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.