Topical Bible: God: Appearances of To Abraham

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The appearances of God to Abraham are pivotal events in the biblical narrative, marking significant moments in the unfolding of God's covenantal relationship with humanity. These divine encounters underscore God's initiative in establishing a chosen people through whom He would bless all nations.

1. The Call of Abram (Genesis 12:1-3): The first recorded appearance of God to Abram, later named Abraham, occurs when God calls him to leave his country, his people, and his father's household to go to a land that He would show him. God promises to make Abram into a great nation, to bless him, and to make his name great. This call is foundational, setting the stage for the covenantal relationship that would follow. "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3).

2. The Covenant of the Pieces (Genesis 15): In a profound vision, God reassures Abram of His promise to give him descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram's faith is credited to him as righteousness. God then formalizes His covenant with Abram through a ritual involving the cutting of animals, symbolizing the seriousness and binding nature of the covenant. "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates'" (Genesis 15:18).

3. The Covenant of Circumcision (Genesis 17): God appears to Abram when he is ninety-nine years old, reiterating His covenant and changing Abram's name to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations." God establishes circumcision as the sign of the covenant between Him and Abraham's descendants. "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" (Genesis 17:7).

4. The Visit of the Three Men (Genesis 18): The LORD appears to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre in the form of three men. During this visit, God reaffirms the promise of a son through Sarah, despite her old age. This encounter also includes the LORD's revelation of His plan to investigate the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah, leading to Abraham's intercession for the cities. "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son" (Genesis 18:14).

5. The Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22): In a test of faith, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. As Abraham demonstrates his obedience, God intervenes, providing a ram as a substitute sacrifice. This event foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Christ and reaffirms God's covenant promises. "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me" (Genesis 22:12).

These appearances of God to Abraham are not only historical events but also theological milestones that reveal God's character, His faithfulness, and His redemptive plan for humanity through the lineage of Abraham.

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Genesis 18:2-33
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, see, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
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Library

The Essence of God Never Appeared in Itself. Divine Appearances to ...
... Divine Appearances to the Fathers Wrought by the Ministry of Angels. An Objection
Drawn from the Mode of Speech Removed. That the Appearing of God to Abraham ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 11 the essence of god.htm

From Abraham to Egypt.
... For Study and Discussion. (1) The several appearances of God to Abraham: (a)
The purpose of each; (b) its influence in the life of Abraham. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter iv from abraham to.htm

The Faith of Abraham.
... He made provision for a future belied by present appearances. ... that rends the spirit
like a lightning-stroke descending from God. With Abraham it was otherwise. ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xi the faith of.htm

Whether Anything False Can Come under Faith?
... in itself was possible even after Abraham's time, but in so far as it stands in
God's foreknowledge, it ... body of Christ is under the appearances of sensible ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether anything false can come.htm

Third and Fourth Appearances of Jesus.
... Third and Fourth Appearances of Jesus. ... a prophet mighty in deed and word before God
and all ... as the passover, the rock in the wilderness, Abraham's sacrifice of ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxvii third and fourth appearances.htm

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
... We shall surely die, because we have seen GOD."). ... xvii.1, "And when Abraham was ninety
years old ... then, contains the indication, that such appearances must only ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the angel of the lord.htm

The Bush that Burned, and did not Burn Out
... of the symbolical accompaniments of divine appearances, all of ... a divine symbol, a
symbol of God not of ... blazing furnace in the early vision granted to Abraham. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the bush that burned and.htm

God in Christ
... the universe, who made a covenant with Abraham, who brought ... from the beginning of
the world in God, who created ... not wrong, in spite of all appearances to the ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon i god in christ.htm

Christ's Reply to the Sadducees About the Resurrection. (Matt. ...
... the Pentateuch, "I am the God of Abraham, and the ... and the God of Jacob." How could
God place himself ... dignity, if they were mere perishable appearances; if they ...
/.../section 248 christs reply to.htm

Christ as the First and the Last; He is Also what Lies Between ...
... becoming an angel, we shall find reason for believing it was so, if we observe
carefully the appearances and the ... And he said, I am the God of Abraham and of ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/34 christ as the first.htm