Genesis 18:3
"My lord," said Abraham, "if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.
My lord
The Hebrew word used here is "Adonai," which is often used to denote respect and reverence. In this context, Abraham is addressing one of the three visitors, whom he perceives as a divine figure. This term reflects Abraham's recognition of the visitors' authority and his humility before them. Historically, the use of "Adonai" signifies a deep acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and presence, which is consistent with the conservative Christian view of God's omnipotence and the importance of reverence in worship.

if I have found favor
The phrase "found favor" is derived from the Hebrew "chen," meaning grace or favor. This expression is a common biblical motif, indicating a request for kindness or mercy. In the ancient Near Eastern context, finding favor was crucial for establishing relationships and receiving blessings. From a theological perspective, this reflects the grace that believers seek from God, emphasizing the unmerited favor that is central to Christian doctrine.

in your sight
The Hebrew word for "sight" is "ayin," which literally means "eye." This phrase suggests being under the watchful and discerning gaze of the Lord. It implies a desire for approval and acceptance from God, highlighting the importance of living a life pleasing to Him. In a broader scriptural context, it underscores the belief that God sees and knows all, and that His perception is what truly matters.

please do not pass
The plea "do not pass" is a heartfelt request for the divine presence to remain. The Hebrew root "abar" means to pass over or by, and in this context, it conveys a deep yearning for continued fellowship and blessing. This reflects the conservative Christian emphasis on the importance of God's presence in one's life and the desire for ongoing communion with Him.

your servant by
The term "servant" is translated from the Hebrew "ebed," which denotes a position of humility and service. Abraham's self-identification as a servant highlights his submission and willingness to serve the Lord. This aligns with the Christian call to servanthood, where believers are encouraged to serve God and others selflessly. The historical context of servitude in the ancient world further emphasizes the depth of Abraham's humility and devotion.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Abraham
The central figure in this passage, Abraham is a patriarch of the faith, known for his obedience and faithfulness to God. Here, he demonstrates hospitality and reverence.

2. The Lord
In this context, the Lord appears to Abraham in the form of three men. This theophany is a significant event where God communicates directly with Abraham.

3. The Oaks of Mamre
This is the location where Abraham is residing when the Lord appears to him. It is a place of significance in Abraham's life, associated with divine encounters.

4. Hospitality Event
Abraham's invitation to the visitors to stay is an act of hospitality, reflecting the cultural and spiritual importance of welcoming strangers.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Hospitality
Abraham's example teaches us the value of welcoming and serving others, reflecting God's love and grace.

Recognizing Divine Opportunities
We should be attentive to moments when God may be working in our lives through unexpected visitors or situations.

Favor and Obedience
Finding favor in God's sight often involves a heart of obedience and willingness to serve, as demonstrated by Abraham.

Reverence and Humility
Abraham's approach to the Lord with humility and respect is a model for how we should approach God in our lives.

Faith in Action
Abraham's actions show that faith is not just belief but is demonstrated through deeds, aligning with the teachings in James.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Abraham's hospitality in Genesis 18:3 reflect the cultural and spiritual values of his time, and how can we apply these values today?

2. In what ways can we be more attentive to divine opportunities in our daily lives, similar to Abraham's encounter with the Lord?

3. How does the concept of finding favor in God's sight, as seen in Abraham's life, influence our understanding of obedience and service?

4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate reverence and humility in our relationship with God, following Abraham's example?

5. How does the connection between faith and action in Abraham's life challenge us to live out our faith in tangible ways, as encouraged in the book of James?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Hebrews 13:2
This verse encourages believers to show hospitality, as some have entertained angels without knowing it, directly connecting to Abraham's experience.

Matthew 25:35-40
Jesus speaks about serving others as serving Him, which parallels Abraham's service to the Lord through his hospitality.

James 2:23
This verse refers to Abraham as a friend of God, highlighting the relational aspect of his faith, which is evident in his interaction with the Lord in Genesis 18.
A Prelude to the IncarnationT. H. LealeGenesis 18:1-8
Abraham, the Friend of GodS. R. Candlish, D. D.Genesis 18:1-8
Abraham's Celestial VisitorsHomilistGenesis 18:1-8
Abraham's HospitalityBp. Babington.Genesis 18:1-8
HospitalityJ. H. Jones.Genesis 18:1-8
HospitalityGenesis 18:1-8
Mysterious VisitorsW. S. Smith, B. D.Genesis 18:1-8
The Advent in the TheophanyW. F. Adeney, M. A.Genesis 18:1-8
The Coming of God, and the Welcome of ManH. T. Edwards, M. A.Genesis 18:1-8
The Divine GuestF. B. Meyer, B. A.Genesis 18:1-8
The Duty of HospitalityT. H. Leale.Genesis 18:1-8
The Trite HospitalityBp. Babington.Genesis 18:1-8
The Theophany At MamreW. Roberts Genesis 18:1-15
The Theophany At MamreR.A. Redford Genesis 18:1-15
People
Abraham, Mamre, Sarah
Places
Canaan, Gomorrah, Sodom, Sodom and Gomorrah
Topics
Favor, Favour, Grace, Pass, Please, Servant, Sight
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 18:3

     7160   servants of the Lord

Genesis 18:1-5

     7342   cleanliness

Genesis 18:1-6

     5578   tents

Genesis 18:1-8

     4476   meals
     5077   Abraham, character
     5765   attitudes, to people

Genesis 18:1-22

     1454   theophany
     5076   Abraham, life of

Genesis 18:1-33

     1511   Trinity, relationships in

Genesis 18:2-5

     8447   hospitality, examples

Genesis 18:2-14

     1210   God, human descriptions

Genesis 18:3-5

     4438   eating
     5387   leisure, pastimes

Genesis 18:3-6

     4418   bread

Library
January 5. "I Know Him that He Will do the Law" (Gen. xviii. 19).
"I know him that he will do the law" (Gen. xviii. 19). God wants people that He can depend upon. He could say of Abraham, "I know him, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham all that He hath spoken." God can be depended upon; He wants us to be just as decided, as reliable, as stable. This is just what faith means. God is looking for men on whom He can put the weight of all His love, and power, and faithful promises. When God finds such a soul there is nothing He will not do for him. God's engines are
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

'Because of his Importunity'
'And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him! For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

There is a Great Question About Lying, which Often Arises in the Midst Of...
1. There is a great question about Lying, which often arises in the midst of our every day business, and gives us much trouble, that we may not either rashly call that a lie which is not such, or decide that it is sometimes right to tell a lie, that is, a kind of honest, well-meant, charitable lie. This question we will painfully discuss by seeking with them that seek: whether to any good purpose, we need not take upon ourselves to affirm, for the attentive reader will sufficiently gather from the
St. Augustine—On Lying

Whether the Proofs which Christ Made Use of Manifested Sufficiently the Truth of his Resurrection?
Objection 1: It would seem that the proofs which Christ made use of did not sufficiently manifest the truth of His Resurrection. For after the Resurrection Christ showed nothing to His disciples which angels appearing to men did not or could not show; because angels have frequently shown themselves to men under human aspect, have spoken and lived with them, and eaten with them, just as if they were truly men, as is evident from Genesis 18, of the angels whom Abraham entertained. and in the Book of
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Epistle Lii. To Natalis, Bishop .
To Natalis, Bishop [1463] . Gregory to Natalis, Bishop of Salona. As though forgetting the tenour of former letters, I had determined to say nothing to your Blessedness but what should savour of sweetness: but, now that in your epistle you have recurred in the way of argumentation to preceding letters, I am once more compelled to say perhaps some things that I had rather not have said. For in defence of feasts your Fraternity mentions the feast of Abraham, in which by the testimony of Holy Scripture
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Miscellaneous.
THE SABBATH. THIS day is called the Lord's day, the day in which he rose from the dead. The Lord's day: every day, say some, is the Lord's day. Indeed this, for discourse' sake, may he granted; but strictly, no day can so properly be called the Lord's day, as this first day of the week; for that no day of the week, or of the year, has those hadges of the Lord's glory upon it, nor such divine grace put upon it, as his first day of the week. There is nothing, as I know of, that bears this title but
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

The Leaven.
"Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."--MATT. xiii. 33. In the mustard-seed we saw the kingdom growing great by its inherent vitality; in the leaven we see it growing great by a contagious influence. There, the increase was attained by development from within; here, by acquisitions from without. It is not that there are two distinct ways in which the Gospel may gain complete
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Sanctification and Justification.
"Yield your members servants to righteousness unto sanctification." --Rom. vi. 19. Sanctification must remain sanctification. It may not arbitrarily be robbed of its significance, nor be exchanged for something else. It must always signify the making holy of what is unholy or less holy. Care must be taken not to confound sanctification with justification; a common mistake, frequently made by thoughtless Scripture readers. Hence the importance of a thorough understanding of this difference. Being
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
In order accurately to understand the position of woman in Israel, it is only necessary carefully to peruse the New Testament. The picture of social life there presented gives a full view of the place which she held in private and in public life. Here we do not find that separation, so common among Orientals at all times, but a woman mingles freely with others both at home and abroad. So far from suffering under social inferiority, she takes influential and often leading part in all movements, specially
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Debt of Irenæus to Justin Martyr
If we are to proceed with safety in forming a judgment as to the relation between Justin and Irenæus in respect of the matter which they have in common, it will be necessary not merely to consider a number of selected parallels, but also to examine the treatment of a particular theme in the two writers. Let us set side by side, for example, c. 32 of Justin's First Apology with c. 57 of the Demonstration. Justin has been explaining to his Roman readers who the Jewish prophets were, and then
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

Difficulties and Objections
"Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal?" (Ezek. 18:25). A convenient point has been reached when we may now examine, more definitely, some of the difficulties encountered and the objections which might be advanced against what we have written in previous pages. The author deemed it better to reserve these for a separate consideration rather than deal with them as he went along, requiring as that would have done the
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

How those are to be Admonished who Praise the Unlawful Things of which they are Conscious, and those who While Condemning Them, in no Wise Guard
(Admonition 32.) Differently to be admonished are they who even praise the unlawful things which they do, and those who censure what is wrong, and yet avoid it not. For they who even praise the unlawful things which they do are to be admonished to consider how for the most part they offend more by the mouth than by deeds. For by deeds they perpetrate wrong things in their own persons only; but with the mouth they bring out wickedness in the persons of as many as there are souls of hearers, to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Fifteenth Day for Schools and Colleges
WHAT TO PRAY.--For Schools and Colleges "As for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith the Lord: My Spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LoThe future of the Church and the world depends, to an extent we little conceive, on the education of the day. The Church may be seeking to evangelise the heathen, and be giving up her own children to secular
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Prayer Taught and Encouraged.
(Probably Judæa.) ^C Luke XI. 1-13. ^c 1 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. [Jesus had already taught his disciples how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount. This disciple probably thought that the prayer already taught was too brief to be sufficient, especially as Jesus often prayed so long. It was customary for the rabbis to give their disciples forms
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Sundry Exhortations.
HEBREWS xiii. Let love of the brethren continue. Forget not to shew love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; them that are evil entreated, as being yourselves also in the body. Let marriage be had in honour among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for Himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee,
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

In the Present Crusade against the Bible and the Faith of Christian Men...
IN the present crusade against the Bible and the Faith of Christian men, the task of destroying confidence in the first chapter of Genesis has been undertaken by Mr. C. W. Goodwin, M.A. He requires us to "regard it as the speculation of some Hebrew Descartes or Newton, promulgated in all good faith as the best and most probable account that could be then given of God's Universe." (p. 252.) Mr. Goodwin remarks with scorn, that "we are asked to believe that a vision of Creation was presented to him
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

The Baptismal Covenant Can be Kept Unbroken. Aim and Responsibility of Parents.
We have gone "to the Law and to the Testimony" to find out what the nature and benefits of Baptism are. We have gathered out of the Word all the principal passages bearing on this subject. We have grouped them together, and studied them side by side. We have noticed that their sense is uniform, clear, and strong. Unless we are willing to throw aside all sound principles of interpretation, we can extract from the words of inspiration only one meaning, and that is that the baptized child is, by virtue
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

"And There is None that Calleth Upon Thy Name, that Stirreth up Himself to Take Hold on Thee,"
Isaiah lxiv. 7.--"And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee," &c. They go on in the confession of their sins. Many a man hath soon done with that a general notion of sin is the highest advancement in repentance that many attain to. You may see here sin and judgment mixed in thorough other(315) in their complaint. They do not so fix their eyes upon their desolate estate of captivity, as to forget their provocations. Many a man would spend more affection,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Wonderful.
Isaiah ix:6. HIS name shall be called "Wonderful" (Isaiah ix:6). And long before Isaiah had uttered this divine prediction the angel of the Lord had announced his name to be Wonderful. As such He appeared to Manoah. And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honor. And the angel of Jehovah said unto Him "why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is Wonderful" (margin, Judges xiii:17-18). This angel of Jehovah, the Person who
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Wisdom and Revelation.
"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness
W. H. Griffith Thomas—The Prayers of St. Paul

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