Genesis 17 A Promise, A Prayer, and a New Name

A Promise, A Prayer and a New Name

Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall? Maybe there's a famous person or time in history you would like to see or hear: Lincoln, Mark Twain, CS Lewis or Caesar. Well, in Genesis 17 you get your wish.

We are a spectators in a private conversation between El Shaddia and Abraham. El Shaddia knows his friend and senses that it's time for a pep talk. He is aware that as time goes by we tend to forget things, time drags and memories fade. He reminds Abraham of the three incredible promises he made back in his hometown of Ur, before this long nomadic adventure began.

Now in the dessert years later, Abraham may have let that promise slip as the everyday life of leading a large family, caring for servants and livestock take it's toll. God takes time to refreshes his memory and recharge his batteries. We all need this from time to time.

As he feels his heart fill with the promise now in his old age, the thought actually causes him to laugh in God’s presence. A child, a great nation, the father of many? Only you El Shaddia, only you would promise such things to a man with no children and an aged barren wife.

We too have been given some amazing promises. In the day to day we tend to forget.  

Complete forgiveness through repentance and faith, a comforter that is with us always, new birth, adoption as sons, glorified bodies, and to top it all off  ETERNITY WITH YOU!!!! ME? Are you sure????

We know it's true, but its still hard to comprehend. There are my moments during worship that it comes back to me, I remember, and the long week falls off my shoulders, I get a glimpse of eternity. I might even laugh like Abraham at the unbelievable future we have in store. Then as he must have, I feel a humbled and grateful for being chosen for the promise. I look forward to the fulfillment.

TIDBITS from Genesis 17

• The name Abraham means "father of many"
• Sarah means princess
• Isaac means "laughter
• We first see circumcision initiated as a mark of the men of Israel
• Circumcision is a sign of the covenant God has made with His people (they belong to Him)
• God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham
• Abraham obeys immediately
• Abraham’s laughter here is probably more of a laughter of joy and the picture in his head of people their age having a child.
• Romans 4:17
• ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
   EXTRA VERSES THAT APPLY TO CIRCUMSISION AND A NEW NAME
  Romans 2:28-29
  ²⁸ A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
   John 8:48-59
  New International Version (NIV)
   Jesus’ Claims About Himself
  ⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
  ⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
  ⁵² At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
  ⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
  ⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
  ⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
   Revelation 2:17
  New International Version (NIV)
  ¹⁷ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

DIG DEEPER

Genesis 17 New International Version (NIV)

The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty^[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ² Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

³ Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram^[b]; your name will be Abraham,^[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. ¹⁰ This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.^[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” ²² When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, ²⁵ and his son Ishmael was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.