I. First, the Lord Himself becomes the guest of mortal man.—Three men came to the tent, but in the presence of the One, whom Abraham addressed as Lord, the others are hardly noticed. When that mysterious personage is withdrawn, the two others destroy cities. Did not the patriarch see and entertain the Christ that day? It seems that he did, for Christ said, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad.’ The Word of God ‘rejoiced in the habitable places of the earth’ before his Incarnation. His delights from of old were with the sons of men; and He is with us still, standing at the door to knock, that if any open the door He may come in and abide. To us He says, as during his earthly life, ‘Make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.’
The picture of God as the Guest of Abraham is a symbol of that spiritual relationship which is brought very clearly and beautifully before us in the New Testament. What an unspeakable privilege it is to have God as our guest, and for us to be His guest! (Joh_14:23; Rev_3:20).
II. Our life in relation to God can be summed up in four words—sonship, worship, stewardship, fellowship.—The believer is at once a son, a subject, a servant, and a friend of God. The last-named relationship marks the later period of Abraham’s life, and seems to be (as always) associated with growth and maturity of spiritual experience. In Genesis 18 there are several aspects of the believer’s fellowship with God, and it is probable that from this period commence those experiences which led to Abraham being called the ‘friend of God.’ He is the only one to whom this designation is given in the Old Testament.