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The Two Meals in Genesis

I have been reading Bruce K. Waltke's Genesis Commentary for the church's Christian Education Class. Two classes on Genesis were completed by God's grace despite what I felt was inadequate preparation.

I decided to still plough through Genesis anyway. Waltke has been very helpful in exposing the various juxtapositions of the narrators between characters and events in Genesis. In the class I demonstrated the theme of the "seeing of nakedness" between in Genesis 3 involving Adam and Eve and again in Genesis 9 involving Noah and Ham. Clearly the parallels aim to show the continuation of the seed of the woman to be with Shem over Ham.

Another helpful one is to observe the juxtaposition of the characters Abraham and Lot. There is so much to be said here but one illuminating one is the comparison of the "meals" offered by Abraham versus Lot. These chapters are side by side Genesis 18 and Genesis 19. Both chapters begin with the LORD appearing versus angel of the Lord arriving. Both involve the preparation of meals by the host (Abraham versus Lot). 

Alas, the two characters are shown to be completely different in the way they offer these things. While Abraham offers a feast, Lot offers unleavened bread. Abraham also encourages the host to stay, while Lot hurries them so that they may depart the next morning.

Implications? 

The Lord surely has rebuked me if I too like Lot, have little time for Him. There is no accident that Abraham is made much of and Lot, well not a lot (if you will excuse the pun) ...

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