ABRAM TO ABRAHAM
17 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. 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, 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. 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.
vs 1 Abram is ninety nine years old. God once again appears to Abram. This could be considered a theophany, however, probably a better word to describe His appearance is Christophany. A Christophany is the physical manifestation of the second person of the trinity. At seventy five God moves Abram toward Canaan, at eighty five God promises him land and descendants, at eighty six Ishmael is born. Thirteen years have passed and God reveals to Abram that He is "El Shaddai". El is the generic term for god and shaddai means "breast" or "mountain" or to overpower. This is the first time God uses this name in the Genesis and will use it going forward, when talking with the Patriarchs. This form of His name reveals His provision and power to sustain Abram and fulfill His promises. God instructs Abram to walk before me and be thou perfect. Just as today, God expects us to be obedient to Him. When we have a relationship with God or anyone else, the closeness of the relationship will be determined by our willingness to dedicate time and energy to the relationship. I believe that the closer we are to God, the quicker we will recognize the things that will separate us from Him. Thus, everyday we renew that walk or relationship. In the flesh we will encounter sin, however in Gods eyes we can be seen as blameless.
vs 2 Covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are four parts of Gods covenant
1) God would make Abram the father of many nations.
2) God would make Abram fruitful.
3) The covenant is forever
4) Abram's descendants would possess Canaan.
God had appeared to Abram before and introduced the covenant before in:
12:1-3
12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
12:7
7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him
13:14-16
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
15:4-6
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Each time Abram encounters God we can see how he reacts to the meeting, the first was in Haran and he was obedient, the second he built an alter, the third he believed God, however he also wondered how this could be fulfilled.
vs 4 God makes clear that He is initiating this agreement which, the name that He just introduced to Abram, He has power to fulfill. The fulfillment will produce many descendants.
vs 5 God changes Abrams name to Abraham. Abram means "exalted father" while Abraham means "father of multitudes". Two things seem to be happening here,
1) God gives Abraham a new name because he is no longer under Terah's authority, but God's.
2) The "heh" that God adds to both Abram and Sarai can mean God's grace or divine action, and when added to the end of a name it makes it feminine.
God states that this covenant is, to Him, already fulfilled. "I have made the".
vs 6 "I will". God initiates and fulfills His promises. God has given Abraham a new name and He is Abraham's God. Abraham will be the vessel and vasal of God's purposes.
vs 7 The term of this covenant is inheritable. It will endure through good and bad, as long as Abrahams descendants continue.
vs 8 The covenant includes the land of Canaan. However it will be possible to be exiled from the land for disobedience.
Duet 28:62-63
62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. 63 And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
vs 2 Covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are four parts of Gods covenant
1) God would make Abram the father of many nations.
2) God would make Abram fruitful.
3) The covenant is forever
4) Abram's descendants would possess Canaan.
God had appeared to Abram before and introduced the covenant before in:
12:1-3
12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
12:7
7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him
13:14-16
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
15:4-6
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Each time Abram encounters God we can see how he reacts to the meeting, the first was in Haran and he was obedient, the second he built an alter, the third he believed God, however he also wondered how this could be fulfilled.
vs 4 God makes clear that He is initiating this agreement which, the name that He just introduced to Abram, He has power to fulfill. The fulfillment will produce many descendants.
vs 5 God changes Abrams name to Abraham. Abram means "exalted father" while Abraham means "father of multitudes". Two things seem to be happening here,
1) God gives Abraham a new name because he is no longer under Terah's authority, but God's.
2) The "heh" that God adds to both Abram and Sarai can mean God's grace or divine action, and when added to the end of a name it makes it feminine.
God states that this covenant is, to Him, already fulfilled. "I have made the".
vs 6 "I will". God initiates and fulfills His promises. God has given Abraham a new name and He is Abraham's God. Abraham will be the vessel and vasal of God's purposes.
vs 7 The term of this covenant is inheritable. It will endure through good and bad, as long as Abrahams descendants continue.
vs 8 The covenant includes the land of Canaan. However it will be possible to be exiled from the land for disobedience.
Duet 28:62-63
62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. 63 And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
SIGN OF THE COVANENT
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. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
vs 9-10 Circumcision will be the outward manifestation of the inward change of the heart. To a Christian, baptism is very similar. Christians receive salvation through faith in Christ under the New Covenant.
vs 10 Every man is included. This will become a point of contention after the New Covenant comes. Do gentiles have to be circumcised? Paul will argue, No.
Romans 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
vs 12-14 All males, even if they are not born into the family, can be part of the covenant.
vs 10 Every man is included. This will become a point of contention after the New Covenant comes. Do gentiles have to be circumcised? Paul will argue, No.
Romans 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
vs 12-14 All males, even if they are not born into the family, can be part of the covenant.
SARAI TO SARAH
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. 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! 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. 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. 22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
vs 15-16 God changes Sarai to Sarah. Both mean "princess". Sarai is now recognized by Abrahams God as Sarah and has authority over her. In a Jewish description of the changing of the name mentions that Sarai is a masculine form while adding "heh" to the end of a name changes it to a feminine. This is the first mention that the descendants will be exclusively through Sarah. She will share in the promise of Abraham.
vs 17 Abraham is so overwhelmed with the announcement, that he fell upon his face and laughed in his heart. This is how God will accomplish the promise, with two old people. Certainly a powerful God.
vs 18 Abraham is a negotiator, and we see his relationship with God as one that he feels comfortable with negotiating. Here he understands that Ishmael may be excluded. Ishmael is his son of thirteen, that he has seen as the heir of the promise up until now.
vs 19 Just in case Abraham has forgotten who he is negotiating with, God firmly defines the plan. God will also name Isaac, which means "he laughed". All of those under the promise have been named by their God and He has authority over them.
vs 20 God assures Abraham that He will not forget Ishmael. Ishmael will become the father of twelve princes, of which the Arab nations come.
vs 21 The covenant recipient is not optional, it will be Isaac, from Sarah. The waiting is over this will come to pass by the next year.
vs 22 Terms of the covenant are completed and negotiations ended. God doesn't just walk out, He went up.
vs 17 Abraham is so overwhelmed with the announcement, that he fell upon his face and laughed in his heart. This is how God will accomplish the promise, with two old people. Certainly a powerful God.
vs 18 Abraham is a negotiator, and we see his relationship with God as one that he feels comfortable with negotiating. Here he understands that Ishmael may be excluded. Ishmael is his son of thirteen, that he has seen as the heir of the promise up until now.
vs 19 Just in case Abraham has forgotten who he is negotiating with, God firmly defines the plan. God will also name Isaac, which means "he laughed". All of those under the promise have been named by their God and He has authority over them.
vs 20 God assures Abraham that He will not forget Ishmael. Ishmael will become the father of twelve princes, of which the Arab nations come.
vs 21 The covenant recipient is not optional, it will be Isaac, from Sarah. The waiting is over this will come to pass by the next year.
vs 22 Terms of the covenant are completed and negotiations ended. God doesn't just walk out, He went up.
SIGN OF COVANENT INITIATED
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.
vs 23 Abraham does not waiver or wait in fulfilling his end of the covenant.