During hunting season last year, a man I know casually (our cars appear to be on similar maintenance schedules) was shot while out moose-hunting. The man who shot him didn't know him, but swore that he was certain he was shooting at a moose. The injured man was wearing a bright orange coat at the time, making me wonder if the other hunter perhaps needs to have his eyes checked. Either he needs glasses or he doesn't know what a moose looks like

Many Christians take aim at the goal of spiritual maturity without knowing what spiritual maturity looks like. Some equate spiritual maturity with a certain level of Biblical knowledge while others believe it is found in a particular experience or by following certain rules or rituals. While knowledge and experience hold value, these alone are not the mark for which we are meant to strive.

Abraham's life was at a very low ebb in Genesis 16. Pressured by Sarai, Abram's faith failed momentarily and he attempted to produce what God had promised through human effort. Hagar produced a child, but not the child of promise. Only heartache resulted for Abram, Sarai, and Hagar, because of their sin. Thirteen years later, God once again spoke to Abram, reiterating His covenant with Abraham and promising the birth of the child through Sarah in a year.

In contrast to Chapter 16, Genesis 18 is one of the high water marks of Abraham’s life. While his faith was not flawless, it had grown. His attitudes and actions serve as an example of maturing faith. The description of Abraham’s faith in Chapter 18 provides a backdrop for the failure of Lot in Chapter 19, the seeds of which were sown in Chapter 13 -- more on that later). The contrast between the two men in these two chapters is clearly seen.

While this is not the first appearance of our Lord to Abraham, it is certainly unique. For the first time, God appeared to Abraham as an ordinary man, accompanied by two others who eventually are identified as angelic beings. We are told nothing which would distinguish these three ‘travelers’ from any others. Abraham, in typical eastern fashion, sat by the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Although I am a child of the north, I've experienced the noonday heat in the Southwest and remember well the wilting effect of it. The time of day made the need for hospitality even greater, for these guests would be thirsty and weary from the heat. Abraham’s hospitality would be put to the test, for his ‘siesta’ must come to a halt in order to serve his guests. While such hospitality was a part of the culture of the east, Abraham’s zeal for his task is obvious.

Abraham performed his duty in an efficient and skillful way, minimizing the provisions and the preparation of them -- a little water, a piece of bread, a short rest, and a moment to wash their feet. What was provided, however, was a sumptuous meal -- a large quanity of freshly baked bread, a choice calf freshly butchered, curds and milk. Abraham served his guests himself. Any of us would gladly have prepared such a feast if we had known the identity of the guests, but Abraham was unaware of his guests' identity. Imagine Abraham serving his heavenly visitors while unaware of their identity. Just over the hill, the cities of Sodom and Gmorrah were enjoying their last day of sin with Lot blissfully unaware of what was coming his way.

What a scene this must have been! Abraham, standing by and serving his heavenly visitors, unaware of their identity. At the same time, beyond and below were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with riot and revelry, enjoying their last day of the season of sin, and Lot somewhere therein, as yet unaware of what this day would bring forth.

It was customary in those days, as in some cultures today, for the women to be neither seen nor heard while male guests were entertained. Sarah prepared the bread out of the sight of the men and then she remained inside the tent as they ate. While she carefully kept out of sight, her curiosity got the best of her. She may have peeped through the folds of the tent, though this is conjecture. Nevertheless she clearly had her ear to the door, anxious to hear the conversation outside. I doubt that any of us would have acted any differently.

When asked where Sarah was, Abraham replied that she was inside the tent. The Lord then assured Abraham that Sarah would have a son next year. This must have clinched the identity of his guests for Abraham. It seems that Abraham had either failed to mention the previous promise to Sarah or she hadn't been convinced of its certainty because it would seem that our Lord's words were intended more for her benefit than for Abraham's. It was vital that she, too, have faith in God’s promise.

Not surprisingly, Sarah’s response differed very little from her husband’s. Humanly speaking, a biological child was out of the question for Sarah and for Abraham with Sarah. Their laughter was a combination of surprise, shock, sheer joy, and unbelief. How could such a thing be?! Nevertheless even in such an absurd moment, Sarah thought of her husband with respect. Although God, being omniscient did not require it, I wonder if He heard Sarah's laughter with His own ears. Notice that a gentle rebuke is directed, at first, toward Abraham, not Sarah. "And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh … ’" (Genesis 18:13).

Had Abraham deliberately kept God’s promise from her? Was his faith so weak that he could not convince his wife? Somehow he must give account for his wife’s response. That Sarah’s response mirrored Abraham’s indicates that he had provided the example for her.

The words of our Lord speak as loudly to Christians today as they did to Abraham, "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14a).

This is where we hit bedrock because the only reason for such unbelief is a failure to comprehend the extent of God’s ability to work in and through us. On the flip side, had Abraham and Sarah not been thoroughly incapable of producing a child by biological means, the miracle of his birth would not have been attributed to God. The delay in Isaac's birth necessitated and nurtured the faith of Abraham and Sarah.

Sarah seems to have come out of the tent when Abraham was questioned concerning her unbelief. In her fear, she denied laughing. Interestingly, she did not deny her thoughts as reported by the Lord. Her denial was quickly brushed aside as untrue. Sarah realized her error and corrected it quickly, but notice that God did not let her off the hook, although I suspect His gentle rebuke was done in good humor. Miracles often come in absurd packages. Laughter is an appropriate response. Lying to God through denial is not.

Christian maturity balances activity and passivity. We previously discussed the problem of when to work and when to wait. There are times to be active and times to be passive. Abraham shoudl not have gone into Egypt when the famine afflicted Canaan. He should not have devised the scheme to protect his life by lying. Abraham was passive in following Sarah’s plan to produce a son. These were marks of spiritual immaturity.

The marks of spiritual maturity emerge in this passage. Mature Christians become less dependent upon miracles from God and become more involved in intimate day-to-day fellowship. God had previously disclosed Himself to Abraham in more splendor and glory. this time, God would not have been known except through familiarity and the eyes of faith. God was known by His promises, His word, rather than through splendor and miracles.

What could be more intimate than sharing a meal with God? (Luke 22:14-15; Luke 24:30-31; Revelation 3:20). Is it any wonder that one of the highlights of Christian worship is fellowship with His Lord at His table (1Corinthians 11:23-26)? We should not always seek to find God in the spectacular, but in the more routine affairs of life (1Kings 19:11-14). This is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Mature Christians recognize the greatness and goodness of God, evidenced in our Lord's question in verse 14 "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" The answer rebukes all worry and lack of prayer, for "with God, nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37). Every time we worry about the future we reject the truth that God is all-powerful. Mature Christians know that nothing is impossible with God and let Him take care of the details.

A mental exercise that writers like myself often do is try to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, to imagine what it was like to experience an event or emotion for the very first time, not knowing the outcome. When we read Genesis, we have the benefit of knowing the end of the story, but Abram did not. What we read as ancient history, Abram learned piecemeal over a period of years. To us, it is boring old history, but to Abram it was new and exciting. As we approach Genesis 17, we should try to see the events as Abram did.

Imagine! He was 99 years old. It had been 24 years since he left Haran in obedience to God's call (Genesis 12:1-3). After Abram and Lot separated and Abram defeated the eastern alliance of kings, God formally made a covenant with Abram, specifying that his heir would come from his own body. He also provided a more exact description of the land Abram's descendents would possess and told Abram of the fate of his offspring for the next severl generations.

Thirteen years prior, Abram had taken a wrong turn when he followed the advice of his wife and attempted to produce the heir God had promised by following an established practice of his culture, taking Sarais made, Hagar, as his wife. This led to disunity and heartbreak for everyone involved. Biblically, it would seem God had not spoken since He encountered Hagar on her way to Egypt.

These 13 years were not wasted. They illustrate the consequences of serving God in the power of the flesh and acting presumptuously . They intensified the impossibility of Abram and Sarai ever having a child between them. In this way, if a child was born at this time it would surely be a work of God, not of man. Abram had come to believe that Ishmael was his only hope for an heir.

Previously, God had required little of Abram other than to leave Ur and believe in His promise. Now that the covenant was about to be implemented, Abram was required to behave in a way God prescribed. He must walk before his God blamelessly, not in perfection, but in purity. Significantly, God withheld specific duties until long after Abram’s belief was evident, so that works were not the basis of the covenant but a by-product of it.

Abram heard God refer to Himself by a new name. God also gave Abram a new name in token of his destiny.

The name Abram meant ‘high father’ or ‘exalted father.’ Okay, can you imagine anything more embarrassing than to have only one child, mothered by a slave, and to be named "father of a multitude"? By the grace of God, Abraham would soon live up to his new name.

Most of us have experienced the nastiness of making an agreement that turned out less than beneficial for us. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," they say. Just the opposite is true with God's promises. The more we learn of them, the richer the blessings they contain. Abram had been told that he would become a great nation; now he was told that in fact he would become the ‘father of a multitude of nations’, of kings, even. El Shaddai promised to be a God to Abram and to his descendants, including his spiritual seed (Galatians 3:16). The covenant was not only between Abraham and God, but between God and Abraham’s seed, forever.

Chapter 17 focuses on the specific obligations of the covenant. The enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant is conditional. Only by keeping these conditions can man enjoy the blessings of God as guaranteed in the covenant.

The obligation upon Abraham and his descendants was that they be circumcised. In one way, circumcision seems too simple. How can God require only this one act? Let us remember that God had already said to Abraham, "Walk before Me, and be blameless" (verse 1). Circumcision was not all that Abraham was required to do—rather, it was the symbol of his relationship to God, signifying what his moral conduct should be. Circumcision, for Abraham, meant that he had bound himself to God in this covenant. He looked forward to its blessings and submitted to its stipulations.

Circumcision is the only act of surgery of its kind that is beneficial to mankind. More than its physical benefits, it signifies spiritual requirements. Symbolically, the flesh is put away. Abram had acquired a son by the use of his reproductive organ. Now he submitted it to God. No Israelite could ever engage in the sex act without being reminded of the fact that he belonged to God. Children that were begotten were to be brought up according to God’s Word. Circumcision of infant sons did not save them but evidenced the faith of the father and mother in the God of Abraham. As that young child grew up, his circumcision was a sign to him that he was different from other boys—he belonged to God. It was not the circumcision that saved the boy, but the sign which would forever remind him of what God required to enjoy the benefits of His covenant.

Some have emphasized the similarities between baptism and circumcision (Colossians 2:10-12). Both signify a union with God that has already occurred. Both necessitate the putting away of former things and living a life pleasing to God (Romans 6:1; Colossians 3:1-11) . There are rather obvious differences which must be kept in mind. Baptism is for believing adults, as an indication of their faith in God (Acts 16:33; 19:1-7). Circumcision was performed on 8-day-old infants and evidenced the faith of the parents. Baptism is a public sign, circumcision was a private sign. Baptism is for all believers, male and female, circumcision was only for the males. Circumcision was a sign of the covenant with Abraham; baptism is not the sign of the New Covenant (the sign of the New Covenant is the Lord’s supper (Luke 22:20).

Up to this time, God had promised Abraham a son but had not specifically identified the mother of this child. Abraham had been convinced by Sarai and circumstances that it must be Hagar and apparently he still considered this to be the case. What a shock God’s words must have been, and what a commentary on chapter 16.

Abraham had seriously misunderstood God and now God set him straight. Against the testimony of all experience, Sarai would be the mother of the promised heir. Abraham's response is puzzling.

Before you judge Abraham's faith, consider that Abraham was not speaking to God at this point. Verse 17 records Abraham's inner and immediate response to God’s proclamation. No, Abraham was not laughing in delight, but in disbelief. Would any of us respond differently? I am not suggesting total unbelief, but I do think that Abraham was incredulous. God's promise was an incredible one—too much to take in one dose. Laughter is often the response to things which catch us off guard. Abraham’s words to God also reflect a failure to fully grasp what has just been promised: "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!" (Genesis 17:18).

Abraham could not believe that Sarah would bear a son to him, so he informed God that so far as he was concerned, Ishmael was satisfactory as his heir. God need perform no miracles that would be necessary for Sarah to bear a child. There was already a son in the family. Abraham loved this child. If another heir were born, there would surely be conflict. Couldn’t God choose to bless Ishmael rather than to provide another child?

God’s plans would not be changed. God had purposed to give Abraham and Sarah a child and through this child to bring about His promises. No substitute son was satisfactory, especially when he was the result of self effort. Indeed, Sarah would bear a son and the spiritual blessings could only come about through him (Genesis 17:19).

God, however, did not overlook the love Abraham felt for Ismael. He'd made His own promises to Hagar. Ishmael would become a great nation, the progenitor of 12 princes, but the spiritual blessings could only come through Isaac.

There is little in this passage which is new to anyone who has read the Bible. Let us not forget, however, that a good deal of what was said was new to Abraham. New revelation was simply clarification of the promise of Genesis 12:1-3. All of Abraham’s life was primarily focused upon that single promise. It took him a lifetime to begin to grasp the promise which initially took only three verses to record. The pinnacle of Abraham’s growth in faith is seen in his willingness to sacrifice his son (we'll get to that in Chapter 22). This act was the ultimate test of Abraham’s faith in God’s promise to bless him through his descendants.

If it took Abraham a lifetime to grasp three verses of Scripture, how long will it take us to fathom the depth of the riches of His grace (Romans 11:33-36)?

Often I desire "new" truths for my own life. God does't often provided that because He knows, as I often forget, that I have not yet fully grasped the few great truths of His word. How easy it is to think that we have learned some truth, pausing for a moment and then moving onto the next lesson. In Abraham’s life, God revealed a truth, then continued to return to it, testing him, and revealing more of that truth than he had known before.

Which one of us can say that we have come to fathom the doctrine of the grace of God or of the atonement? Who would be willing to claim that he had seen all of its implications? Like Abraham, we can expect God to be at work in our lives, expanding and expounding upon the few great and central truths of Christianity. Like Abraham, you and I cannot have a static relationship with God. If we are truly born again, God will not allow this to happen. He may allow us to fail as Abraham often did. He may leave us to ourselves for a time, as Abram found God silent for 13 years. Then, sooner or later, God will break into our lethargic lives and draw us closer to Himself. That is what the Christian life is all about.