“And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant.'” (Genesis 18:1-4)
The fact that God appears to anyone without killing that person with His awesome Glory is a cause for wonder. Yet He did meet with Abraham and his household because He had already declared Abraham righteous and had made a covenant with him to bless him. And in this case, God veiled His Glory and appeared as a man, or three men, but there is no doubt that this was the LORD God Almighty, Yahweh Himself (18:1, 13, 14)t.

Can’t you just imagine the scene? The Lord God sat with Abraham in the shade of the terebinth or oak trees, relaxed and at ease, eating, talking, laughing. Just imagine how God must have smiled at the hospitality of Sarah and Abraham. Think how much pleasure He must have felt when He told Abraham the good news about the birth of a son and saw his reaction. He even was pleased with Sarah’s laughter. It is quite humorous that at her advanced age she could have a child especially since she was barren. So her laughter is remembered with the name of the child Isaac.

God delights to live among us His people and to fellowship with us. He can do so only after He has declared us righteous. This He has confirmed in the covenant sealed by the body and blood of Jesus. Every time we partake of the body and blood in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table we renew that covenant and receive the grace and strength to live our lives amidst a hostile world.