Greetings MOL Family!

In today’s class, we will continue looking at some of the hospitality and homeheading principles practiced by Abraham, God’s friend. Who do you think put it into the heart of Abraham, that day, to invite his three visitors to come in?

Happy Helpers

Who do you think it was? — The Holy Spirit? Yes, he was following the prompting of the Good Spirit. (It was his custom, his habit.) Oh, yes, sure he was. Do you know what a habit is? A habit is something you have done over and over again, until it gets to be a habit.

You know this book of Genesis is an interesting book. It covers over 2,000 years of human history. Over a third of the history of the world is in here. And there are literally millions of things that happened that aren’t in the book at all. The leisurely detail with which the Bible tells certain incidents is illuminating. It’s interesting. Now, here you see something that happened in just one day. It takes a whole chapter to tell; and there are only 50 chapters in the book. All of this is very meaningful.

The 6th verse: Notice, that Abraham had taken the responsibility of inviting the people –this is the 4th and 5th verses. And may I pause. Did Abraham have to say, “Gentlemen, I wish you would tarry here for a few moments, I want to run in the house and see whether or not we can make a place for you? I’ll have to get on the phone or intercom and see what we can do?” Did he? Why not? That wasn’t the way that was organized. Every homehead needs somebody, few or many, according to the size of the home, that they know they can depend upon for help and that don’t have to ask whether or not they can invite a guest. This is vital. Watch it in operation.

Abraham had invited them in. He said, “I’m going to fetch some water and wash your feet. And you can rest and I’ll fetch a morsel of bread.” Oh, that’s interesting, “I’ll fetch a morsel of bread.” Now, let’s see where he gets the bread. It wasn’t in the deep freeze.

And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said [“Could you… do you suppose?” No, what did he do?] Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. – Genesis 18:6

The women’s lib folks wouldn’t like this text at all, would they? Seventh verse, Abraham wasn’t through with giving directions:

And Abraham ran unto the herd… – Genesis 18:7

Abraham was older than any of us reading today’s lesson. He was active. Cholesterol wasn’t getting him down or the arthritis.

Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. – Genesis 18:7

Abraham picked out the prized calf for his guest, but he gave it to this young man and he said, “Now, you take care of getting this fixed up.” My point is, he had helpers. Do you get the picture, here? Do you see it in the Bible? I’m not making it up, am I? You see it there, don’t you? And that’s the reason, and don’t miss it, that he could (with perfect equanimity and assurance) invite those three strangers in. He knew that he had an organization back of him that would make it possible for him to do what he was inviting those people to enjoy.

All right, we won’t read all the chapter. They got their meal, and he got a revelation from the Lord of glory. Before that day was over, he knew that he had been talking to the God of Heaven and two of His chosen messengers.

Share the Blessing

Now let us turn over to Hebrews 13:2. Oh, my, what a verse!

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2

You see, he’s talking about this very chapter. Not that that’s the only time, but he’s talking specifically of this wonderful experience. And his lesson is… Isn’t that a wonderful thing? But such things never happen anymore… Oh, no, he says to you and me, “You don’t forget to do what? — entertain strangers, for thereby, in this way, some have what? — Entertained angels unawares.”

Let me tell you a story. Elder G. B. Starr was one of our earliest workers in Australia. He and his wife worked with Sister White over there for 8 years. He [had a very] interesting experience that happened in Battle Creek. There were two young men that came to the church at Battle Creek. And nobody took them home to dinner. Nobody invited them in that large church. And finally, there was one poor, old couple that took pity on these two young men, and invited them home. Sister White told Elder Starr and Sister Starr that those were two angels that came to Battle Creek. Oh yes, two angels.

Do you suppose it could happen to you? It could happen just as well as in Battle Creek or Mamre, couldn’t it? And that’s what he’s talking about here:

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for [What does “for” mean there? Because, for this reason] some have entertained angels unawares. – Hebrews 13:2

And don’t get the idea that that means, “Maybe I’d better entertain a hundred people because somewhere I might get lucky and get an angel.” Every time I entertain strangers, for Jesus’ sake, I’m entertaining angels.

Now take your Ministry of Healing, pages 352-354. Down at the bottom of page 352, the section beginning on hospitality:

There are many others to whom we might make our homes a blessing. Our social entertainments should not be governed by the dictates of worldly custom, but by the Spirit of Christ and the teaching of His word. The Israelites, in all their festivities, included the poor, the stranger, and the Levite, who was both the assistant of the priest in the sanctuary, and a religious teacher and missionary. These were regarded as [What?] the guests of the people… – Ministry of Healing, pg. 353

Who were the guests? Well, the poor. Who else? The stranger. Who else? The Levite.

These were regarded as the guests of the people, to share their hospitality on all occasions of social and religious rejoicing, and to be tenderly cared for in sickness or in need. – Ibid

Oh, that might make a lot of problems. It would, wouldn’t it? We’ll get into that more some other lesson.

It is such as these whom we should make welcome to our homes. How much such a welcome might do to cheer and encourage the missionary nurse or the teacher, the care burdened, hard working mother, or the feeble and aged, so often without a home, and struggling with poverty and many discouragements.

 

 

‘When thou makest a dinner or a supper,’ Christ says, ‘call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when you makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just’” [What does recompensed mean? Paid back]

 

These are guests whom it will lay on you no great burden to receive. You will not need to provide for them elaborate or expensive entertainment. You will need to make no effort at display [Thank the Lord for that.]

 

 

The warmth of a genial welcome, a place at your fireside, a seat at your home table, the privilege of sharing the blessing of the hour of prayer, would to many of these be like a glimpse of heaven. – Ibid

There are a lot of wonderful things we have every day that millions of people have never had any day of their life. And we’re to be reaching out to share with others these regular, should I say, commonplace blessings. Oh, to share them. And so, this says:

The warmth of a genial welcome, a place at your fireside, a seat at your home table, the privilege of sharing the blessing of the hour of prayer, would to many of these be like a glimpse of heaven. – Ibid

This is one of the great reasons we have this home training plan here. Look, folks, that student who comes to your home, he’s either somebody that’s used to family worship and would certainly miss it if he didn’t have it. Or else, he’s somebody that has never had that joy, that pleasure, that privilege and is crying out loud for it, whether he knows it or not. He’s hungry for it.

Our sympathies are to overflow the boundaries of self and the enclosure of family walls. – Ibid

We’ll be studying about the privacy of the inner family, but there’s something that is too well up in that sacred enclosure of the inner family and do what? Overflow. What is it? — Our sympathies. What’s sympathy? — a feeling of love for them that identifies ourselves with their needs, their feelings.

Our sympathies are to overflow the boundaries of self and the enclosure of family walls. – Ibid

Notice the aptness of the picture. The prophet does not say we’re to tear down the family walls so that everybody can have some love. No, no. The family walls belong there. But there’s to be so much love, divine love, caring love that it will do what? Overflow like an artisan well.

Our sympathies are to overflow the boundaries of self and the enclosure of family walls. There are precious opportunities for those who will make their homes a blessing to others. Social influence is a wonderful power. We can use it if we will as a means of helping those about us. – Ibid

What a privilege!

And who have we seen again as an outstanding example of this? Abraham and his wife, Sarah, and the young man who was helping him get that calf ready and all the others. That organization was on tiptoe, ready to get done what needed to be done to carry out their mission. They were an evangelistic company.

You know I’ve thought about it, friends, there’s Enoch back there before the flood. He lived out in the hills. He went and preached down to the cities of his time. Sister White tells us in the commentary first Vol. (on the chapter dealing with Enoch), that every time Enoch returned from those city evangelistic trips he brought somebody with him out there to his hideout in the hills. What for? — To share with them the good way of life.

What do you suppose the reaction of Enoch’s family was? Somebody could have said looking down the road, “Oh, there comes daddy again and look, sure enough, he has got somebody with him. I don’t know where we’re going to put them. We’ve got more than we can handle now. I thought maybe I’d get a rest.”

What a different thing it must have been, and I believe it was this way: I can see little Methuselah waving his hand as he hollers, “There comes daddy! And mommy, he has got somebody with him! He has got somebody more that we can help, somebody more that we can teach this way of life.”

Entertainment for entertainment sake gets old, folks, but soul winning, that’s something else. One soul more precious than all the worlds that shine on high; all the stars that twinkle in the evening sky.

But, remember what I said, in our previous lesson: That does not mean get so many people in the lifeboat that the lifeboat sinks and you all go down together saying, “O, I wish we could have taken some more.” No, no. God give us sanctified common sense. What do you say? And remember, if all you can take care of at a time is one person: one student, one sick person, one old person, one visitor, if all you can do is one, do one. Maybe somewhere along the line God will help you to see where you can take care of two, three.

Probably nobody will ever get as many as Abraham. And that doesn’t worry me. We don’t have to have his capacity. But friends, God help me, whether I’m a gallon size or a quart size, or a pint size, I want to be full and overflowing for God. What do you say? My heart, my home, my hands, whatever I have, to let God use me to help people; so many need help.

Our home should be [What?] a place of refuge for the tempted youth. – Ibid

Oh, to shuttle them off to a dormitory where there are 3, 4, 500. Well, folks, God knows these dormitories are better than where most of them come from. And I thank God for Christian schools with their dormitories. I haven’t one word to say against them. But I want to tell you something: There’s more than one Christian young person who needs some closer association around a family table, and around a family altar (than they’ll get in a dormitory). And if all you and I do is shuttle them off to the dormitories, we’ll help some people, but some won’t be able to get it that way.

Our home should be a place of refuge for the tempted youth. – Ibid

 

Our sphere of influence may seem narrow, our ability small, our opportunities few, our acquirements limited; yet wonderful possibilities are ours through a faithful use of the opportunities of our own homes [Isn’t that wonderful? Thank God, friends – Wonderful possibilities are ours through a faithful use of the opportunities of our own homes]. – Ibid., pg. 355

God will bless as we keep studying and praying over these things. I suppose, you agree with me that these lessons we’re studying are a challenge, to seek God in prayer personally. Don’t you find it that way? God bless you.

Join us next week, as we continue on with our class rotation… Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then!

-Continue on to the next study-

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* This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.