Gen 17
Book of Genesis • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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In the last chapter we saw God’s compassion for the abused Hagar. We saw Abram and Sarai given into sin trying to step in and take control away from God. In chapter 17 we are fast forwarding about 13 years. We are over 2 decades now of Abram and Sarai waiting for God to do what He said He would do. Now God speaks to Abram again.
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
God Comes to Abram at 99 years old and tells Abram
“I am the Almighty God” God is making sure to tell Abram He is the one true God, do not go back to the pagan God’s. Do not turn to any new god you find or hear about.
He tells Abram to walk perfect, other translations use the word blameless. The idea is to walk in a habit of following me, the one true God.
God is simply telling Abram, I am the God who sits on high and rules over this world, you must walk and live in that reality! Don’t just hear it and believe it, LIVE IT!
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
God brings up His promises and again says, “I will do this” The God, Creator of all WILL accomplish this.
Look at Abrams response in verse 3. He fell on his face. At this point what else could Abram do? he already failed to “walk blameless” and here God is coming to Abram again. Every one of us should have this same response to God! When we read the gospels and see what Christ has done for us, how can we not fall on our face in shock and amazement at the gracious love and mercy of the Almighty God!
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
This promise is that God will make Abram the father of many nations. This is a work of God. Abram has nothing to do with this. He must just follow the one true God and watch Him work.
In verse 5 God changes Abrams name to Abraham. you may think this odd but in Abrams culture names were very significant. In their culture naming something meant having control over that person. If you named your child that meant you had control over that child and even controlled his destiny. If you purchased a slave you would change its name marking you as the new controller of that person. God is now changing Abrams name, marking God as the new owner of Abram. This means not only does God own Abram but God is in control of Abrams destiny and all his future. God is saying you are now Mine, you are not your own!
I want to take a second and pause. I have something exciting to share with you from the book of Rev.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except he who receives it.
Did you know, God has this same mark of ownership set aside for each of us? for those who put their faith in Christ and follow God, God will give each of us a new name that is special between us and God. This is a special mark of ownership known only by God and the individual that receives the name. I don’t know about you but I am excited for that! I am already sealed by the Holy Spirit but when I stand before God I will receive a new name, marking me God’s personal possession for all eternity!
Back to Abrams name. The name Abram meant the “The father is exalted” pointing back to Abrams earthy father. the Name Abraham pointed to the future father of many nations.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
God is spelling out what this future was going to look like. God is going to do great things. Raising nations and kings from Abraham, giving them land and God will be their God. (Note: we see the fullness of this happen in Rev 20 on the new heaven and the new earth. God is still building this nation as we speak)
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
On Abrams side God told him that all the male’s would need to be circumcised. and going forward at the age of 8 days, this was to take place.
the practice of Circumcision was actually not abnormal in eastern cultures. ancient Egyptians and Canaanite cultures practiced this, although they did it in different ways, I’m not going to go into the graphic details. The common meaning behind this practice was used as a right of passage or for a boy coming of age into maturity. This practice showed that the person being circumcised now belonged to this group.
It was a reminder to the one who was circumcised that he belongs to this group of people. in Abrahams case it was a reminder between the individual person that he belongs to God.
This practice of Circumcision is not required today as if you want to read in Gal 5 (verse 2 specifically) you can see that Paul points to Christ as the finisher of our faith and that Circumcision is of no effect for us today.
2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 I testify again to every man who is circumcised that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You have been cut off from Christ, whoever of you are justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
This circumcision was not for salvation, it was simply a sign, a reminder of who is in control and who owns you. but if you trust that for salvation, the entire law is on your head and if you break it once (which we all did) then you are doomed. we don’t trust our ability to follow a law, we follow Christ and watch Him do the work we can not do!
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
I love looking into the significance of names in the Bible. In Hebrew, Sarai meant My Princess. would have been like, the princess of the family. but the name Sarah means princess of multitudes. God was taking the princess of her family and making her the princess of nations!
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Abram fell on his face in shock. Abraham goes as far as to ask God to use Ishmael instead.Abraham is old, Sarah is old. Imagine starting over the baby stage at 90 or 99!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God said no, your plan is not my plan. If God was to use Ishmael it would be easy to say, God did not do this, Abraham did. But by God using a 90 year old woman, there could be no doubt, the Almighty God was behind this.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
God does promise to bless Ishmael like we talked about last week. He will have many children and 12 princes and a great nation, but Gods promise to Abraham would come from Sarah!
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. 24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, 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 selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
God ends the conversation and leaves, Abraham gets up and follows through with the one command that God gave him this far.
Remember Gen 15:6
6 Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.
Abraham believed God and he was made right with God. We see this over and over in scripture, but let me ask you, what comes with the faith of Abraham? what came with the faith of Noah? What came with the faith of Paul and all the apostles?
22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Many people come and listen to the word of God. They may even believe the words. But true faith does something about what it believes. True belief brings action.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father. And I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
What is Jesus saying? He knows who loves him by those who act on that Love and live for God. Abrahams faith in God brought about the action to follow what God said. If your faith in God does not bring you to the point of action you may need to ask yourself, what do I believe? Am I owned by God, Does God have a special name set aside for me because I have walked with Him or am I just hearing words?
The action does not save you but your actions are evidence of who you belong to! Do you walk daily as though you are purchased and controlled by the almighty God, or do you walk as if you are in control of your own life?
