It says that THREE mortals appeared to Abraham. One of them was YHWH and the other two were angels. So, YHWH and two angels appeared to Abraham as MORTALS. YHWH assumed the limitations of a mortal for he said to himself, "I will go down to Sodom and see for myself if this is true. Then I will know." Notice that YHWH had limited knowledge. He said to himself, "Then I will know." YHWH assumed a mortal's limitation. The two angels also assumed the limitations of mortals for they were capable of being the victims of violence and rape. Lot took it upon himself to protect them.
If YHWH could assume the condition and limitations of a mortal, then it stands to reason that he could be tempted while in that condition. The same was true of the two angels. If they could assume the limitations of mortals and be the victims of violence and rape, then they could also be tempted.
Why in all the world would YHWH assume limited knowledge, for this? Notice it says in Gen. 18
“the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great... I will go down now, and see whether they have done...”
...but the Lord did not go down...
22 “And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.”
...the two angels went down, there's something to think about. How did the Lord go down to Sodom when he is standing before Abraham? Then it says about the two angels in Gen 19:13...
“For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.”
Then in verse 14 it says...
“And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.”
Beginning to see whats going on, angels are representatives of God.
Then verse 24...
“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.”
The angels said, they will destroy Sodom, and that the Lord sent them to destroy. That's the right way to understand it. They are angels, and the Lord's name is in them, God sends His angels in His name. No one has seen God.
Ya, so Abraham seen YHWH, and what? ...the YHWH, Who is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit fit into one body on earth, or maybe just Jesus himself? God who does not dwell in a temple, for it cannot contain Him 2 Chronicles 2:5, somehow fits into a body, a body that dwells in a temple.
Are you not familiar how the O/T scriptures speak...
Judges 2 :1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
Received the law as it was ordained by angels Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19.
Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even. Then verse 18, And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my... some versions have “lords”, some “lord,” others “Lord,” KJV has “LORD,”
...anyway, we know they were angels.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush:...4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people...8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee.
Do we really think this was God Moses was looking at, and yet did not die?
Acts 7:30 ...there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, ...and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
It was an angel that appeared to him, and it was an angel that was with them, all through the wilderness. Angels are God's messengers, they are the ones that come down as men to deliver messages. And it was an angel that came down in Exodus 3 to deliver them, as it says in Acts 7, though it says the Lord came down to deliver them.
This is the correct way to understand.
This is a total denial of the testimony of scripture. It CLEARLY says that it was Christ that "made good" the promises. It was Christ who was rewarded by being exalted to the right hand of the Father and by being given a name that is above every name. Why would Christ be rewarded for a work that was "all the Father's work" as you say? Explain that to us. Now look at verse 3. It says that it all the work fell on Christ. The Father is glorified in verse 6 for sending Christ. But it was Christ's work to accomplish.
So I repeat: Your argument fails because it was a man that guaranteed the promises of God.
The Lord at our right hand means in God's strength, and power, I'll let you look up those passages.
We are rewarded, yet they are God's works, in His strength.
1 Chronicles 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. 20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him. 21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. 22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
They laboured, which God commanded them to do, and because the battle was God’s, He gave them the victory, and caused their enemy to fall. They had to do, but because they put their trust in God, God gave them the victory, it was God's doing, they could not boast in their own strength.
Isaiah 10:15 Shall the axe (person) boast itself against him (God) that heweth therewith? or shall the saw (person) magnify itself against him (God) that shaketh it? as if the rod (person) should shake itself against them (God) that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
Isaiah 26:12 Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our worksin us.
Paul laboured, but does not take the credit for his work, but gives the credit to Gods grace. In all things we receive from God.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured (Colossians 1:29) more abundantly than they all: yetnot I, but the grace of God which was with me (God was with him, was not God also with Christ Acts 10:38?).
Philippians 2:12 ( KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So, it is, and must be God working through us, by His Spirit, in His strength, as He did in Jesus, who is our example. Though we work, and we are rewarded 1 Corinthians 3:8,14; 9:17; Colossians 3:23-24.
They were in essence tempting God to break his covenant. This is to tempt God to lie. Think man! The same was true of the temptation of Jesus. For Jesus to 'test' God would have been for him to tempt God to break his covenant which would have been to tempt God to lie.
Do we not understand the message in 1 John 1, that is given to us? God is Light, darkness cannot approach the Sun. This tells us God cannot be tempted, for darkness cannot approach Him.