen. 12:7; 17:1). Perhaps the Lord had appeared in the same human form at those visits. We cannot overlook how respectful Abraham was to these three men. Abraham humbles himself and honors his guests. Genesis 18:2 continues, “and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground.” The word used for “bowed” is typically translated “worship” when God is the object (Gen. 22:5; 24:26, 48, 52; Exo. 4:31; 12:27; 33:10; 34:8; Josh. 5:14; and many times in the Psalms and prophets).
Abraham not only bows, but the text says that he bowed low “to the ground.” This means that Abraham recognized that his visitors were greater than him. Whenever people see God in Scripture, they always humble themselves, as they recognize the depths of their sin. Isaiah cried out, “‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:5). Similarly, when Peter became aware of Jesus’ divine power, he cried, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8). The apostle John saw a vision of the exalted Christ in Revelation 1 and wrote: “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead” (Rev. 1:17). Friends of God know both their unworthiness and God’s worth, and therefore, they humbly worship.
Abraham said to them (Gen. 18:3), “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” Abraham addresses one of the men as “My Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ‘ăḏōnāy) meaning master, sovereign, lord or sir. He had addressed God this way before when he spoke with God in Genesis 15 (combined with יְהֹוָה, YHVH, Gen. 15:2, 8). Abraham pleads that His “Lord” not pass by without stopping if he has found favor in his Master’s sight. This statement makes more sense if Abraham had a previous relationship with the prominent one to whom he was speaking. Also, Abraham’s hospitality, while perhaps typical of Near Eastern culture, was so lavish it may indicate that he knew these men were special guests.
Abraham had known God for over twenty years; he knew God’s character and His ways. Abraham, therefore, bowed in worship to the Lord and reverence towards the two angels. Worship is a natural response for those who know God intimately. When we know God and recognize how “worthy” He is, we worship. Worship is not only a characteristic of a friend of God, but it is also a way we grow in intimacy with Him. Everywhere Abraham traveled in the land of Canaan He built an altar to the Lord.
Here, Abraham makes a priority of welcoming and serving his guests. Genuine friends continually spend time with one another because they enjoy each other. Now, certainly, nobody is saved by worship, by spending time with God. We are saved by faith in the Son of God, who paid the penalty for our sins. Abraham was justified by faith. Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Abraham believed God concerning the Son who would come forth from him who would be the Savior of the world, and God credited the work of that Savior to Abraham as righteousness (Gen. 15:6).
In other words, we are saved (justified) by faith in Christ alone, but genuine faith in Christ never stops there, but always shows itself in a life of progressive godliness, a life of worship. The one who is truly saved will spend time with God. He will know God, and God will know him.
Are you daily growing in an intimate relationship with God through worship?
2. Friends of God serve with zeal (Gen. 18:4-8)
After the three men agreed to stay, Abraham hurried to make preparations to serve them. Listen again to Genesis 18:4-8. Abraham says,
4 “Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
One of the things that cannot but stand out is Abraham’s zeal. Abraham “ran from the tent door to meet” the three men (Gen. 18:2). At his insistence they agree to stay for a bit. Kent Hughes describes the scene this way:
The sleepy camp flew into fast-forward as Abraham hurried to Sarah, told her to be quick, and then ran to a servant, who then hurried off. The minimalist “something to eat” became a huge feast. There were olnly three guests, but three seahs (six gallons) of fine flour were baked, plus a whole calf, and the meal was served along with curds (yogurt) and milk as a complement to the savory fare. It was a royal feast. As the three feasted, Abraham, the good host, stood discreetly by, willing to assist in any way.
Abraham was zealous in serving the Lord. This is common of God’s friends. Typically, they are noted for their zeal.
He was also generous. Although he initially offered simply “a morsel of bread,” he immediately hurries off to prepare a large feast! Friends of God are extremely generous. We have seen this with Abraham before. When he met the high priest, Melchizedek, he gave the Lord a tenth of all he owned (Gen 14:20). Abraham was extremely generous with his offerings to the Lord. This is true of most good friends. They are generous with their time, thoughts, emotions, and money. Why are they this way? It’s because they are friends. Good friends are generous with one another, and it’s the same with God’s friends.
Abraham was zealous in his service and generous in his giving. Are you growing in intimacy with the Lord as you serve and give? Friends of God serve with zeal.
3. Friends of God inspire faith in others (Gen. 18:9-15)
After the meal, they ask Abraham, “Where is Sarah your wife?” (Gen. 18:9). Remember that when the Lord asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer already. I think the Lord asked this so that Sarah, inside the tent, hearing her name spoken, would eaves-drop on the conversation to follow. Abraham had already heard the promise concerning Isaac (Gen. 17:15-19). Surely he had told Sarah. But she was struggling with doubt. So now the Lord comes so that Sarah can hear it straight from the Lord Himself and believe.
The Lord promised that which was humanly impossible: “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son” (Gen. 18:10). Moses then reminds us of the impossible situation “Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing” (Gen. 18:11). Sarah It was humanly impossible for her to bear a son. She was already through menopause. In her natural strength, she was barren.
Look at Sarah’s reaction to the Lord’s announcement: “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’” (Gen. 18:12). The Hebrew term for “grown old” means “worn out” like shabby old clothes. She essentially says, “My body is worn out like shabby old clothes ravaged by the years. How can I have a child?”
Although Sarah had laughed and said these things within herself, the Lord knew what she was thinking. So Genesis 18:13 says, “And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’”” Remember from Genesis 17 that Abraham had also laughed when the Lord told him about how Sarah would give birth to Isaac (Gen. 17:17). But there seems to be a difference between Abraham’s laughter and Sarah’s laughter. Sarah denied laughing and God rebuked her, “No, but you did laugh!” (Gen. 18:15). The Lord did not rebuke Abraham for laughing, but He did rebuke Sarah. Abraham’s laughter may have stemmed from his being startled or astonished at what the Lord had just told him. He had it fixed in his mind that Ishmael would be the son of the promise (as Gen. 17:18 shows). But apparently the Lord, who knows our hearts, knew that Abraham was not doubting God’s promise to give them a son through Sarah. He was just astonished at what God had said.
Two thousand years after Abraham lived, Paul summarized Abraham’s remarkable faith in Romans 4:19-21, “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Abraham decided that God could do what He said He would do.
But Sarah’s laughter was different. It stemmed from her unbelief which came from looking at things from a human perspective. She was past the age where she could bear children. Besides, she had been barren even when she was younger. Adding up all the human factors, she concluded that she could not in any way bear a son at age 90.
Sarah did not yet believe. She laughed because she didn’t believe the Lord. Clearly, Abraham’s conversation with the Lord, his faith in the promise, and the Lord’s rebuke was all part of helping Sarah grow in faith. From what we know, God had never appeared to Sarah before, but because she was in relationship with Abraham, God’s friend, the Lord came to challenge her faith.
As I have pointed out before, unbelief is sin because it implies either that God doesn’t know what He’s talking about or He isn’t able to do it. So the Lord asks a second question, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14). The most loving thing the Lord can do is to make us face our sin of unbelief: “No, you did doubt Me. Admit the truth yourself, because I know your heart.” Then He lovingly gets us to consider things from His almighty perspective. Nothing is too hard, too marvelous, too wonderful that the Lord cannot do it according to His will and for His glory. Steven Cole applies this to us:
Think about it: Is there any problem you’re facing that is too hard for God? Is there a family problem that just got so bad that the Lord would have to say, “Now it’s too tough for Me to handle”? Are any of your circumstances outside of His control? Do you suppose He’s in heaven, wringing His hands, and saying, “Oh no! I didn’t expect that to happen! I can’t deal with it now!”? Can you dare to think that there is some sin which you have committed or some awful habit to which you are enslaved which the Lord is not able to forgive and deliver you from? Is anything in your life too difficult for the Lord?
The Lord’s rebuke brought Sarah to faith. Hebrews 11:11 states, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Yes, God promised to give her a child, but she also needed to believe the promise. And it was Abraham’s relationship with God that helped her believe. Our relationship with the Lord should inspire and challenge others.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Because Abraham faithfully worshiped and served God, it opened the door for God to challenge his wife, Sarah. Can the Lord do that through you also? 1 Peter 2:12 says, “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Friends of God inspire the faith of others.
Are you a friend of God? Have you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sin? If so, are you daily spending time with the Lord hearing His word and worshipping Him? Are you serving Him with zeal and giving with generosity? Are you leading others to faith in Christ?
