ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 1

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1 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 1 Contents Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study Genesis 18 Series, Study 1 by Chris McCann, originally aired October 5, 2017 Good evening and welcome to ebible Fellowship s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. Tonight is study #1 of Genesis, chapter 18 and we are going to read Genesis 18:1-3: And JEHOVAH 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: and when he saw *them*, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: I will stop reading there. In our study of Genesis, we have entered a new chapter. In the previous chapter, Abraham, Ishmael and all the servants of Abraham s house were circumcised and we spent some time looking at how this relates to the time of the end of the world. Historically, the circumcision of Abraham took place when he was 99 years old. We can pinpoint the year as 2068 B.C. and the next year Sarah would give birth to Isaac in 2067 B.C., but at this point in time Isaac had not yet been born and there was no indication that too much time had passed from chapter 17 to chapter 18, so we can be confident that this was still the year 2068 B.C. And that will be important because God will reveal to Abraham His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain. Abraham will make intercession and in chapter 19 the Lord will proceed to destroy Sodom. Since God refers to that destruction in relationship to the end of the world, it is very significant for us to know that the year of Sodom s destruction was 2068 B.C. The Biblical calendar of history is continuing to unfold, but before we get to the point where the focus turns to the cities of the plain we find that God made an appearance to Abraham. This appearance was unlike previous appearances because God revealed Himself in the form of three men. Notice it said in Genesis 18:1-2:

2 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 2 And JEHOVAH 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: and when he saw *them*, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, JEHOVAH is the One that appeared to Abraham, but we read about three men and we will look more at verse 2 later and the spiritual meaning of God revealing Himself as three men. But in this study, we will be looking mostly at Genesis 18:1: And JEHOVAH appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre Abraham is in the plains of Mamre because he had moved there. If we go back to Genesis 13, we see that Abram and his nephew Lot were divided and Lot went to dwell in Sodom and then we read in Genesis 13:18: Then Abram removed *his* tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which *is* in Hebron, and built there an altar unto JEHOVAH. Abram moved to the plain of Mamre and the word Mamre is derived from another Hebrew word that is translated as filthy or to lift up oneself. I am not sure of the importance of this or how we can glean any spiritual understanding from it. We are also told that Mamre was in Hebron and this word means company. Again, it does not seem to tie in to any spiritual truth that I understand. It is something we can keep in mind and maybe at some future time it may make greater sense to us as the Lord opens our eyes. So, Abram dwelt in the plain of Mamre and then it says at the end of Genesis 18:1: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; The tent door and the phrase heat of the day are things we are curious about and we wonder if there is any spiritual application. The word tent is the from the same word translated as tabernacle in the Old Testament, relating to the tabernacle of the congregation. Later on, the Lord would instruct Moses and qualify certain individuals to perform the craftsmanship of the tabernacle under the oversight of Abraham during the wilderness sojourn. The word tabernacle means tent and it was the place where the arc of the covenant was kept and it signified the presence of God. God dwelt with Israel in the tent of the congregation and the dwelling of the Lord in Israel would continue even into the time of the period of the judges. The Lord would dwell in a tent in Shiloh. It speaks of the tent door in Genesis 18:1, so we are interested in where those two words might occur together. It says in Leviticus 1:3: If his offering *be* a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before JEHOVAH. Here, we see the word door and the word tent or tabernacle of the congregation. It also says in Leviticus 4:4: And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before JEHOVAH; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before JEHOVAH.

3 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 3 Also, it says in Leviticus 17:3-6: What man soever *there be* of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth *it* out of the camp, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto JEHOVAH before the tabernacle of JEHOVAH; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto JEHOVAH, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them *for* peace offerings unto JEHOVAH. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of JEHOVAH *at* the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto JEHOVAH. In all these verses in Leviticus, God speaks of sacrifice being performed at the door of the tent or tabernacle of the congregation. We wonder why it was done at that location. Why is God making a point to let us know that sacrifice was to be done at the door of the tent? I think we will understand better if we turn to Exodus 40:12-15: And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. Here, Aaron and his sons would be a picture of Christ and His body of believers, especially since God said it would be an everlasting priesthood. This was not true of the physical sons of Aaron that were priests. Many of them died in their sins and their priesthood came to an end. It is only true of the spiritual priests or God s elect; God designates everyone He saves as a prophet, priest and king. Here, Aaron and his sons are brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and they are washed there. Then God went on to speak about their ministry of performing the service of the priesthood, so we can see that this has everything to do with salvation. So, too, the sacrifices made at the door of the tabernacle that we read about earlier had to do with salvation. All the sacrifices point to the sacrifice of Christ, but Christ s sacrifice was not performed for Himself, but it was done on behalf of the elect that were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. So, as Aaron and the priests are washed at the tent door, we can see the spiritual picture. At the door of the tabernacle, they have to be washed and then they can proceed into the tabernacle to perform their priestly duties. Likewise, the elect of God are saved at the door of the kingdom of heaven or at the door of the spiritual house and after salvation, they can go about the business of performing their priestly spiritual duties. Remember what Jesus said in John 10:7-10: Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. This is the entrance into the kingdom of heaven. As Christ described earlier in the Gospel of John when He was speaking to Nathaniel, He said He was the ladder and the angels (messengers) of God ascend and descend upon that ladder. They go up to heaven (in salvation) to be seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenlies and then they descend as messengers of God to carry the Gospel to the world during the day of salvation. Likewise, Christ is the door and by Him they go in and out. It is the same purpose. They go in through salvation and then they go out with the Gospel.

4 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 4 That helps us to see why Abraham is sitting in the tent door. It is his tent and not the tent or tabernacle of the congregation, but Abraham is used as a figure of God Himself. Remember the parable in Luke 16 where Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham. So, Abraham was a picture of God. So, Abraham was at the tent door or the entrance point to the spiritual house of God and that entrance has always been the Bible. It was the portal that opened to allow an elect individual to come in and would minister entrance to them to the everlasting kingdom: Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. There is that relationship between the Word and the Door. Christ is the Word made flesh and He is the door of the tabernacle. Then it says that Abraham sat in the door of his tent in the heat of the day. When God makes a statement like this, it should cause our ears to perk up. We are curious about that. Why does God tell us the time of day? Is it really referring to the time of day? When is the heat of the day? Is it when the sun gets the hottest in the afternoon, or is it some other time? I think we will be able to see what is in view when we search out this phrase. For instance, let us go to 2Samuel 4:5: And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. Here, God is telling us exactly when they arrived. It was about the heat of the day and he lay on a bed at noon. Historically, that makes sense because when noon comes around the sun is often at its brightest, putting forth much heat, and it would be the time of the heat of the day. Of course, it would continue to be hot for some time into the afternoon. We also find this phrase used in 1Kings 18 in the context of the amazing contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. We read in 1Kings 18:24-26: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of JEHOVAH: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress *it* first; for ye *are* many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire *under*. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed *it*, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But *there was* no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. Let me make a correction. The phrase the heat of the day is not found here, but the word noon is found here, which God linked together with the phrase the heat of the day in 2Samuel 4. Then it goes on to say in 1Kings 18:27-29: And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he *is* a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, *or* peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the *time* of the offering of the *evening* sacrifice, that *there was* neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. The word noon also appears here and also the word midday is a translation of the same word translated as noon in verses 26 and 27. We find that the prophets of Baal were attempting to call down fire from heaven. They were attempting to bring the wrath of God down, as fire is often associated with the wrath of God. They had been attempting it since morning and then it tells us that noon was past and they continued to prophesy unto

5 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 5 the evening sacrifice. Again, the heat of the day would be in view here because of its connection to noon. But there is another place where we find the phrase the heat of the day in the New Testament, in Matthew, chapter 20 in the parable of the workers that were enlisted to labor on behalf of the householder. He put his workers to work at various time intervals during the day. It says in Matthew 20:1-5: For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man *that is* an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. The day is a 12-hour day that began at 6 A.M., so the sixth hour would be noon and the ninth hour would be 3 P.M. So, the householder started the day early and hired others at noon and at 3 P.M. Then it says in Matthew 20:6: And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? Then he hired this last group at the eleventh hour. They were hired for one hour because the work day was 12 hours. The last group worked from the 11 th hour to the 12 th hour or from 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. Then it says in Matthew 20:7-12: And when they came that *were hired* about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received *it*, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. Here, we see the reference to the heat of the day. Because we have been granted insight of this parable that the 12 hours of the day has to do with the day of salvation, we know that the 11 th to 12 th hour is the one hour of the Great Tribulation period. Then the day of salvation ended and evening comes; the night comes when no man can work. It is Judgment Day. But the ones that worked from 6 A.M. or noon or 3 P.M. argued: These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. They were indicating that the last group hired at the 11 th hour did not experience the burden of the heat of the day, so the heat of the day would not identify with the Great Tribulation, but it would identify with all the time prior to it. This is curious. It is interesting to us, but we are running out of time in this study. Lord willing, we will discuss this further in our next Bible study in the wonderful Book of Genesis. Genesis 18 Series, Study 2 by Chris McCann, originally aired October 6, 2017 Good evening and welcome to ebible Fellowship s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. Tonight is study #2 of Genesis, chapter 18 and we are going to read Genesis 18:1-3: And JEHOVAH 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: and when he saw *them*, he ran to meet

6 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 6 them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: I will stop reading there. In our last study, we were looking at verse 1 and we saw that JEHOVAH God was making an appearance unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre where Abraham had pitched his tent for some time. Abraham sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. We looked at Scriptures related to the tent door or door of the tabernacle. We saw that offerings were made at the door of the tabernacle and it identifies with the cleansing or ceremonial washing of Aaron and his sons, the priest, before they could go about their priestly duties. We learned that the door has to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the door and Christ cleanses or washes those He saved before they entered in to their role as spiritual priests to do service to God through the sharing of His Word. We also saw the phrase, the heat of the day, which related to 2Samuel, chapter 4 where Ishbosheth, a son of King Saul, was lying on his bed at noon in the heat of the day. He was slain upon his bed at that time, so God linked together the heat of the day with the word noon. Then we went to the New Testament parable in Matthew 20 where we found that some laborers had labored in the vineyard of the householder from early morning at 6 a.m. until the end of the work day, but others labored only from the 11 th hour and, yet, each received equal pay, a penny. Then those that labored all day protested, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. We gathered that the first 11 hours had to do with the church age and that was the largest period of time that God had the door of salvation open, but the last hour of the work day, from the 11 th to the 12 th hour (from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) tied in with the Great Tribulation when God would complete His salvation program. So, the heat of the day is related to noon in one place and is related to the church age in the parable of the 12-hour day in which work was to be done. We also saw that in Elijah s contest with the prophets of Baal, the prophets of Baal prophesied until noon and even after noon they were cutting themselves and desperately trying to call down fire from heaven. We saw these tie-ins with the word noon and the phrase the heat of the day. I do not know if we can pinpoint a specific time and be able to say that the heat of the day or noon only identifies with the church age or with this period or that period. One reason I do not think we can be that specific is because we find noon is mentioned in Amos, chapter 8. In Amos, chapter 8 God is addressing Israel of old and faulting them for their unfaithfulness. The Israelites said (and this was sin to them) in Amos 8:5-6: Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; *yea,* and sell the refuse of the wheat? Since this has to do with the new moon and selling corn on the Sabbath and desiring the Sabbath to be over so they can go about their evil business, it has to do with Israel of Old and the New Testament churches that they represent. The people of the world are not concerned about keeping the Sabbath or new moon or the ceremonial feast days that are spoken of in the Bible, so God is speaking of those that had identification with the kingdom of God, Old Testament Israel and the New Testament churches. Then it goes on to say in Amos 8:7-10:

7 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 7 JEHOVAH hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as *by* the flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord JEHOVAH, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only *son,* and the end thereof as a bitter day. For a long time, we have looked at this passage, as it goes on to speak of the famine of the hearing of the Word of the Lord, as tying in with the Great Tribulation when God ended His relationship with the New Testament churches and congregations. At that point, the Spirit of Christ that had dwelt in the midst of the candlestick departed out, leaving the churches in darkness. As the sun pictures God Himself, it means that the sun is darkened as Christ departed out of the midst of the corporate church. But, we see that it also says, And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord JEHOVAH, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day, and this would relate to when the Lord Jesus Christ was upon the cross. It says in Matthew 27:44-45: The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Again, when was the sixth hour? The day started at 6 A.M. and Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours in a day?, even though we are accustomed to thinking of a day as 24 hours. But as far as daylight is concerned, there are 12 hours and the Bible kept track of time according to the hours of the day, so the sixth hour would be noon. So, there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour or from noon to 3 P.M. Then it says in Matthew 27:46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Shortly after that, it says in Matthew 27:50-51: Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; So at the point of the Lord Jesus crying out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?, He yielded up the ghost and the veil of the temple was rent in twain. The darkness was from noon until 3 P.M. and then the veil of the temple was rent. We understand that this was the time that God ended His relationship with national Israel. When Christ gave up the Spirit and the veil of the temple was rent in twain God ended His relationship with them and they would no longer represent the kingdom of God on earth. It was over and done with, so that ties in with what we read in Amos where it said, And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord JEHOVAH, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation. In other words, immediately at that point all of Israel s ceremonial laws or any sacrifices they might perform would no longer be in effect. They were all over and done with, just as when God departed out of the churches and the ceremonial laws of water baptism and the Lord s Table were over and done with in that very moment. Then notice that it said in Amos 8:10, and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. And, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ was the only Son of the Father, the only begotten. So,

8 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 8 in the first instance, it is tied in with Christ s departure from Israel when He died on the cross and the darkness that overtook Israel, but the deeper spiritual meaning is what would happen at the end of the church age when God, once again, would depart out of the midst of the corporate body. The corporate church immediately entered into darkness. We find language in Revelation, chapter 8 where it speaks of the third part being smitten and that would relate to the end of God s salvation program within all the churches of the world because it required the Spirit of God to save through the light of the Gospel. The daily, which identifies with the Light of the Gospel, was taken away and the abomination of desolation was set up in the holy place. We know from the Biblical calendar that this occurred on May 21, 1988 when the church age ended. Let us go on to Genesis 18:2: And he lift up his eyes and looked This is speaking of Abraham. He was sitting in the door of the tent in the heat of the day and he lifted up his eyes and looked. Then it says in Genesis 18:2: and, lo, three men stood by him You know, it is interesting that it does not say that three men were approaching from a distance. He did not see three men coming down the street, but he lifted up his eyes and, suddenly, there are three men that were standing by him. That would be a little bit unnerving for someone not used to communicating directly with God. Of course, Abraham had been communicating with God and God had been breaking the barrier of the supernatural to communicate with him in times past, so we do not read that Abraham was startled or that he asked questions like, Who are you? Where did you come from? What do you want? Remember, it said back in verse 1 that JEHOVAH appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre. Then the next thing we are told in verse 2 is that he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. Where was JEHOVAH? He appeared in the form of three men and this is what the Bible is revealing and teaching us. JEHOVAH God made an appearance to one of His servants, Abraham, and JEHOVAH God is revealing Himself in the form of three men. It was not four men or two men, at this point, but three men. Of course, we know why this was, because God opened up this truth to His people quite some time ago: Hear, O Israel: JEHOVAH our God is one JEHOVAH, and, yet, He reveals Himself as three distinct personalities on the pages of the Bible. There are three Persons, but One God and this is beyond our ability to comprehend. The Bible reveals this in various places. For instance, we read of God the Father throughout the Bible and in numerous places we read of God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in other places, but not as numerous, God emphasizes that the Spirit also is God, so we can discern that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all spoken of as God. The Bible insists that there is One God, so we can gather that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all that One God. Of course, there is much more evidence than that. For example, remember what God said when He created man, in Genesis 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness The word for God is the plural word for God, El-o-heem. If the Bible did not insist that there is only one God, it would read as singular, but the King James translators translated it correctly and God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, with both us and our being plural pronouns, not singular. If it were as Jehovah s Witnesses or Muslims want it to be, then it would not be a plural name for God and it would have said, Let me make man in my image, after my likeness. But it is not written that way. God wrote the Bible and He wrote this verse at the very beginning with the first verse of the Bible and He revealed this specific fact in Genesis 1:1:

9 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 9 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. God used the plural word El-o-heem. We know that God uses many names for Himself and many of them are singular, but He chose the plural name El-o-heem to reveal the incredible truth that must be received by the elect child of God. It would be received that way, of course, by all the elect, but if anyone thinks they are truly saved, they must receive this point of doctrine. God would not have any person He has saved to err on this particular point. It is a very central doctrine and it is as important as knowing that the Bible is the Word of God and it must be understood. Failure to understand it is proof that an individual has not come to the truth they have not been guided by the Spirit into this most basic of Bible truths. God is One God, but three Persons. In the New Testament, this is stated emphatically in 1John 5:6: This is he that came by water and blood, *even* Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. Here, Christ is called the Word, but we also see Father and Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. What would have long been realized through the reading of the Bible in many places is revealed here. For instance, there is God the Father speaking from heaven and God the Son being baptized and the Holy Spirit descending upon Him. There are three, but one. And, here, it is plainly stated that these three are one. So, it is really not surprising that JEHOVAH God is said to appear to Abraham and Abraham s reaction: And JEHOVAH 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: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground. He is bowing, just as many bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ when He walked upon earth. You know, we run across people that say, Oh, Jesus never said He was God. A lot of people like to say that and, yet, again, and again, He declared Himself to be Eternal God, especially when people would bow to Him and worship Him. The Bible says that and Jesus never refused the worship, but received worship of men. It was an outright declaration that He was the great I AM, JEHOVAH in the flesh. And in the year 2068 B.C. (over 4,000 years ago), three men stood by Abraham and he ran to meet them and bowed himself to the ground in a very appropriate response. Genesis 18 Series, Study 3 by Chris McCann, originally aired October 10, 2017 Good evening and welcome to ebible Fellowship s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. Tonight is study #3 of Genesis, chapter 18 and we are going to read Genesis 18:2-5: And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw *them*, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. In our last study, we were discussing the three men and we saw it identified with God Himself, especially as we read in 1John 5:7 of the Father, the Word (the Son) and the Holy Ghost and that these three are One. That is

10 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 10 the doctrine of the Trinity. God is One God, but reveals Himself as three Persons. We will not go further in to all the many proofs that the Bible gives concerning this fact, but we will show here that these three men identify with JEHOVAH. As I mentioned before verse 1 said that JEHOVAH appeared unto him and verse 2 said, And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. So, it was said that JEHOVAH appeared to Him but we read of three men and this is not the only place we see this kind of thing in this chapter and I am going to go to some verses that show that JEHOVAH and these men are interchangeable. For example, it says in Genesis 18:9-10: 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 according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. He (God) is speaking in verse 10, but in verse 9 it said that they spoke unto Abraham. Then it says in Genesis 18:13-17: And JEHOVAH said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for JEHOVAH? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, 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. 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 thing which I do; So, we read of JEHOVAH and then it refers to the men rising up and looking toward Sodom and then it turns right back to JEHOVAH. Again, it is because they are interchangeable. It says in Genesis 18:20-21: 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. This is JEHOVAH speaking in the first Person and saying He would go down to Sodom. Then it says in Genesis 18:22: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before JEHOVAH. There is no other way of understanding this passage, except to realize that these three men represent Eternal God Himself, JEHOVAH God. He is revealing Himself as three Persons because God is a Triune God three Persons, but One God. Let us read Genesis 18:3-4: And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: Abraham is making an interesting Biblical point regarding the washing of feet: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet. We know the New Testament speaks of washing the feet, so it is interesting that we see it here as He requests that favor be found in God s sight. When we search the Bible for any examples of

11 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 11 foot washing, we do not have to go very far because we find it in the next chapter. It says in Genesis 19:1: And there came two angels to Sodom at even Again, this is Eternal God who came in the form of three men in chapter 18, but in chapter 19 He arrives in Sodom and we read of only two messengers. That is a curiosity. Why did not all three men go? We will discuss this later when we go, verse by verse, through chapter 19. So the two messengers (God) came to Sodom at even and then it says in Genesis 19:1: and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing *them* rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; Lot sat in the gate or door of Sodom, just as Abraham sat in the door of his tent. Lot bowed himself with his face toward the ground, just as Abraham did in Genesis 18:2: and when he saw *them*, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, We find that Lot conducted himself in a very similar way to Abraham because that would be the response of an elect child of God toward God. First, we are positioned in the door or the gate, and that would identify with the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, we bow unto God and the word bow is translated as worship several times. Then it goes on to say in Genesis 18:3: And he said, Behold now, my lords By the way, we should not think that Lot referring to God as my lords is anything out of order. Abraham referred to my Lord, and Lot is using the plural address, my Lords. Both are accurate. God is One God, so we can refer to Him as JEHOVAH or Lord (singular) and God showed Himself to Lot as two messengers and, therefore, the use of the word Lords is accurate. Then it goes on to say in Genesis 19:2-3: turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. Abraham had also wanted to fetch them a morsel of bread and feed them. This is a typical reaction of God s elect children when we understand the meaning of the water and the washing of feet and providing bread or food. Lot is behaving in a similar way to his uncle Abraham. Again, we are reading of washing of feet, so let us follow this idea in the Bible and see if we can get a better understanding of washing of feet. You know, there are many churches that take the Bible literally and they see in the New Testament that Jesus washed His disciples feet and then He said, If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. I visited a church once where they literally washed one another s feet. I guess that is a nice thing to do and you would leave with very clean feet, but it is not called for and it is not what Christ was teaching. He spoke in parables and without a parable He did not speak, so the basis of what Jesus did is laid out in the Old Testament. There are several instances of invitations to wash feet and foot washing.

12 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 12 In Genesis 24 we find a servant of Abraham that was sent to find a wife for Isaac, so he went to the land of Haran and the house of Laban. It says in Genesis 24:31-33: And he said, Come in, thou blessed of JEHOVAH; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that *were* with him. And there was set meat before him to eat Again, it was customary to wash their feet. The roads of ancient days were very dusty and people wore sandals, so their feet would get very dirty. It was a polite thing to offer guests water to wash their feet. We read about this in the Book of Judges, which was hundreds of years after the days of Abraham and Lot. After Israel had been established as a nation hundreds of years later, we also read in Judges 19:18-21: And he said unto him, We *are* passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I *am now* going to the house of JEHOVAH; and there *is* no man that receiveth me to house. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man *which is* with thy servants: *there is* no want of any thing. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever *let* all thy wants *lie* upon me; only lodge not in the street. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. First, they were received into the house. He washed their feet and gave them food and drink. This was very customary when entering a house. In the case of Abraham, he dwelt in a tent and he was in the door of his tent when the three men stood by him and, yet, it was Abraham s house and water was given to wash the feet of the sojourners. Lot, too, brought them into his house and provided water to wash their feet. The servant that went on a journey to find a wife for Isaac was offered water to wash his feet by Laban. In this case in Judges, the Levite had been traveling and he was brought into the house and his feet were washed. So being received into the house would often be accompanied by the washing of feet. Therefore, it is not surprising to read about an incident in the New Testament where Christ was invited into a Pharisee s house. It says in Luke 7: : And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that *Jesus* sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind *him* weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe *them* with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed *them* with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw *it*, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman *this is* that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that *he*, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped *them* with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, *the same* loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

13 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 13 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Here, we find that Jesus was invited to a Pharisee s house, but He was given no water to wash His feet: Thou gavest me no water for my feet. From what we can gather, this was apparently a rude thing for a host that invited a guest into his house. The streets of Jerusalem would have been just as dusty and dirty as the streets in the days of Abraham and, yet, no water was provided for the Lord Jesus feet. But a woman was there a sinner and it says that she stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Jesus likened this to someone whose sins had been forgiven and she is expressing great love. At the same time, He likened the Pharisee that offered no water for the washing of feet to someone that has few sins forgiven and, actually, none of his sins were forgiven. The truth is that all people are terrible sinners and we all have multitudes of sins as we sin against God in thought, word and deed in day, after day, after day. Our sins have become mountains and, yet, for the self-righteous (like the Pharisee) that think they are right with God based on their own good works and they do not see their mountains of sins because they are blinded by their selfrighteousness. On the other hand, this woman could have been a harlot and, apparently, her sins were obvious to others and also to herself. She had no covering of her own self-righteousness, so she went to the Lord and the Lord forgave her sins. Her act of wiping His feet with tears was a demonstration of someone having a great multitude of sins that were forgiven through the blood of Christ and being saved by grace. She was showing her love in return for the Lord. The washing of feet, therefore, was a picture of sharing the Gospel. As we had our sins forgiven in the day of salvation, we sought that others would have their sins forgiven and we brought the Gospel with the water that washes the feet. The water of the Gospel could wash away the filth of sin from an individual, spiritually. There is something interesting in Luke 7 about the word translated as wash, which was found twice in this passage, in verse 38 and in verse 41. This word is found seven times in the New Testament. Twice it is translated as wash or washed and five times it is translated elsewhere as rain, like rain from heaven in Matthew 5:45: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. This is the same word as our word that was translated as wash. It is also found in James 5:17: Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. On other time it is used in referring to the two witnesses, in Revelation 11:6: These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. The King James translated this word as rain a few times, but God controlled that situation and He allowed them to translate some words in ways that would hide truth. God permitted this word that is normally translated as rain to be translated as wash and we can see why the King James translators translated it as wash even

14 ebible Fellowship Genesis 18 Series Page 14 though it is translated everywhere else as rain. So, it would have said: And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to rain his feet with tears. It does not seem to make sense until we understand the spiritual implication as the sending forth of the Gospel. Remember, we spent some time looking at the time to weep and the time to laugh. We saw that weeping had to do with salvation. It says in Psalm 126:5-6: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves *with him*. Very clearly, the spiritual picture is that the women s tears is rain and it is raining on the feet of Christ, so she is sowing the Gospel seed with tears because she had found forgiveness and the mercy and love of God and, therefore, she was demonstrating her love by going forth with the rain of the Gospel. She was exalted into the heavenlies in salvation and she was a messenger of God that ascended on the ladder of Christ and then (immediately) descended to bring that Gospel to the people of the world in the day of salvation. Genesis 18 Series, Study 4 by Chris McCann, originally aired October 11, 2017 Good evening and welcome to ebible Fellowship s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. Tonight is study #4 of Genesis, chapter 18 and we are going to read Genesis 18:4-8: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye 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 upon the hearth. 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. 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. I will stop reading there. We have been going along, verse by verse, in the Book of Genesis and we have come to the point in the life of Abraham when God is appearing to him in the form of three men. We discussed this before and it is very obvious from the account that JEHOVAH and the three men are one and the same. We are trying to learn as much as we can from the Bible because nothing in the Bible is just incidental or unimportant. Everything in the Word of God, the Bible, has significance and has great importance. We saw in our last study that Abraham said, Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, and this statement has a deeper, spiritual meaning. We went to Luke, chapter 7, as well as some places in the Old Testament, where the washing of feet was in view, especially with the sinner woman in Luke 7 who washed the Lord s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. We saw that the Greek word translated as tears was normally translated as rain. And it did not seem to make sense that she would rain his feet until we look at the deeper, spiritual meaning that we saw in Psalm 126. I will read this passage again in Psalm 126:5-6: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves *with him*. The woman s tears are as if she is bringing the precious water of the Gospel and that is exactly what the washing of feet points to, the bringing of the Word of God. Christ gave us an example of this in John 13:2-4: