And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Comment: We are not told at the beginning who these visitors were or their purpose. Abraham, sitting under he large shady trees was the perfect example of a perfect host. He was welcoming; for the traveller on a dusty road; he arranged for foot cleaning and maybe a little massaging; as there was no 24/7 in the area, he arranged for his wife (and probably her servants) to whip up a few cakes. He himself chose a calf for a meat meal. He was a wealthy man. This is all a bit of overkill to our shop oriented Western minds. But I have experienced being asked into a place and to sitting around chatting while (in my case) a sheep was killed and quickly cooked and a meal served. Then, after the meal, they began to reveal their purpose in coming as we will discover tomorrow.
Prayer: Help me to be a good host. loving and welcoming visitors.
As I read it! 