Genesis 17:1-27
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Background
Last week we saw the human element of Abram’s story play out as Sarai attempted to take matters into her own hands. She saw that she had not given Abram the child that was promised, and gave him her maid Hagar in order to accomplish this. In the end, a son was born to Abram, Ishmael, but he was not the son of promise.
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 “I have made you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
7 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
8 “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
From the end of 16 to verse 1, about 13 years have passed. Life has gone on, and we have no details of what took place within that 13-year gap. We don’t even know if God spoke to Abram during this time frame.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
One can only wonder what Abram was thinking during these 13 years. We don’t know if Hagar shared about her encounter with God when she had run away, so it is entirely possible that Abram believed Ishmael to be the child of promise.
Ishmael was growing up in Abram’s house, and had all the rights and privileges of the firstborn.
God once again reveals Himself and interacts with Abram when he is 99 years old, older than most people in modern times live.
God identifies Himself as “Almighty.” This is the first time in Scripture that this name is used to identify God, and it is telling that God uses it Himself.
God alone has the power to fulfill the promises He has made, and this title emphasizes this.
God alone has the power to fulfill the promises He has made, and this title emphasizes this.
He tells Abram to “walk before” Him, and “be blameless.” Some commentators think that these are requirements for Abram to do (imperative) in order for God to establish His covenant (v. 2), but this doesn’t make sense in light of ch. 15.
It makes more sense that this was a call for Abram to walk before the eyes of God, within His view. This is having fellowship with God. Abram could no more escort or lead God than he could present himself before God’s throne.
Also, just as his faith was credited as righteousness, so too would God import blamelessness upon Abram. Abram could not do this for himself.
God reaffirms the promised covenant, that Abram would be multiplied. Abram’s response is to thrown himself before God in humility.
God continues His promises, and as a symbol of the multitudes that would come from Abram, God changes his name.
Abraham is his new name, with a new meaning and a new reflection on reality.
God’s covenant is expanded upon in detail, that kings would come from Abraham, that the covenant would be everlasting to all of Abraham’s descendants, and that the land would always belong to Abraham’s descendants.
God will also be their God. He is known as the God of Abraham for a reason (Deut. 14:2).
2 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
This applies to us as well - 1 Pet. 2:9
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 “And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.
13 “A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 “But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
God now commands that Abraham do something as a sign of belonging to the covenant that God made with Him - circumcision.
This sign would act as a reminder for all men (“in your flesh”) in his house of the covenant to which they belong.
This extended to servants that are born or purchased into Abraham’s household.
The significance of circumcision for the Jews is that of belonging, separation, purity, and loyalty. The outward showed the inward devotion, just as Moses told the people:
6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
This ultimately was what God wanted from His chosen people - their love.
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Paul makes the argument that the outward symbol means nothing if the inward heart has no faith in God.
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.
Furthermore, believers in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection are inwardly circumcised by Christ:
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
In this sense, believers are children of Abraham:
11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them,
24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
20 “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”
22 When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
Like Abraham, Sarai’s name was also changed because of the covenant, to Sarah. There isn’t much difference in the meaning of the two names, but Sarah has a more noble implication.
God specifically states that the promised son will come from Sarah, who is 90 at this time.
She is also promised the same blessings as Abraham was.
An interesting thought is shown with Abraham - but this was not a lack of faith (Rom. 4:19-20).
19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
Abraham, still clinging to his firstborn, pleads that God would choose Ishmael instead.
God knows all that will take place, and His sovereign will cannot be changed by our whims.
God names the promised child Isaac - “laughter.”
But, He does promise to bless Ishmael abundantly.
God promises that Sarah will be pregnant within 1 year, and then leaves.
23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.
24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
We see Abraham immediately obeying the command of God, circumcising every man in his household, including himself at 99 years old.
Abraham’s actions show his heart for the Lord - in his faith, he is obedient.
60 I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
Our love for God is shown through our actions.
Our love for God is shown through our actions.
Jesus teaches this:
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Look at the results of keeping God’s commands:
What we ask for, it will be done.
Asking for God’s will, not ours.
God is glorified when we bear fruit.
We prove to be Jesus’ disciples.
We will have the joy of the Lord.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
God alone has the power to fulfill the promises He has made.
Our love for God is shown through our actions.
Next week, we will continue the story of Abram's sojourning.