WHO WERE THE THREE MEN THAT APPEARED TO ABRAHAM IN GENESIS 18?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
Genesis 18:2-5 says “Then the Lord appeared to him by [a]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.”(NKJV).
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
Genesis 18:1 says “Then the Lord appeared to him by [a]the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.”
The above text reveals that God appeared to Abraham by the terebinth tree of Mamre as he sat down in his tent door in the heat of the day and Abraham attended to them as his valued guests. This Scripture draws a number of theological questions that must be addressed at this point.
Did God appear to Abraham in the form of a human being or were the three persons angelic beings, with one being an archangel?
If these men appeared as ordinary human beings, does this imply that God revealed Himself in flesh at this point?
Was this theophany prior evidence of God’s pre-incarnate coming before Christ?
Did Abraham understand or perceive that these men were divine beings? How should the ordinary reader of Scripture construe this text?
We shall attempt answers to some of the above questions.
Let us begin by evaluating some theological theories advanced by Bible scholars on this text.
Some Bible scholars suggest that the three men were spiritual heavenly beings, now assuming human bodies, that they might be visible to Abraham, and conversable with him.[1] The assumption here is that God has to conform to a nature that could interact with men. This view appears to be consistent with the passage context. The men were no ordinary beings even as they had the semblance of human beings.
Some have further suggested that one of the three men was the preincarnate Christ appearing in angelic form that resembled a human being. However, and in view of the revelation available in New Testament Scripture, such a theory is open to debate. My view is that no evidence in Scripture suggests that Christ had previously appeared in a separate incarnation.
Chuck Smith considers the three characters as God coming with two angels. Could God come in person to meet a mortal on Earth? If so why would Scripture assign to Him the semblance of a human being? Besides, there are no manifest distinctions in their appearance that assign one of the men some aspects of divinity. The three appeared as ordinary folk.
However, Smith’s observation of the Hebrew salutation “My Lord Adonay” as offered by Abraham is perhaps instructive of Abraham’s discernment of the theophany [a divine visitation or appearance by God among men]. [2]
Charles Ellicott suggests that the Genesis 18 incident is a continuation of God’s visit to Abraham that commenced in Genesis 17. God affirmed His promises to Abraham that were made under the covenant of Genesis 15. It quotes a Jewish oral tradition that says that God’s visit came three days after the circumcision and that Abraham was healing from the surgery. This is difficult to tell from the text.
God demanded the circumcision rite in Genesis 17 as a mark of His covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants. However, the purposes and contexts of the two visitations recorded in Genesis 17 and 18, respectively, appear to be distinct from each other and this should not escape the reader’s attention.
Notice that in Genesis 17, God appears to Abraham in a form that the Bible does not describe. Was this another angelic appearance similar to the one of our passage context or was it a separate theophany?
Genesis 17:3 says “Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him”. This is perhaps evidence of Abraham’s worship and reverence of God. He may have rightly discerned that he was in God’s holy presence and made obeisance.
Albert Barnes recognizes that while God chose to appear in human form, this does not suggest that God only manifests Himself in a way that is rationally consistent with human faculties.
I agree with this theological assessment of the theophany of Genesis 18. God is incomprehensible. He cannot be limited to a given way of manifestation and His appearance as a man or an angelic being does not diminish or obscure His divine essence.
Genesis 18:2 says “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.”
The fact that the three men appeared to Abraham, conversed with him and ate the meal offered to them confirms that they were properly possessed of human essence at this point. Nothing suggests or implies that their appearance was accompanied by any divine essence or glory. This theophany is perhaps a foreshadow of Jesus’ coming in the flesh as God incarnate many centuries later. Jesus led an ordinary life but unlike men, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was/is without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Ellicott’s Commentary posits that one of the three men was “the angel of Jehovah,” who came as the manifestation of Deity to Abraham, and the other two were his companions, commissioned by him afterwards to execute judgment on the cities of the plain. It adds that the three were a pointer to the Holy Trinity in the Godhead. It however rejects the notion that the three were actual members of the Trinity represented in human flesh.
I concur with this view.
Jamieson Fausset observes that the manner in which the three men were received by Abraham suggests that the visitors were of extraordinary stature.[3] Abraham did more than a customary welcome. The very low bow and the choice of a calf was instructive of highly valued guests. If the exhortation of Hebrews 13:2 is accepted as a reference to Abraham’s case, we can infer that Abraham was perhaps unaware of the identities of the three men at the point that they appeared to him in Genesis 18:1-2. His discernment of the men however widened as he engaged them.
Genesis 18:3-5 says “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.” (NKJV).
This passage primarily describes Abraham’s act of hospitality towards the three men. This was consistent with Middle Eastern culture of Abraham's day. It was customary to treat strangers with kindness. It also reveals Abraham's personal character as a hospitable person.
Some scholars have singled out Abraham’s reaction as he served the men as evidence that the men were possibly of strange complexion. Notice that Abraham stood by them under the tree as they ate (Genesis 18:8). This action is believed to be largely inconsistent with Middle Eastern culture where the host ate with his guests. It is however difficult to tell what exactly informed Abraham’s conduct at this point. Were these men of rare complexion and countenance?
Notice further that in the conversation of Genesis 18:9-10, the three men asked about the whereabouts of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. God of course knew exactly where she was! However, cultural concerns perhaps kept her from coming close to the strangers.[4]
One of the three men, speaking in the first person, says “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:10). This is definitely God’s authoritative voice conveyed under incredible circumstances and this is perhaps the reason Sarah laughed within herself in disbelief (Genesis 18:12). She was well beyond child bearing age. God in His divine omniscience noted Sarah’s unbelief and confronted it (Genesis 18:13-15). Sarah came to realize that God’s divine eyes illuminated the thoughts of the heart [cf. Jeremiah 17:9-10]. This is true of us too. Nothing is hidden from God, not even the deepest secrets and emotions of our hearts.
Of more significance, however, is the fact that God, in Abraham's context, demonstrated that He alone can beat the biological clock because He is the author of life. Nothing is impossible with God. By His immeasurable grace, God determined to give Abraham a son by his wife Sarah despite her barrenness and advanced age.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
So, who were the three men that appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18?
In conclusion, we can summarize the key lessons of our study of the above passage as follows:
First, the three men were angelic/heavenly beings who took on human form. One of the three may have been an archangel who was God’s principal messenger. God could not have come in His divine glory because no mortal could behold God in the fulness of His glory and live. God proclaims to Moses in Exodus 33:20, saying, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.”
Secondly, Abraham did not immediately appear to discern the identity of the three men until they conversed with him and finally revealed their identity. It is possible that Abraham’s discernment continued to grow as the strangers engaged him in a conversation. The more we engage with God in devotion and in the study of His word, the more we grow in the knowledge and discernment of Him (cf. Psalm 1; Ephesians 4:11-15).
Thirdly, the three men were not the three members of the Holy Trinity in human form. One of the men however appeared to possess some divine essence, speaking in the first person as God. However, the first conclusion above rules out the possibility. Nothing in the passage indicates that the members of the Trinity took on human form.
Fourthly, it appears that God revealed Himself to Abraham through an unnamed archangel. He was accompanied by two angels who were sent to destroy the city of Sodom. It is instructive that the wickedness of this city was earlier mention in Genesis 13:13.
God therefore appeared to Abraham in a manner that could only have been described in detail by Abraham himself. Unlike Daniel’s experience with God’s archangel, Gabriel, in Daniel 8-9, God concealed this critical information from us.
Finally, the revelation of the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah confirms that the men were indeed God’s angels on a mission.
God often used angels to deliver messages to His people and to execute His divine judgment on the wicked. He also sent angels to protect, rescue and guide His people (cf. Exodus 32:34, 33:2, Numbers 20:16; Judges 6:12, 21-22, 13:20; Acts 12:5-19).
On account of Abraham’s covenant relationship, God chose to reveal His mission to him. The angels were on their way to Sodom for a divine mission. We can safely conclude that the men contemplated in Genesis 18:22 are the two angels that are later mentioned in Genesis 19:1. This confirms that the third man who remained with Abraham was possibly God’s archangel who commanded the mission.
When God disclosed to Abraham that the angels were on their way to destroy Sodom, Abraham was disturbed because Lot, his nephew with whom he had parted ways in Genesis 13 dwelt there!
Genesis 18:32-33 reveals that there were less than ten righteous men in the city of Sodom. Lot, his wife and his two daughters were the only souls that God graciously sought to spare and the four were asked to flee out of the city as God rained brimstone and fire on it (Genesis 19:23-25).
Genesis 19:15-17 says, “When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (NKJV).
CONCLUSION
The Bible may not have expressly stated or revealed with absolute certainty the identities of the three men but knowing their mission and the context in which they appear to Abraham, my view is that we can attempt a theological construction of their identity without necessarily violating the word of God or drawing abstract assumptions.
Scripture is open to interpretation and Scripture interprets Scripture.
Of course our answers (or attempts thereat) may not conclusively resolve the mysteries behind difficult passages of Scripture but we should draw some theological principles for our moral application from the study of a passage of Scripture.
The above passage, like any other section of Scripture, was definitely intended to be read, understood and applied by the reader.
Shalom
References
[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Gen/Gen_018.cfm
[2] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/csc/genesis-18.html
[3] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/18-2.htm
[4] Abraham and Sarah’s Hospitality in Theology of Work Project, https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/genesis-12-50-and-work#abraham-and-sarahs-hospitality-genesis-181-15
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2021
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