Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 18
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 18
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 18
"And Jehovah appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and strengthen ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat." — Genesis 18:1-8 (ASV)
Abraham was waiting to entertain any weary traveler, because inns were not as commonly found then as they are for us. While Abraham was sitting there, he saw three men coming. These were three heavenly beings in human bodies. Some think they were all created angels; others believe that one of them was the Son of God, the Angel of the covenant.
Washing the feet is customary in those hot climates, where only sandals are worn. We should not be forgetful to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2); indeed, even the Lord of angels himself; as we always do, when for his sake we entertain the least of his brothers and sisters. Cheerful and gracious manners in showing kindness are great ornaments to piety.
Though our condescending Lord does not grant us personal visits, yet still by his Spirit he stands at the door and knocks; when we are inclined to open, he condescends to enter; and by his gracious consolations he provides a rich feast, of which we partake with him (Revelation 3:20).
"And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, [and] well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh." — Genesis 18:9-15 (ASV)
"'Where is Sarah your wife?' was asked. Note the answer: 'In the tent.' She was close by, in her proper place, occupied with her household concerns. Nothing is gained by aimless wandering. Those who are in their proper place and following their duty are most likely to receive comfort from God and His promises (Luke 2:8). We are slow of heart to believe and need line upon line to the same effect.
The blessings others receive from common providence, believers receive from the Divine promise, which makes them very sweet and very sure. The spiritual seed of Abraham owe their life, joy, hope, and all, to the promise. Sarah thought this news was too good to be true; she laughed, and therefore could not yet bring herself to believe it.
Sarah laughed. We might not have thought there was a difference between Sarah's laughter and Abraham's (Genesis 17:17); but He who searches the heart saw that the one sprang from unbelief and the other from faith. She denied that she had laughed. One sin commonly leads to another, and it is unlikely we will strictly keep to the truth when we question the Divine truth.
But those whom the Lord loves, He will rebuke, convict, silence, and bring to repentance, even if they sin before Him.
"And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; seeing that Abraham had surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah." — Genesis 18:16-22 (ASV)
The two who are understood to be angels went toward Sodom. The one who is called Jehovah throughout the chapter remained with Abraham and would not hide from him what He intended to do. Though God is patient with sinners for a long time, leading them to imagine that the Lord does not see and does not pay attention, yet when the day of His wrath comes, He will indeed turn His attention to them.
The Lord would give Abraham an opportunity to intercede with Him, and He showed him the reason for His conduct. Consider, as a very notable aspect of Abraham's character and example, that he not only prayed with his family but was also very careful to teach and govern them well. Those who expect family blessings must be diligent in their family duties.
Abraham did not fill their minds with matters of doubtful dispute; instead, he taught them to be serious and devout in the worship of God and to be honest in their dealings with everyone. How few in our days can be described in such a way! How little care is taken by heads of households to ground those under their care in the principles of religion!
Do we observe from Sabbath to Sabbath whether they are progressing or regressing?
"And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes: peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty`s sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty`s sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten`s sake. And Jehovah went his way, as soon as he had left off communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place." — Genesis 18:23-33 (ASV)
Here is the first solemn prayer on record in the Bible; and it is a prayer for the sparing of Sodom. Abraham prayed earnestly that Sodom might be spared, if only a few righteous persons should be found in it. Come and learn from Abraham what compassion we should feel for sinners, and how earnestly we should pray for them.
We see here that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Abraham, indeed, failed in his request for the whole place, but Lot was miraculously delivered. Be encouraged then to expect, by earnest prayer, the blessing of God upon your families, your friends, your neighbourhood. To this end you must not only pray, but you must live like Abraham.
He knew the Judge of all the earth would do right. He does not plead that the wicked may be spared for their own sake, or because it would be severe to destroy them, but for the sake of the righteous who might be found among them. And righteousness only can be made a plea before God.
How then did Christ make intercession for transgressors? Not by blaming the Divine law, nor by alleging anything in extenuation or excuse of human guilt; but by pleading His own obedience unto death.
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