THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Genesis 18:1-15
Bob Bonner
March 13, 2005

One of the most exciting ministries to hit Grants Pass in the 18 years that I have been here, is Celebrate Recovery. Since the middle of last July, we have seen numerous people put their trust in Christ and many Christians who have been wounded and struggling with life find freedom and help.

As I visit with people throughout Grants Pass, there are few I meet that would not benefit from the Biblical life changing instruction and mentorship that is found in Celebrate Recovery. For people who struggle with anxiety, depression, past hurts, hang ups and bad habits that appear to grab them like a salt water eel that refuses to let go, Jesus is meeting these people through Celebrate Recovery and rescuing them and bringing healing to their lives.

After one takes our One to One Discipleship class, I would recommend all believers to work through the one year program and teaching that comes with the Celebrate Recover instruction. There are so many of us who fight bitterness, depression, who struggle with slander and gossip because of being enslaved by past hurts, that we need to humble ourselves and learn from God’s word through a program like this. Too many think that this is simply for those who struggle with addictions. It is not. It is for all of us. We are all, regardless of education, wealth, health or success, in need of “Recovery” of having our lives transformed supernaturally by God. God wants nothing more, than to transform your and my life. In fact, in the term Messiah or savior, is the idea of transforming, rescuing, liberating and deliverance. That’s who Jesus is.

And this morning, we have an opportunity to see this illustrated in our passage of study, Genesis 18:1-15. This is another Old Testament passage in which I believe, Jesus physically shows up, reveals Himself to Abraham and teaches us about His ability to transform a life. Please look with me at Genesis 18:1-15, “Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.” I don’t picture Abraham sitting in the sun here, but in the shade of the oak trees under which his tent was pitched. We learn later that it is in the shade of these trees, next to his tent, during the heat of the day, that his visitors enjoy a meal.”

The meaning of the Hebrew word for “Mamre” is unclear, but I believe it still has some significance to this story. As best we can tell, the word “Mamre” comes from a word that refers to being “strong” or “strengthened”. Dr. Warren Wiersbe states that “Mamre” means “fatness” or “fullness.” Either way, Abraham was indeed both. He had become “fat” in this world’s wealth, as well as “full” in the blessings of the Lord. As a result, he had become a strong influence in the land.

Hence, as I looked at these possible meanings of the word “Mamre”, I couldn’t help but see this geographical place, the “Oaks of Mamre,” as being a picture of Abraham’s life at that moment. As a result of his re-awakened faith in chapter 17, He has turned his faith-walk around, and things couldn’t be sweeter between he and the Lord. He is enjoying the “fatness” or fullness of God’s blessing. He’s relaxing, rather than working in the heat of the day.

In contrast to Abraham’s present state of affairs, in chapter 19, we will see Lot, living with his family in the sin city of Sodom. I’m convinced that Lot is troubled at this point in his life. There are many things he enjoys about living in Sodom. Yet, he has paid a price for living there as well. He has discovered a spiritual void in his life that has left him wanting. He is not experiencing the “fullness of God’s blessing” as he was when he lived with Abraham. He is experiencing wealth and all that it brings, like the celebrity status that comes with being a community leader, but something is missing deep within that spoils it all. It’s that intimate closeness of walking with the Lord that is absent from his life, and he knows it.

I think the Psalmist captures this feeling best when he writes about being in God’s temple, a metaphor for being in close communion with God. He writes in Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” I would rather be poor in this world’s treasures, I would rather be an insignificant servant of God working behind the scenes but enjoying the richness that comes from having a clear conscience and a pure heart that is the result of walking closely with the Lord, than have all the treasures and notoriety that often comes with wealth, and often leads us away from that closeness with God. At the Oaks of Mamre, Abraham was indeed enjoying the fullness of the Lord.

Back to Abraham, “When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him.” As best I can tell the word “opposite him” comes from the Hebrew word for “upper”, “above” or “over him”. Hence, Abraham was probably sitting in the shade of the trees outside his tent door, cat napping in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes or opened them, there stood three men, a short distance away, looking down on him from a rise.

Then we read, “...and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth,

“and said, “My lord, [“Adonai = human authority figure. Cf. v. 12, Sarah’s address to her husband] if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. “Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, [that’s about 2 gallons of grain] knead it and make bread cakes.” [That’s no small chore and takes quite some time.] Likewise, Abraham was working hard at being the consummate host. We read, “Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. He took curds and milk [probably goats milk, a prized drink because of its energy and easy digestibility] and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.”

Abraham’s offering to the men, “something to eat” was no little snack. It turned out to be a banquet!!!

As I have tried to understand what motivated Abraham to respond so quickly and humbly to prepare a banquet for his unexpected and uninvited guests, I have found two ways to view his and Sarah’s incredible act of hospitality. First, is to assume that they did not recognize any of these men for who they were, the Lord and two angels. They were simply strangers who surprised them by their sudden presence. Being as hospitality was such an important facet of their culture, and not wanting to appear inhospitable, they jumped quickly to prepare a meal for them. Both Abraham and Sarah worked hard to make their uninvited guests welcome.

Or, the second possibility, of which I am a holder is based on what we learned in chapter 17. If I am correct, in both of the previous two chapters, chapter 16 and 17, Abraham literally saw and spoke with the Lord Jesus (as 17:1, 22 indicate), then most likely he recognized Jesus among the other two strangers. In fact, in verse 3, Abraham does not address all three men, but just one...“The Lord”. Realizing that it was the Lord, he was quick to provide a meal for Him and his two companions, wanting to honor and fellowship with Him.

If I am correct in this, doesn’t this picture reveal that God’s and the believer’s greatest desire is to enjoy one another’s fellowship? It reminds me of Christ’s words, and His expressed desire in Revelation 3:20, to have fellowship with each of us. For there, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.” In the orient, dining with someone was a high complement. It meant that you really looked forward to and enjoyed their company.

But this dining with the Lord, isn’t just the Lord’s desire for us. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:17, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;” Literally, that word “dwell” means to make Jesus feel at home with us. Abraham, recognizing who it is, obviously wants to have the best fellowship he can with the Lord, so he becomes the best host possible, to “make Jesus feel at home.”

⁹Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age;” The word there for “old” is a Hebrew idiom that points to a person being “long in the beard.” Maybe by this time, Sarah had a little beard too, since the text says that they were both “old.”

“Sarah was past childbearing. [The Hebrew is even more literal than what we read here in English. It reads, “it had ceased to be to Sarah the custom as to women.” In other words, as Ryrie notes in his study Bible, “Sarah no longer experienced the cycle of women.”

“Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old [a different word for “old”. Here, it means “Withered”, as in one’s old skin being dried, wrinkled and not as sensitive to the touch], shall I have pleasure [comes from a word that refers to something luxurious, dainty or delicate. It is a reference to delicate and sensitive skin. Hence, old Sarah is questioning how is it going to happen that her sensuously dead old skin going to come to “life” sensuously at her husband’s touch.] “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure with my lord [“husband”] being old [“long in the beard”] also?” Do you get her drift? It’s really a very funny question/statement she is making. She is saying, “You mean to tell me, that this old woman, with a little hair on her chin, and with her withered and wrinkled old skin, is going to come back to a sensuous life, and with that old man!? You’ve got to be kidding me!” That’s the force of her thought.

Keep in mind here, Sarah was not present to see Jesus back in chapters 16 and 17, hence, she doesn’t have a clue Who is saying these things outside her tent. That’s why she quietly laughs to herself with great doubt about Christ’s announcement that she is going to have a baby. But when Jesus mentioned her laughing to herself (something no one outside heard), she then realized Who it was that was speaking about her. It either had to be God or one of His messengers. But the next verse clearly tells us that it was not a messenger of God, but God Himself in the flesh. For we read, “And the Lord [Yahweh, one of these three visitors] said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”

What a powerfully instructive question for this woman and Abraham! El Elyon was indeed powerful and concerned about meeting all of their needs. He is Elohim who brings or creates life and He is El Shaddai who sustains life. Why couldn’t He do this? Why couldn’t He bring life or create life in Sarah’s womb? There is only one expected answer to this question: No! Nothing is too difficult for God. Or in Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:26, “...with God, all things are possible.” Elohim, who created all things, surely controls all things, including the laws of nature. Hence, He can change or interrupt those laws any time He wishes. Ie, Making the Sun stand still. In fact, that is one of the evidences of a miracle: Something that flies in the face of natural physical laws. Who can change them but the Author of them?

Another interesting insight is the word “difficult”. In Isaiah 9:6, we find this same word translated in this prophecy describing the Messiah’s coming. We read, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor [“wondrous advisor, extraordinary and marvelous One”], Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” That word “wonderful” is the same word translated “difficult.”

This indeed is a wonderful miracle, giving this woman a child at her age. God specializes in miracles, in those things we so quickly brand as impossible or “difficult”; for He indeed is “Wonderful!”

Jesus goes on to prophesy, “At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Embarrassed, Sarah called out, denying she had laughed. But when the Lord insisted that she had laughed, this must have bolstered her faith in His promise, that within the year, she would indeed have a child. She must have thought, “Wow! If this man can read my thoughts, He must certainly be able to open my womb.” Just think what must have been going on in this dear woman’s mind for the next few hours, days and months!

At this point, I would like to digress a bit, to look at Sarah. When we were looking at Genesis 17, I quickly passed over God’s changing Sarai’s name to Sarah, with the hope that when we came to this point, we could better appreciate the significance of her name change. It is held by some scholars that the name Sarai is related to the Hebrew root word for “strive”, “persist”, or “contentious”. If this is correct, this name speaks volumes to us about what the home life of Abraham and Sarai must have been like. In addition, it gives us some insight into Sarai, herself. It even helps us understand a little better Sarai’s reaction to Hagar’s foolish disrespectful actions toward her mistress Sarai. It was out of this personality of being contentious that Sarai had humiliated and sought revenge against Hagar.

But then, in chapter 17, God tells Abraham that He is going to change Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “Princess”. As Abraham would become the father of many nations, she would become the “Princess, the mother of the nations.” What a sign of hope and affirmation this must have been for Sarai. All of her life, being labeled with a name, “contentious” now to be known as “Princess” the mother of the multitudes.

Keep in mind the timing of Sarai’s name change to Sarah. If you remember, it was in Genesis 16 that Abraham and Sarai decided they needed to help God fulfill His promise to provide Abraham with an heir. So, they did what was culturally acceptable and lawful, and Sarai turned Hagar over to sleep with Abraham with the hope that they would have a child whom Sarai could culturally claim to be her own and become the rightful heir to Abraham. This faithless action on her part resulted in a second failure of faith for Abraham.

That plan blew up in their faces, with all of the conflict in the home. Hagar runs away, meets God, confesses her sin to Him, returns to her mistress and puts herself back under Ms. “Contentious” authority. Hagar then tells Abraham, who is feeling like a failure as a husband and a failure as a man of God, all the things that God had done for and what God had told her! Ouch! That must have hurt this man’s pride just a little, to have a rebellious/converted slave girl teach him about his God.

Between her returning home and the beginning of Genesis 17, thirteen years have passed. For Abraham, they were thirteen years during which we learn nothing about Abraham’s walk with God, for there is nothing to report. But after thirteen years, God revisits Abraham again, and Abraham’s faith is re-awakened.

But during those same thirteen years, Abraham was not the only one struggling with his faith and growing through his failure in faith. He was not the only one who’s faith was about to be re-awakened. So was Sarai, Ms. “Contentious.” Likewise, at the same time God changes Abram’s name from “Abram,” “exalted father” to “Abraham,” “father of a great multitude”, His covenantal name, God also changes Sarai, “Ms. Contentious” to “Sarah,” “Princess”, mother of the great multitude.

To better appreciate the significance of this name change, let’s fast forward in time to the New Testament, to see its commentary on Sarah. First, let’s note that not once is Sarah ever called Sarai, in the entire New Testament. She is always referred to as Sarah. In 1 Peter 3, Peter tells us something fantastic about Sarah. We read these words: 1 Peter 3:1-6, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”

Wow! What a radical change in personality. Over the years, God so worked in Sarah’s life, that the previous “Ms. Contentious” is now known for all eternity as one who possessed a “gentle and quiet spirit”, who had revealed “respectful behavior” toward her husband; and, can you beat this...she becomes the poster girl for what it means to be “submissive”!

Understand, to be submissive was not Sarah’s natural bent. Before God got a hold of her, she was an argumentative and nagging wife. But over thirteen years, between Genesis 16 and 17, the grace of God had begun to transform her life, to the point that now, she was ready to carry the title, “Princess, mother of the nations!”

But like all of us, once we become Christians, we are all given a new name or title. We are called “saints”, whether we act like it or not. Likewise, Sarah’s new name, “Princess” did not become a reality for her right away, but rather over a period of time. For we later learn, in chapter 21, that strife was still in her household. This was manifested when, as a result of Ishmael mocking Sarah’s three year old baby Isaac, Sarah to demands that Ishmael and Hagar be permanently sent away, never to return.

So, Sarah still had issues that the Lord was working out in her life. None the less, as the years did pass, she became even less needy to defend or promote herself, because she knew deep down, whether she gave birth to a child or not, she was a precious woman in God’s sight. Eventually, over time, she became a godly woman for all women to model their lives after.

We read of Sarah in Hebrews 11:11, “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” She didn’t consider Him faithful after the promise had come true but before, As a result of her trusting by faith, in Christ’s promise before it had happened, thus God enabled her to conceive.

What great lessons of faith we are witnessing here. The faith that God can cause conception and the faith that God can change a person’s character and even personality. What a lesson in faith it must have been for Abraham to believe that God could change the personality and character of the wife with whom he had spent most of his life. To change her from “Ms. Contentious” to “Princess.” Likewise, it was quite a step of faith for Sarah to believe that God could and would transform her life. She knew she was a nag and probably wished she could change. But try as hard as she could, she didn’t. It was only when God stepped in and she trusted in Him, that He transformed her life.

***God is in the business of transforming broken lives.

But that’s the business God is in, the transformation of broken lives. He transforms a frog, like Sarai, into a Sarah, a Princess. Ms. Contentious, by faith, did not fall back on what so many people do today, and that is to make excuses for their character defects or offensive behavior. None of this, “Well, this is just the way I was born, and I can’t change so you are going to have to accept me as I am!”

Nor did Sarah hang on to the excuse, “Well, if you had suffered the childhood experiences that I have, you would understand why I can’t change. So, if you don’t like the way I act, too bad. I’m cannot change.” Those two statements are lies straight from the pit. They reveal a rebellious spirit and a refusal to believe that God has made you a new creation and that He can and will change even your personality.

God desires to change all of us to reflect His image. We put our faith in Him and His character and His power to transform our lives, and regardless of our past, God will transform our lives. That’s part of the walk of faith.

Allow me to close with these words from Ray Stedman. He writes, “Does it seem hard to you to be what God wants you to be? Is it hard to crucify your evil nature? Hard to cast down evil imaginings and to bring every thought into captivity to Christ? It is not too hard for the Lord!

Does it seem hard to you to be made sweet and gracious and forgiving and loving when down inside you know how nasty and devious and unpleasant and perverse you can be? It is hard for you, but it is not too hard for the Lord!

Does it seem hard that the friend for whom you are praying should ever be converted, or the one that is now rebelling against grace can ever be changed? Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Does some task which God is now asking of you seem impossible? Some situation in which you are living—is it too hard and demanding for you? Well, it may be hard for you, but it is not too hard for the Lord. As faith learns to rest—not on its own inadequate resources but upon the unfailing resources of God, in response to a definite promise—nothing is impossible.” - [MAN OF FAITH, Ray C. Stedman, p. 130-131]

All I can add to that, is Amen!

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