“I will certainly return unto thee” (Genesis 18:10)

(…continues from part 4…)

5)            Genesis 18:10-33 “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 13) And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14) Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15) Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. 17) And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 20) And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21) I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

                23) And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24) Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25) That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26) And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27) And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: 28) Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (Genesis 18:23)

                29) And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30) And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31) And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32) And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33) And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.”

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1)

                The above verses begin with, “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1); and the ‘LORD’ is the Hebrew God, Jehovah – and this appearance was of none other than the Second Member of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His preincarnational manifestation. Verse seventeen proves His physical appearance going by the attestation of the soliloquy of the Divinity, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” In their discussion Abraham said, “Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:” addressing his Adducer as JEHOVAH. What does verse 33 say? “And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” There was an actual discourse of historicity between God and a created intelligence.

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face

                Exodus 33:11-33 “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Exodus 17) And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18) And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19) And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20) And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21) And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22) And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” By the expression ‘face to face,’ close proximity is meant. Did Adam not see Him in the Eden Garden? So, why would His face be hidden from ocular exercise? Christ came with the full glory known only of the eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, and to behold that divine visage of eternality is to be scrutinized for absolute sinlessness and be found absolutely guiltless, not even of a smidgeon short of the glory of God. Christ had not settled the Adamic conflict with his Maker; to look at the Creator in the face – an offensive affront – is to be ready for judgment without having the covering of the righteousness of the slain Lamb of God – quite ominous.

                Spiritual acquittal and discharge takes place only when one is born again. To be born again, say, with all your heart, this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”      

(…to be continued…)

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