A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd he ſat in the tent doore in the heat of the day.]
That is, at noontide. This is expreſſed, both to ſhew the occaſion of his ſitting in the tent doore, to cool and refreſh himſelf; as alſo to imply the reaſon of the courteſie he proffered to theſe Angels (whom he ſuppoſed to be ſtrangers) becauſe at ſuch time travellers are wont to wax faint and hungry.
Verſ. 2. And to, three men ſtood by him, and when he ſaw them he ranne to meet them.]
Their appearance being undoubtedly ſuch, as made it manifeſt to Abraham both that they were ſtrangers travelling that way, and alſo ſuch ſtrangers as were worthy both of that entertainment and reſpect which he afforded to them.
Verſ. 3. And ſaid, my Lord, if now I have found favour in thy ſight, &c.]
He directs his ſpeech to one, as it ſeems, becauſe he appeared in more excellency and with ſignes of greater worth then the reſt.
Verſ. 6. Make ready quickly three meaſures of fine meal.]
That is, as it is probably thought, three pecks, or thereabouts, whether more or leſſe.
Verſ. 8. And they did eat.]
For as theſe Angels had true bodies for the time, and did truly walk and ſpeak, ſo they did alſo truly eat: if there were no neceſſitie of food, for the ſuſtenance of thoſe their aſſumed bodies, which were erewhile happely to be diſſolved again by the power of God, yet it was requiſite for the preſent diſpenſation of that ſervice, which God had impoſed upon them, to wit, their appearing to Abraham, that he might not yet know but that they were men, till God was pleaſed to diſcover it to him.
Verſ. 9. And they ſaid unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife.]
Thus by naming Sarah they firſt diſcover themſelves to be not men but angels.
Verſ. 10. And he ſaid, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life.]
We do not find that this return was by the angels appearing again, but by the accompliſhment of the thing promiſed, in regard whereof it is ſaid, chap. 21. 1. And the Lord viſited Sarah as he had ſaid, to wit, when Iſaac was born. And by this phraſe, according to the time of life, cannot be meant any thing but this, that ſo many moneths thence, as is uſually (according to the ordinary courſe of Nature) from a womans firſt conception to the birth of her child, Sarah his wife ſhould have a ſonne: for that promiſe when God appeared before in the former chapter was juſt a year before Iſaac was born, chap. 17. 21. But my covenant will I eſtabliſh with Iſaac, whom Sarah ſhall bear unto thee at this ſet time in the next year; ſince when Abraham had been circumciſed, and had recovered the pain and ſoreneſſe thereof.
Verſ. 12. Therefore Sarah laughed within her ſelf.]
Becauſe ſhe deemed it ſo unlikely, if not impoſſible, that ſhe ſhould now have a child, ſhe did inwardly laugh at what ſhe heard ſpoken. She laughed within her ſelf, ſhe did not break out into loud and open laughter, but was inwardly affected as thoſe uſe to be that laugh at any thing related, which they deſire but cannot believe it will ever be: and this concerning the ſecrecy of her laughter, that it was within her ſelf, is thus particularly expreſſed, to intimate, 1. Why ſhe did ſo readily deny it, becauſe it was indeed an invvard ſmiling rather then an outvvard direct laughter, and ſuch as could not therefore by others be heard or diſcerned; 2. Why ſhe vvas afraid vvhen he took notice of it, to vvit, becauſe ſhe began novv to conceive that doubtleſſe he vvas more then man that could diſcern the invvard affections of her heart. Hovvever, doubtleſſe ſhe laughed, not as Abraham before did for joy, but as doubting the accompliſhment of vvhat vvas ſpoken, and vvas therefore reproved; though aftervvard ſhe believed, vvhen ſhe knevv vvho it vvas that ſaid it: and therefore is her faith commended, Heb. 11. 11. Through faith alſo Sarah her ſelf received ſtrength to conceive ſeed, &c.
Verſ. 13. Wherefore did Sarah laugh, ſaying, Shall I of a ſurety bear a child which am old, &c.]
Though theſe be not the very words of Sarah, mentioned v. 12. yet they are the very ſame in effect: for in thoſe words, After I am waxed old ſhall I have pleaſure, my Lord being old alſo? by affirming that both ſhe and her husband, by reaſon of their great years were now paſt the naturall pleaſure of the marriage-bed, her aym was to imply how much more unlikely it was, that ſhe ſhould conceive at thoſe years and bear a child; yea, perhaps theſe very words here alledged by the Lord, were then alſo added by Sarah, though they be not there expreſſed: for the Scripture in ſetting down ſuch paſſages of the Hiſtory doth not alwayes expreſſe all that was ſpoken, but onelyonly the ſumme and ſubſtan…e of what was ſpoken.
Verſ. 14. At the time appointed, &c.]
Compare this place with chap. 17. 21. and the 10. verſe of this chapter.
Verſ. 18. S…eeing that Abraham ſhall ſurely become a great and mighty nation & all the nations, &c,]
This is the firſt reaſon vvhy the Lord vvould not hide from Abraham vvhat he meant to do unto Sodom, to vvit, becauſe he vvas ſo precious in his eyes, and one vvhom he had hitherto honoured above others as his ſpeciall favourite. Having appointed him to be the ſtock of ſo great and mighty a nation, his peculiar people, yea the ſtock out of vvhom that bleſſed ſeed ſhould ſpring, in whom all the nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed, he vvould not execute ſo notable a judgement upon a people ſo near to him, and not acquaint him vvith it: vvhichwhich agreeth vvith that, Amos 3. 7. Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his ſecrets unto his ſervants the prophets.
Verſ. 21. I will go down now and ſee, &c.]
This is a figurative ſpeech, uſuall in the Scriptures, wherein God ſtooping to our capacity ſpeaks of himſelf after the manner of men. He being every where preſent, cannot move from one place to another; and knowing and ſeeing all things, needs not make any ſearch or inquiſition to inform himſelf; yet thus is he pleaſed here to ſpeak of himſelf, 1. To ſhevv that there vvas manifeſt and juſt cauſe for the Lords ſeveritie in puniſhing the Sodomites, as aftervvards he did; 2. To intimate hovv patient and long-ſuffering the Lord vvas tovvards them, and hovv unvvilling to deſtroy them; had they not been ſo extremely and deſperately bad, as they vvere; and 3. To teach Judges by his example not to puniſh raſhly, but alvvayes to try and examine cauſes before they paſſe ſentence.
Verſ. 22. But Abraham was yet before the Lord.]
In the beginning of the chapter verſ. 2. mention is made of three men that appeared to Abraham, as he ſate in his tent doore, to vvit, the Lord Chriſt, vvho is often in this chapter called Jehovah, and tvvo angels that attended him; and verſ. 16. that they vvent avvay from Abrahams tent, and that Abraham accompanied them: But novv the Lord having (as they vvent along) imparted to Abraham vvhat he meant to do to Sodom, tvvo of the three vvent avvay tovvards Sodom, to vvit, the tvvo angels, as they are expreſſely called, chap. 19. 1. And there came two angels to Sodom; and the third, vvho is here called the Lord Jehovah, ſtayed ſtill vvith Abraham, and that (as theſe vvords ſeem to imply) becauſe Abraham (though they had as it vvere diſmiſſed him, and taken their leave of him) yet ſtood ſtill before the Lord, as men uſe to do, that being to part, yet ſtirre not, becauſe they have ſomevvhat to ſay; and ſo the Lord abode ſtill vvith him, and condeſcended to heare the requeſts vvhichwhich he made for that ſinfull citie.
Verſ. 25. That be farre from thee to do after this manner, to ſlay the righteous with the wicked, &c.]
The righteous are ſometime taken away in the ſame publick calamitie together with the wicked, but the end is diverſe: the one are taken away by the hand of juſtice, the other in mercy; as the chaff and wheat are beaten by the ſame flail. Now God had ſpoken of the Sodomites as men to be deſtroyed by his hand of juſtice, and in a way of vengeance; and in this ſenſe does Abraham reply, aſſured that God would not ſo cut off the righteous with the wicked.