8. Abraham and his wife, who lived to a hundred, joyfully had a son; Did he meet the angel or God Himself?

“Because Abraham had faith, when he heard God’s call, he obeyed and went to the place he was going to inherit, but when he set out, he did not know where he was going.” [Hebrews 11:8]

Nearly 400 years have passed since the Great Flood.。 In present-day Iraq, there was once an ancient kingdom called Babylon. Next to Babylon was an ancient city called Wu’e. Wu’e was adjacent to the Euphrates River, with developed water resources, fertile farmland, thriving commerce, and a prosperous life. People came and went, and the city was filled with shrines, worshipping false gods named Nanna, the moon goddess.

I live a descendant of a Shemit. His father was called Terah, and he had a son named Abram [meaning noble father], and Abram’s wife was named Sarai [meaning princess].

God searched the whole earth and chose Abram from among thousands—not because he was good, but because he obeyed God. God will personally lead Abram to change history from him alone. God said to Abram, “Leave your hometown, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the place I will show you.”

I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name known far and wide. You will be a blessing to others. “Abram stood up upon hearing this, even though he had never left his wealthy hometown.

He took his wife, father, and nephew Lot, migrated 1,000 kilometers north, settling in present-day Turkey in Harran. My father died there. Inspired by God, Abram migrated 600 kilometers southwest to what is now the region of Israel, which was called Canaan in ancient times. At that time, Abram was 75 years old. The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abram built an altar there for the Lord who appeared to him.

Twenty-four years have passed. Abram had already migrated to Hebron in the land of Canaan, also called Manli, where there was an oak grove. He pitched his tent there and lived there, and built an altar there for the Lord.

It was a sweltering day. Abram sat in the shade of an oak tree by the entrance of his tent, his heart heavy with worry. He was nearing the age of 100, and Sarai was 89, yet they remained childless.
Without a son, would God’s promises not be rendered hollow? Without a son, how could there be descendants? And without descendants, how could a great nation ever arise?

In an attempt to bring about God’s prophecy, his wife had taken the initiative thirteen years earlier, urging him to conceive a son with her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. They named him Ishmael (meaning “God hears”). [Ishmael would later father twelve sons, becoming the ancestor of the Arab people.] Once Hagar bore a son, she began to look down upon her mistress, Sarai.

Sarai retaliated viciously, and the two women clashed; caught in the middle, Abram found himself in an impossible position. To make matters worse, God indicated that this son was not the one He had ordained. If this child was not the one God had intended, what other recourse could there possibly be? Abram sat in a daze at the entrance of his tent, his heart heavy with distress. He recalled how, not long ago, God had appeared to him once more: “I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall become the ancestor of many nations.

From now on, your name shall no longer be Abram; it shall be Abraham (meaning ‘father of many nations’), for I have appointed you to be the father of a multitude of nations. I will make your descendants exceedingly numerous; many nations and kings shall come from you. I will give the entire land of Canaan—where you now reside as a sojourner—to you and your descendants as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.
Every male among you must be circumcised; this is the covenant between Me and you and your descendants, which you are to keep. As for your wife, she shall no longer be called Sarai; her name shall be Sarah (meaning ‘mother of nations’).

I will bless her, and she shall bear you a son. You shall name him Isaac (meaning ‘he laughs’), and I will uphold My covenant with him and his offspring forever.” I have done everything God asked—I moved my household, changed my name, and performed the rite of circumcision. But is it even possible for my wife to conceive?

How much time do I have left? I left Ur in my youth, and then departed from Haran at the age of seventy-five. Twenty-four years have passed since God made His promise—why, then, has He delayed in granting Sarah and me a son? God is capable of anything; why does He not act?

For twenty-four years, I have wandered through foreign lands, moving from place to place. I have endured famine, fled to Egypt—where my wife was nearly taken by the Pharaoh—and, upon my return, parted ways with my nephew Lot. I was even drawn into war, leading my servants into battle against local chieftains… As these thoughts occupied his mind, Abraham looked into the distance and caught a faint glimpse of three strangers approaching through the sunlight. He looked more closely and was startled to realize that they were angels sent from God. He immediately stood up, went to meet them, and said, “My lords, if I may have the honor, please do not pass by your servant so quickly. Let me have some water brought so you may wash your feet and rest for a while under the tree.”

I’ll bring some cakes, you all recharge before heading out. Abraham had his wife prepare the bread and ordered his servants to prepare the calf, personally serving it to the three guests. Under the shade of a tree, the guests sat and ate, then asked Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?” Abraham replied, “In the tent.” ”

One of them said, “At this time next year, I will come to you again, and Sarah will bear a son.” Sarah heard this from inside the tent, chuckled inwardly, and thought, “I’m already 89 years old—would I ever have such good fortune?” At my age, would I still have children? I am already going through menopause, and besides, my husband is quite old.

As Sarah was thinking this, the guest outside the tent suddenly spoke: “Why does Sarah chuckle to herself, saying, ‘Can I really have a child at my age?'”‘What is so difficult to keep the LORD?’ At this time next year, I will come to you again, and Sarah will bear a son. “God actually knows about psychological activity,” Sarah was afraid and quickly denied it: “I didn’t laugh!” But God said, “No, you did laugh.”

Abraham felt at ease after hearing this. God “delays” the reason for “delaying” is to let future generations see that these things are only possible by divine origin, making it impossible for people to boast. The 24-year wait will definitely not be in vain. As they chatted, the guests finished their meal. In the afternoon, they stood up to bid farewell to Abraham and headed toward the two great cities to the southeast.

The two cities were called Sodom and Omorah, which were once on the plains, but today they are sunk to the bottom of the Dead Sea, the lowest point above the horizon.

Abraham had long known about the evil deeds of the people in the city and knew that the messenger sent by God would surely be doomed. Thinking that his nephew Lot and his family were also living in the city, he stood up to see them off. But how would Abraham plead for him? So what happened to those two major cities?