And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
After the meal he had provided, Abraham rose with the visitors as they set out toward Sodom, going with them to bring them on the way and to show them the best route for their journey. They had the appearance of ordinary human travelers, yet they were heavenly guests welcomed into his hospitality. He did not yet know that one of them was the Son of God.
His escorting of them was courtesy and kindness shaped by the Lord, expressing integrity, unselfishness, courage, and kindness. By such friendly relations he stood as a representative through whom the people of Sodom could see God's character.
The account of Genesis 18-19 in which this departure stands calls hearers to seek the Lord most earnestly and to take a more decided stand for Him. It is not enough to be merely professed believers in the truth; all of God's requirements are to be obeyed. That response comes with confession, with softened and subdued hearts, and with earnest prayer under the Spirit of the Lord.
After the meal he had provided, Abraham rose with the visitors as they set out toward Sodom, going with them to bring them on the way and to show them the best route for their journey. They had the appearance of ordinary human travelers, yet they were heavenly guests welcomed into his hospitality. He did not yet know that one of them was the Son of God.
His escorting of them was courtesy and kindness shaped by the Lord, expressing integrity, unselfishness, courage, and kindness. By such friendly relations he stood as a representative through whom the people of Sodom could see God's character.
The account of Genesis 18-19 in which this departure stands calls hearers to seek the Lord most earnestly and to take a more decided stand for Him. It is not enough to be merely professed believers in the truth; all of God's requirements are to be obeyed. That response comes with confession, with softened and subdued hearts, and with earnest prayer under the Spirit of the Lord.