Genesis 17

Genesis 17 – February 7

There are thirteen years that have expired between chapters 16 and 17. There is no evidence that the Lord communicated with Abram in any way during that time. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, God returns to continue establishing the covenant that He began in chapter 12 and ratified in chapter 15. Let’s consider three things about this covenant.

Name Changes

Names in our day and age have very little to do with a person’s identity or reputation. In Abraham’s day, your name was a way to describe yourself to those around you. Abram means exalted Father. In Genesis 17, the Lord tells Abraham that his very identity is going to change. The covenant promise was that God would bring nations from Abraham. Therefore his name was changed to Abraham, meaning ‘father of a multitude.’ Initially, Abram requested that Hagar’s son would be the child through whom the covenant would be fulfilled. God refused and made it clear that Sarai would be the one who would bear the child of the promise. It is for that reason that her name was also changed. The meaning of ‘Sarai’ is debated as it is an obscure name that was brought with her from Mesopotamia. But, we do know that the Lord changed it to a name of great nobility and royalty. ‘Sarah’ does not have an exact English parallel, but it is often translated as ‘princess’ or ‘noblewoman.’ This was God’s way of making it clear that Sarah, not Hagar, was going to bear the royal line.

Circumcision

Abraham would have already been familiar with the concept of circumcision because it was widely practiced by certain pagan religions during that time. To understand why the Lord would require this particular surgery, you need to understand what it symbolized in those other religions. (The place where we have gained the most historic information of this practice through archaeology is the Egyptians.) In Egypt, no ordinary person would go through this procedure. It was only practiced by the priest who had access to communicate with the gods. Those who bore these marks of fealty and commitment were dedicated to service for their chosen deity for life. So, why in the world did God tell Abraham that all of his household/descendants would be required to do this? Because it represented the fact that every single Israelite was supposed to have a personal relationship with God. Even though there would eventually be a sacrificial system managed by the priests and the Word of God would be mediated by prophets, this surgery was designed to reveal that Israel truly was designed to be a kingdom of people who are set apart for God Himself.

The Child of Promise

When Abraham was told by the Lord that Sarah would bear a son, we are told that he literally fell on his face and laughed. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that I have ever laughed so hard at anything that it caused me to fall onto my face. (Later we will also see Sarah laugh at similar news.) Abraham being 99 years old, and his wife at 89 years old, were not prime subjects for childbirth. Romans 4:19 and Hebrews 11:12 both describe Abraham as being “as good as dead.” By all accounts, the birth of Isaac (which means laughter) was a miracle from God. This miracle birth is only overshadowed by one greater, the child who was conceived without any human instrumentality, the greater Isaac, Jesus Himself. He is the ultimate fulfillment of the promised offspring.

 

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