In the heat of the day

In the Bible, miracles happen and often take place without our full awareness.

Here in Gen18:1-15, God takes the initiative to meet with Abraham. There was no bang, no trumpet, no blinding bright light, no angelic being with wings hovering in mid air. All Abraham saw were three men. They were real human figures that were as common as anybody else. They were strangers. If you had met these strangers, would you have time for them?

We often ponder at the tenderness of God when He approached Adam & Eve after they had committed sin. When did that take place? In the cool of the day! It could have been an enjoyable experience walking with God in the cool of the day, but Adam & Eve ruined it with their self-centered lust.

Now God appeared to Abraham in the heat of day. How inconvenient! The heat in Middle-East in the summer can be intolerable. Tourists are often taken by surprise that the shops are closed from noon onwards for many hours. Their tradition is to do as little as possible and retire to their home, taking afternoon naps. No different from Abraham in those days, he was taking life easy and relaxing under the shadow of his tent. Only fools would do otherwise.

We can almost picture Abraham half-reclining sipping his tea and watching the sand shifting in the wind. When he lifted up his eyes, he saw the three men, standing there talking to one another without motion. They were waiting for Abraham’s response.

We may not fully understand Abraham , but he knew what he had to do. He RAN to meet them, in the heat of the day, with the sun blazing above them. Yes, Abraham ran.

What was the urgency? Only to persuade them to rest for a little while, with a little water to wash their feet, so that he could play host to them: just relax and don’t be in a hurry.

However, Abraham himself moved with a drum set to a different beat: he hastened, asked Sarah to quickly prepare bread, ran and told the servants to slaughter the tender calf with haste. Everything was done on the double.

There was another surprise: Abraham did not sit with the guests nor take the role of the host, he could have engaged them with his hospitality. Instead, he stood by them as a servant while they ate. What a friend to three strangers!

Today, our interests in others well being are rapidly receding. We are drifting further from one another, even among friends and family, even between spouses. There is a lot for us to learn from this incident. Abraham is a spiritual example for us. If we dare to call ourselves the spiritual sons of Abraham, should we not do as Abraham had done?

Have you been in a rush lately?