And  now  God  declares  Himself  the  God  of  resurrection.  Sarai  is  to  have  a
son — the  first  positive  announcement  of  it.  And  her  name  also  is  changed  :  from
Sarai  (my  princess^  she  becomes  Sarah  {the  princess),  the  merely  personal  element
removed  with  the  '  i,"  which  stands  for  the  number  10 — the  number  of  i-esponsi-
bility,  to  make  way  again  for  the  "  h  ' ' — the  5,  where  the  creature  stands  once
more  in  its  weakness  before  this  almighty  GJod.  Thus  grace  and  faith,  the  ways
of  God  and  the  conscious  need  of  man,  exactly  suit,  and  are  united  to  one  an-
other ;  and  noio  grace  shall  be  fruitful,  Sarah  shall  have  a  son.
4.  Hereupon  the  practical  fi-uits  appear.  Abraham  is  found  in  his  tent-door  in
Mamre  ("  fatness  "  ?),  and  this  is  here  as  characteristic  as  the  "gate  of  Sodom,"
in  the  next  chapter,  is  for  Lot.  Here,  Jehovah  appears  to  him  in  the  new  form
of  man  :  communion  is  evidently  more  realized  than  at  previous  times.    Note  how


2.  4.  2.
GENESIS.
61


2.  Faith's
entertaln-
meat :
Christ
tiie  power
of  com-
munion.
3.  The
promise
renewed :
resurrec-
tion-power
needed  for
grace  to  be
productive.
4.  The
testing  of
Abraham
and  of
Sodom—
ffaithand
the  world.
now  I  have  found  favor  in  thine  eyes,  pass  not  away,  I
pray  thee,  from  thy  servant.  Let  a  "little  water,  I  pray
you,  be  fetched,  and  wash  your  feet,  and  rest  yourselves
under  the  tree ;  and  I  will  fetch  a  morsel  of  bread,  and
comfort  ye  your  hearts ;  after  that  ye  shall  pass  on ;  for
therefore  are  ye  come  unto  your  servant.  And  they  said,
So  do  as  thou  hast  spoken.
