Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2)!
Genesis emphasizes certain values that are important to the people and the readers of the book. In a past blog I already mentioned some of them. In this blog I would like to discuss the importance of being kind to strangers.
Most (but not all) of the examples of good and bad treatment of strangers are found in Abraham's time.
Abraham welcomed three strangers and fed them. It turned out that the three men were the Lord and two angels.
When Lot saw the two angels staying in the city square, he took them to his house fed them and gave them a place to stay for the night.
Sodom was the extreme bad example, showing the worst behavior in many levels, including the intent to rape strangers.
Abraham and Isaac show some interesting behavior on several occasions, when they told the local leaders that their wives were only sisters. They did this in order to protect themselves, but in telling the rulers that their wives were sisters, they did wrong to the city rulers. It seems that when foreign visitors come into the households of the patriarchs, they are given the royal treatment. But when the patriarchs go into foreign lands, survival instincts take over.
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