Seeing the Savior in Genesis 18

By

 Come and Dine

"Then the LORD appeared to him...so he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate." (Genesis 18:1,8)

Sharing a meal together is one of the finest expressions of friendship and fellowship. There is something about eating together that draws hearts closer, that transforms acquaintances into companions. In Genesis 18, the LORD appears to Abraham in the form of three men, and Abraham's immediate response is to prepare a feast for them. He hurries to select a tender calf, instructs Sarah to make fresh bread, and personally serves his guests. This was no mere obligation—it was an expression of the intimate communion Abraham desired with God.

This pattern holds true throughout all of Scripture. Centuries later, the risen Christ would stand at another door and extend a similar invitation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). Again, we see the same heart—God desiring fellowship with His people, expressed through the intimacy of a shared meal.

What followed Abraham's meal with the LORD is remarkable. An intimate, friendly dialogue ensued. God responded to Abraham's deepest concern about having an heir, promising that Sarah would bear a son. God revealed His future plans regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham felt free to intercede boldly for the righteous in those cities. All of this flowed from that simple meal shared under the oak trees of Mamre. Fellowship opened the door to conversation. Communion led to revelation. Dining together created space for Abraham to speak openly with God as a friend.

Every follower of Jesus Christ longs for this kind of intimacy with Him. We want to share His gospel with the lost. We want to edify His church. We want to walk in a manner worthy of being called His children. These are noble desires, and Christ calls us to pursue them faithfully.

Yet as we focus on these active expressions of our faith, we must not overlook the simple, powerfully intimate fellowship that comes from dining with God. We can become so busy serving Christ that we forget to sit with Him. We can be so engaged in the work of the kingdom that we miss the King's invitation to commune with Him personally.

One of the clearest pictures of this communion is found at the Lord's Table. Here, our Savior invites us to come and dine with Him, to remember His sacrifice, and to enjoy the fellowship that His death has purchased for us. At this table, we find Jesus. We find the cross. Though the reminder of His suffering is sobering and the weight of our sin painful, it is also the only means by which we can approach God with confidence.

Let us take our example from Abraham in Genesis 18. If we desire unity with God and the privilege of conversing with Him as a friend, then let us not neglect the Lord's Supper. It is here that our intimacy with Christ is expressed and deepened. It is here that we accept His invitation to dine with Him. And it is here that we find the fellowship our souls were created to enjoy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comments on Titus 3

By
  I will be wrapping up Titus with this week's post, although I obviously have not been exhaustive on all that can be gained from this letter Paul wrote to Titus. Chapter three is also only fifteen verses long and states: “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Th...
Read more

Comments on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

By
  In the l ast post I discussed some of Paul’s initial ministry in Corinth as well as the worldliness that was rampant in the city. We were, however, able to see that Paul started with encouraging the believers, reminding them of their high position “sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling…” He also reminded them of their surety of salvation in “our Lord Jesus Christ,” and the “fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” We’ll be picking up the epistle in verse 10, where Paul begins his exhortation of the believers:  “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people , that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divide...
Read more

Comments on 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

By
  We kind of stopped in the middle of the thought last time in 1 Corinthians 2 so we’ll be picking up in verse 9: but just as it is written, “ Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard , And which have not entered the heart of man , All that God has prepared for those who love Him .” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words . But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them...
Read more