Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: Who were the three visitors of Abraham

Cooperative Service to the Lord

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On January 15, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord agreed to the requests of Abraham and not pass by, but rest and be comforted (refreshed) in Abraham’s tent, Abraham not only hastened (ran) to request Sarah to make the bread, fetched a good and tender calf and gave it to one of his servants who dressed (prepared) it, which Abraham took along with the butter and milk and set it before the Lord (Genesis 18:6-8).

Note that, even though Abraham personally served the Lord, in Abraham’s service to the Lord, he involves Sarah, his wife (family) and he involves one of his workers (servants).

Points to ponder:
From this account, not only can we learn from Abraham’s leadership qualities of entrusting (delegating) to his wife (family) and workers (friends), but it also teaches us to be inclusive in empowering others to serve the Lord alongside us. Some Christians have unfortunately succumbed to the notion that the work they do, in service to the Lord, somehow reflects on their own piety (even though the Bible clearly calls our righteousness as filthy rags), while other serve as long as they are in the limelight, seeking fame and temporary glory (on earth), without involving anyone else in their ministry. Let us be inclusive and involve others, starting with our family and friends, entrusting and empowering them to serve the Lord along with us. In addition to our personal service to the Lord, do we cooperatively serve the Lord?

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 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.

Personal Service to the Lord

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On January 14, 2015

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

When the Lord agreed to the requests of Abraham and not pass by, but rest and be comforted in Abraham’s tent, Abraham not only hastened (ran) to request Sarah to make the bread, fetch a choice calf and took the butter and milk and set it before the Lord (Genesis 18:6-8).

Note that Abraham was a wealthy man with property (cattle), possessions (silver and gold) and people (servants) (Genesis 13:2,6; Genesis 14:14). He had so many servants that he could even form an army with them (Genesis 14:14). So it would seem logical that Abraham could have asked one of his servants to make the necessary food and arrangements to serve his divine visitors, but that is not what Abraham does. He takes it upon himself to personally serve the Lord as you can  see from the account recorded in Genesis 18:6-8, for it says “Abraham hastened …, Abraham ran … he took and set …”

Points to ponder:
Abraham resolved that no amount of wealth or workers would deprive him of the opportunity and privilege of serving the Lord and he chose to personally serve the Lord. Not only did he choose to personally serve the Lord and act on it, he did so promptly (speedily). Are you and I personally serving the Lord. Let us not expect someone else to do so or if we are in authority resort to delegating our service to the Lord to others. Resolve today and choose to “personally” serve God and do so promptly.

Genesis 18:6-8 (KJV)
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 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.

Lift up your eyes and look

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On December 9, 2014

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 18 begins with the verses – “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:”

While the identity of two of the three men is not explicitly stated in this account, from Genesis 19:1 we can learn that these two were as angels (messengers of God with a mission) and the other first person was the Lord himself.

Close scrutiny of this encounter (experience) reveals a couple of hidden treasures in these two verses. First, the Lord appeared to Abraham (Theophany to Abraham), who sat at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Second, Abraham had to lift up his eyes and look to see three men standing by.

Points to Ponder:
The Lord appears to his people, to you and me, as we search the Bible daily (Acts 17:11) to see glimpses of his infallible, loving and just nature, in the person of Jesus Christ. Many of us are beaten down by the heat of the day i.e., the harsh elements of life itself and our most likely posture is that our faces are down as our spirit is downcast. What we need to do is to lift up our eyes (of understanding – Ephesians 1:18) and look up at the Lord, from whom our help comes from (Psalms 121:1-2)
Are you lifting up your eyes and looking at the Lord? Lift up your eyes and look. Tarry no further!

Genesis 18:1-2a (KJV)
1 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:

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