The Old Testament and the New Covenant Part 8
“Now the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, and said, ‘My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by’ “ (Genesis 18:1-3).
” ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am’ “ (John 8:56-58).
Who were these three strangers who appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre in Genesis chapter 18? The passage starts with, “the Lord appeared”, suggesting God is in this group. Could one of these men be God, the pre-incarnate Jesus?
Throughout Genesis chapter 18, the man doing the talking is referred to by phrases such as “The Lord said to Abraham” (vs 13), “And the Lord said” (vs 17), “And the Lord said” (vs 20), and “So the Lord said” (vs 26). Additionally, when two of the men left to go down to Sodom, Abraham was “still standing before the Lord” (vs 22). And finally, the two men who left to go down to Sodom are called “angels” in the opening verse of chapter 19.
So it seems to me that the three strangers were most likely Jesus and two angels. And what was Jesus’ message to Abraham?
“The Lord said, ‘I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?” Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son’ “ (Genesis 18:10-14).
Jesus visited Abraham and Sarah to announce the coming of the child of promise. This child would be the seed through which the earlier promise of Genesis chapter 15 would come to pass. “And He took Abram outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’ “ (Genesis 15:5).
Not only would the child of promise launch a skyful of descendants, but he would also be the child through whom the Messiah would come. Jesus announced to Abraham and Sarah the birth of a child whose descendant would be Jesus Himself.
Jesus was present at the oaks of Mamre, because Jesus was there from the beginning!