Genesis Part 031
Abram is now 99 years old. 13 years have passed since Ishmael was born. We are now 24 years from the time that God first promised to make Abram into a great nation. We can be critical of Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands at times, but this wait would have been excruciating. Sarai, 24 years later, still has no child. She is now 89 years old.
By Genesis 17:2 God has made several Covenants already in the Bible. Covenants in simple terms are binding agreements between two or more individuals and govern their relationship. They contain terms that allow the agreement to be in place and usually contain a sign that makes the covenant binding.
God initiates this covenant and sets the terms with Abram. In verse 5 Abram’s name is changed from Abram meaning “Exalted father” to Abraham meaning “Father of a Multitude of Nations” which we see God promised Abraham as part of this covenant (Genesis 17:4,6).
The UCG Bible Reading program states the following about their new names:
“Genesis 17 also records the renaming of Abram and Sarai. Up to Genesis 16 the Scriptures always use the birth names Abram, which means “Exalted Father,” and Sarai, meaning “Princess.” But, here in Genesis 17, God bestows new names on them. Abraham means “Father of a Multitude” and Sarah, while still retaining the sense of “Princess,” seems to mean one of an even higher station (e.g., it is derived from the same word translated “queen” in Isaiah 49:23). Interestingly, both new names differ from Abram and Sarai by the addition of one letter in the Hebrew—the letter He, pronounced, like the English H, as a breath of air, which is often a symbol of God’s Spirit. Though there may be no significance to this, becoming new persons and circumcision can both picture spiritual conversion. In any event, whether Abraham and Sarah received the indwelling of God’s Spirit at this particular time or not, we do know for certain that they did receive it at some point (compare 1 Peter 1:11)—for they will be in the Kingdom of God, and only the converted have that honor (Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11).”
In verse 7 God promises that this covenant wasn’t just to Abraham, but also to his descendants forever to be their God. There were certainly physical blessings that God promised to Abraham and his descendants, but these promises went beyond the physical and pointed to even greater spiritual promises (Galatians 3:6-9, 29) that would come through Jesus Christ and apply to God’s church today.
A term of God’s covenant with Abraham and the descendants was that every male child would be circumcised.
“This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10).
The Jewish people took this sign very seriously because without it they had no covenant (relationship) with God. Without them being circumcised, the agreement was breach.
We still get circumcised today, but under the New Covenant, it is different. Paul said in Romans 2:29
“but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter.”
Paul also told the church in Colossians 2:11-12,
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
Under the New Covenant we enter into this covenant with God through baptism and God seals the covenant by giving us His Holy Spirit. It is God’s Holy Spirit that makes us His people (Romans 8:9).
The UCG Bible reading program brings out a neat scientific fact about circumcision on the eighth day as God commanded:
“Once again, the promises to Abram are expanded, this time to include a multitude of nations and kings. As a token of His covenant with Abram’s descendants, God commanded circumcision. It is a visible sign in the flesh of every male Israelite that they are part of a family with whom God has a special relationship and for whom God has a special work. Every male is to be circumcised on the eighth day of life. It is interesting to note that in male babies vitamin K—the blood clotting factor—rises sharply from birth and peaks on the eighth day, before declining to the normal level. While this could not have been known by Abram and the Israelites, it was perfectly well-known to God.”
After Abraham proposes that the promise might be fulfilled through Ishmael, God makes it clear, that Sarah was going to be a mother in Genesis 17:19. God also instructs them to name the boy Isaac, meaning “he laughs.” God makes it clear that His covenant will extend down through Isaac.
In verse 20 God also blesses Ishmael and he would have 12 princes whose names can be found named in Genesis 25:12-16. In verse 23 Abraham shows immediate obedience at 99 years of age as he has every male in his house circumcised. By verse 25 Ishmael is now 13 and would be 14 when Isaac was born. This is quite the age gap between siblings!
Tomorrow we will look at Sodom and Gomorrah.
Please see the UCG Bible commentary for more information on Genesis 17.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
