@ Etude- Hospitality, A Sign of a Great Heart

UV @ Etude – Hospitality, a Sign of a Great Heart

When he raised his eyes and looked up, behold, three men were standing a little distance from him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

Genesis 18 v 2


Abraham not only had a strong faith that enabled him on the vertical dimension to relate well with God on a personal basis but he had a good heart to reach out on the horizontal dimension to fellow human beings, even strangers. On seeing three strangers at a distance, he ran to them and showed great respect in inviting them to visit and stay there a little while he got them food and drink. He offered water to wash their feet and invited them to recline and relax in the shade of a tree. He was not suspicious or stingy in extending hospitality to the three strangers who happened to be angelic beings sent by God to visit him

Opening up one’s house to others, not necessarily friends but could even be strangers is a sign of a great heart. It is an admission that all that belongs to us is not meant only for our enjoyment or use but to share with others to meet their need, to refresh and sustain them when they are weary, famished, needy or weak. It is a recognition that we have been blessed by God in order to bless others. We ought not to be reservoirs of selfishness hoarding it all for ourselves alone. Abraham displayed a lot of humility, courtesy and generosity in the way he welcomed his guests. He did not expect any reciprocation or quid pro quo from the strangers he entertained. He deemed it only as a God-given privilege.
and an opportunity to serve others that he could not afford to miss.
The three angelic beings brought confirmation of the timing of the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah that they would have an heir, a son within a year from then. Both Abraham and Sarah were amused and disbelieving when they were told they would have a son. It is a lesson for us that when we share our God-given blessings with others, we would be even more blessed in ways that we cannot imagine or visualize at the time. We open our doors out of our sense of hospitality while hospitality opens the doors for unexpected miracles in our lives.