Read Genesis 18:1-33 at Bible Gateway.
The teaching tools of scripture
Gen 1:1-2:3 and the teaching tools of scripture part one and part two
Gen 1:1-6:8 and finding the topic themes of scripture
Hebrew paragraph divisions
18:1-19:38 {s} YHVH visits Abraham; Isaac promised/ Abraham’s intercession/ Sodom and Gomorrah overthrown
Strong themes of the parashah
None this week.
Gen 18:1-33 chiastic structure
Theme of the parashah
Abraham, intercessor, and his Seed, keeping the way of YHVH, in that all the nations of the earth blessed
Finding Messiah in Torah
And YHVH appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. Gen 18:1-2a
And the men turned their faces from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before YHVH. Gen 18:22
If we read ahead to chapter 19, we see that two of the men went to Sodom, while YHVH remained behind and talked with Abraham. Clearly YHVH appeared to Abraham in the form of a man, but as it is true of the Father that “No man has seen God at any time,” this must be a preincarnate theophany of Yeshua, “the only begotten Son, who .. has declared Him,” (Joh 1:18).
Also, YHVH appears to Abraham to tell him that his wife Sarah shall bear his son, but then Torah takes pains to point out that both Abraham and his wife were old, and Sarah past childbearing age. In the natural, it was impossible for her to bear a son, which is why she laughed. Yet she bore the Promised Seed. Likewise, Mary was a virgin, and in the natural it was also impossible for her to bear a son. Yet she bore the Promised Seed. So Torah prophesied by history of Messiah Yeshua. Thus Moses wrote about Messiah.
“For had you believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me.” Yeshua, Joh 5:46
Additional readings for this Torah portion
Studies in Triennial Vayeira
Gen 18, Bible for Beginners
Gen 18:1-33, Chiastic structure
Gen 18 and 19, The contrast between two men
Gen 18:1-19:38, Chiastic structure
Gen 18:1-21:21, The promised seed strong theme
Further study off site
Vayeira – Restoration of Torah
Vayeira Torah Pearls – Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson
Leave a Reply