Genesis 18: God Appearing as Three Men

[GerardMajella]

So you can definitely trust the sages… to lead you astray.

I understand your point, which is why I recommend looking at multiple commentaries from various sources.

One of my favorite commentators, Matthew Henry, happened to be a Protestant. But his commentary is excellent, and has helped me to gain a better understanding of Scripture. Same with the Jewish commentators. In fact, I find the Jewish commentators to be quite insightful and helpful in understanding difficult passages in the Old Testament. Utilized in conjunction with Catholic resources, they can help the lay reader to better understand difficult passages in the Old Testament.

Many Catholic priests will study under Jewish rabbis for a period of time in order to better understand the Old Testament. They will learn Hebrew, and study various Jewish commentaries, including the Talmud.

Not all Jews deny Christ, by the way. A rather large number of Messianic Jews live in Israel, and the United States.

 

[Benadam]

What always makes me wonder is Genesis seems to be clear that Abraham was speaking with God (perhaps Jesus and two angels?) especially because it says in Gen 18:1-3:
1
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
2
Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground,
3
he said: "Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant.
He referred to himself as a servant, and he bowed down and was NOT REPRIMANDED FOR DOING SO ( because 'I too am a servant like you.")

Contrast this with Revelation 19:9-10
9
Then the **angel **said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.”
10
**I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t! I am a fellow servant **of yours and of your brothers who bear witness to Jesus. Worship God. Witness to Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
So in the 2nd case, the angel clearly says not to bow for I am a servant like you; bow only to God.

In the first case, it says the Lord appeared to Abraham, and when Abraham bowed he was NOT told to get up, and he refered to himself as the servant of the person standing before him, and was NOT told by the person before him that he too was a fellow servant. His being a servant of the one before him was allowed to stand, and his bowing down was allowed to stand, whereas the ANGEL in Rev did not allow bowing down.

Makes me wonder - it really seems as if it is Jesus and two angels.But then again, maybe not.

That’s an interesting point. There is another time angels allowed this.

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,”

Thank you beehumble.