ABRAHAM - THE COVENANT RITUAL

Welcome to Bible Study online. I've been unable to post for awhile due to a heavy schedule, but it's good to be back. I hope you will grab your Bible as we follow Abraham's progress in his faith.

ABRAHAM – THE COVENANT RITUAL


When we last left Abram, he was 86 years old and Ishmael had been born, though not by Sarai. Rather, Abram and Sarai had taken the matter of posterity into their own hands and had used a surrogate mother. Therefore, Ishmael is not the son of the promise, although he is Abram’s offspring. Thirteen years have passed since his birth and God appears to Abram again with another extension of the covenant.

Genesis 17:1-2 says,

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before Me, and be blameless, that I may make My covenant between Me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’”

This is now the fourth time that God has appeared to Abram. He first appeared in chapter 12, promising to make Abram into a great nation and commanding him to leave his homeland and go to the land of Canaan. God appeared again in chapter 13 and promised to multiply Abram’s descendants and give the land of Canaan to them and Abram responded by building an altar, publicly proclaiming the Lord as his God in the land of Canaan. The third appearance occurred in chapter 15 where God made His formal covenant with Abram, passing through the slaughtered animals in the well-known covenant ritual of that time. He commanded Abram not to fear and Abram believed God and was reckoned righteous by God because of his faith.

The Lord has now made His fourth appearance to Abram and He introduces Himself to Abram by a new name. Let’s take a look at the names we have seen so far. The name that we see translated LORD in all capital letters is the actual covenant name by which Israel knew God. God identified Himself first by this name to Moses at the burning bush, and although Moses will not be born until 400 years have passed, he is the one who wrote the first five books of the Bible, so it is Moses who is using the name LORD in verse one. The English translation of LORD is used when the Hebrew word YHWH appears in the text. This is sometimes transliterated into English as Yahweh or Jehovah (the Hebrew, incidentally, don’t use vowels, so it is a bit of a guess as to how to spell and pronounce the word). The literal meaning of YHWH is “I AM THAT I AM” and what it really denotes is the self-existence of God. We exist because He has existed always and forever. He was never created and never “sprang into being.” He has always been, and we were created by Him, for Him, and through Him. Everything that exists does so because He exists. Now that is not easy for us to wrap our brains around because we can’t conceive of a Being who has no beginning, but this is what the Bible says, and this is what the name LORD indicates.

God says, “I am El Shaddai (translated God Almighty).” Although there is some scholarly debate on the exact meaning of the word, the meaning that seems to make the most sense is the one coming from the root word “shad” which means “breasted” and refers to a woman’s breast. Andrew Jukes, author of Names of God, is quoted as follows:

“Shaddai, one of the Divine titles, meaning The Pourer or Shedder Forth, that is, of blessings, temporal and spiritual.”

For a child, the mother’s breast literally has the power of life as well as comfort. This name pictures God, therefore, as the All Powerful Nurturer, the One from whom all blessings flow. The blessing of the promised son will come from El Shaddai.

God comes to Abram this fourth time with another command—walk before Me and be blameless. The phrase “walk before Me” indicates a daily way of life. As Abram goes about his life day by day, he is to do so with God in mind. God is not a one day per week God, but an every day of our lives God. “Be blameless” means, I believe, to live with one’s eyes focused on God. One simply can’t do evil if he is looking at God. So God is basically calling Abram to live a holy life—one that acknowledges God on a daily basis. This type of blamelessness is not sinlessness because we sin in many ways that we are not yet aware of. However, as we grow spiritually and we recognize more of what God wants, we are expected to change our behavior accordingly. We are to “work out in our lives what God has worked in through Christ.”

After this command, He restates His covenant promise of multiplied descendants. This is where Abram really needs to understand that God is El Shaddai, the Almighty Source of every blessing, because he is almost 100 years old and Sarai is almost 90, and they are absolutely incapable of having a child together if God doesn’t make it possible Himself. If Sarai is going to become a nurturing mother, she must have the help of the Almighty Nurturer—El Shaddai.

COVENANT BENEFITS

In the following verses, God lists the benefits that Abram and his descendants will receive as participants in this covenant with God.

“Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

The first benefit is that Abram will be the father of a multitude of nations, and so God changes his name from Abram (Exalted Father) to Abraham (Father of Many). He also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, thus including her in the covenant and indicating that she will have a son by Abram. Notice that He has included now in each new name the sound “ah”, which is a part of His own name Yahweh. It is a covenant custom for the weaker party to take on the name of the stronger party, and we practice this in our culture by changing the woman’s surname upon her marriage. To be a father was a most honored position in this culture because it denotes leadership and influence. Notice that God says, “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations,” indicating that in God’s perspective this is already a done deal. God exists outside of time and space, and therefore, He has already seen what will happen.

OBSERVATION: God knew you before you were ever born and before He ever even made the world.

The second benefit we see is that kings will come from him, and we know that one King in particular will come from him. His descendants will not be obscure or unimportant, but will be recognized leaders and rulers. How many inventions and discoveries have come to us through the hands of the Jewish people? Too many to count.

This covenant extends beyond Abraham to his descendants throughout their generations. Most covenants end at the death of one of the parties, but this covenant will not end at Abraham’s death. It will continue on to his descendants. At this point, God uses the term “everlasting” and this is an important covenant concept. Covenants are permanent in the eyes of God, and the term “everlasting” denotes this. This covenant is everlasting, not just throughout Abraham’s life, but throughout the lives of his descendants.

Notice that God’s covenant with the descendants of Abraham is that He will be God to them—not one of a pantheon of gods such as the heathen have, but the One God. As a token of this promise, He gives them the land of Canaan, not as a temporary possession, but as an everlasting possession. The dispersion of the Israelite people in the days of Rome was only a temporary dispersion in the eyes of God—the land still belonged to them and He was planning to bring them back to it when the time was right. This occurred in 1948, and it is important to realize that it is now time for the Jewish people to be in their land. They are perfectly willing to live peaceably with others who want to live there also, but their right to inhabit the land as their own possession, given to them by God Himself, is beyond question for those who believe in the true God of Abraham.

THE RITE OF CIRCUMCISION

God has further instructions for Abraham to help him see the uniqueness of his situation and to show what the condition of his heart must be. Verses 9-14 say,

“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

This is an all inclusive commandment in that it includes every male from the newborn on up. It also includes all foreigners who are bought as slaves. God refers to this as an everlasting covenant—well, circumcision is pretty permanent!

Circumcision is one of those things we just don’t talk about often, but let’s make a few notes:

1. Circumcision is done in the flesh. In this context where God is promising many offspring for whom He will be their God, I think it symbolizes a dedication of those offspring to God. Part of the flesh in the area of reproduction is being cut off as a sign of humility and dedication of the seed to God.

2. Paul speaks of a circumcision of the heart in Romans 2:29. Although the physical circumcision was done on infants, heart circumcision, which is basically repentance toward God, can only be done by persons of an accountable age.

3. Women cannot be physically circumcised, but are included in the Abrahamic covenant because they are the ones who will bear the promised offspring. Dedicating one’s seed to God is useless without a wife to give birth. Also, the wife was considered to be one flesh with the husband, so if his flesh is circumcised, hers is considered to be circumcised as well. This point is reiterated in the name change for Sarah.

4. Circumcision has some correlation with baptism, in that both are signs of covenants and both are done physically and in a spiritual sense, as well.


SARAH’S PLACE IN THE COVENANT

Verses 15-16 confirm that Sarai is to be the mother of the promised heir.

“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’”

Just as God changed Abram’s name as part of the covenant promise, He is also changing Sarai’s name to Sarah, including her and all women in the covenant. Observe that the promises made to Abraham are repeated for Sarah. She will be blessed and will become the mother of nations and of kings. She may be 90 years old, but His name is El Shaddai, from Whom the mightiest blessings flow.

ABRAHAM’S RESPONSE

Verses 17-18 say,

“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before You!’”

The promise that Sarah will have a baby causes Abraham to laugh, and it is hard to say at this point if he is laughing with joy, or if it is because the whole thing seems impossible to him. I rather think that it is joy, because Abraham is talking to God Himself, and he has fallen on his face, a position of humility, not disbelief. He must have hurt for Sarah over the years as he watched her live with the grief and misery of childlessness. Now he is hearing from God that she will yet have a son, and the wonder just seems too much.

But notice his other concern. “Oh that Ishmael might live before you.” Ishmael was a work of the flesh—Hagar had no difficulties conceiving a child, but Abraham loves him quite naturally because he is his own son. He is just not the son of God’s promise, but Abraham does not want this son whom he loves to be left out of God’s great plan and promise.

WHAT ABOUT ISHMAEL?

God hears Abraham’s concern and knows of his love for his son and He responds thus,

“God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.’ When He had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.”


OBSERVATION: The flesh (Ishmael) can receive God’s blessings, but only under certain conditions which we will see in a later lesson. Too often we make the mistake of thinking that our flesh is what God wants to use for His glory, so we try to dedicate our natural talents and energy to accomplish His work. But the Lord has said in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Generally, our natural abilities only get in the way and draw attention to ourselves, not to God. They can be blessed, however, when kept in the proper circumstances, and we will see this later in the relationship between the true heir and Ishmael.

ABRAHAM’S RESPONSE

Abraham responds to God’s visitation immediately with the obedience of faith and thus becomes the spiritual father of multitudes who will echo his obedient faith over the years.

“When He had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”

There are several interesting points to note from the concluding verses of Genesis 17. First, Abraham’s obedience was immediate and complete. He doesn’t “sleep on it” nor does he consult with anybody else. No votes are taken and no focus groups or polling data are consulted. As the undisputed leader of the house, even though he is one hundred years old, Abraham is obeyed and he demonstrates his own obedience to God that very day. Second, nobody is left out. All the males, including foreigners, are included in this. Third, there is a lot more required here than merely a sharp knife. Humility, trust, and courage are necessary to submit to this command. Likewise, circumcision of the heart requires humility, trust, and a courageous faith that surrenders the will and heart to God. Fourth, there is a willingness to suffer in order to obey. Fortunately, this will heal in about three day's time, but there is also a certain amount of suffering in connection with the circumcision of repentance. It too heals gradually as pride is overcome. Finally, the entire camp is trusting in God through this experience. Abraham doesn’t gradually circumcise the men over a period of weeks so as to keep a force capable of fighting. Rather, he circumcises all the males on a single day, and his entire camp is vulnerable to attack for three days until the men are healed. In a land where marauding kings unite periodically to attack whom they will, this requires faith among all the people. It illustrates the drastic nature that characterizes true repentance. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (II Corinthians 5:17)


Abraham continues to progress in his faith, and the same is expected of his spiritual children. As we move through life, we find that God is leading us ever upward. We don’t do it perfectly, just as Abraham made mistakes, but we know that God did not give up on Abraham and He will likewise carry us through because He is faithful to His covenants. The next lesson will focus on intercession in the life of Abraham. Thanks for joining me!