GENESIS 17: God Reaffirms the Covenant…

THIS CHAPTER TELLS US GOD GRINS AND SAYS I HEARD THAT!!!!
AND THEN ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS GOTCHA....

An appearance from God, a change of name for Abram.

Verses 1-2 tells us God appears to Abram when he is 99 years old.

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

The Lord appeared to Abram: Undoubtedly, this is another appearance of God in the person of Jesus, who took on a temporary human appearance before His incarnation on earth.

I am Almighty God: First, God told Abram who He is. By this name El Shaddai, He revealed His Person and character to Abram. My favorite translation is “Almighty,” the “One who CARES & has His hand on everything.”

Walk before Me and be blameless: Then God told Abram what was expected of him. We can only do what God expects of us when we know who He is and know it in a full, personal, real way.

The word blameless does NOT mean SINLESS & PURE. Abram was a flawed human, there has ONLY BEEN ONE PERSON TO EVER WALK THE FACE OF THE EARTH BLAMELESS AND SINLESS AND PURE….AND THAT IS JESUS CHRIST, AMEN!

The word BLAMELESS HERE literally means “WHOLE.” God wanted ALL of Abram, wanting a TOTAL commitment.

I will make My covenant between Me and you: God also reminded Abram He has NOT forgotten the covenant. Though it had been some 25 years since the promise was FIRST made, and though it maybe seemed to Abram God forgot, God is telling ABRAM…I DID NOT FORGET.

The last time we are told the Lord communicated with Abram directly was more than 13 years before. Seemingly, Abram had 13 years of “normal” fellowship with God, waiting for the promise all the time. Surely, at times during those years, Abram felt God forgot.

Abram was becoming a great man of faith, but you don’t make a great man of faith overnight. It takes years of God’s work in them, years of almost mundane trusting in God, interspersed with a few spectacular encounters with the Lord.

AND FOR ABRAM…IT HAS TAKEN HIM ALMOST 30 YEARS. I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT THAT IS PATIENCE SUPREME. ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT HAVE AN EGG TIMER IN HEAVEN…AND IF WE DO NOT LEARN EVERYTHING PERFECTLY AND PRECISELY BEFORE THAT EGG TIMER DINGS…HE TOSSES US AWAY. GIVES UP. WALKS AWAY. ALMIGHTY GOD IS SO KIND & PATIENT, WITH ABRAM THE MAN OF WHY WHY WHY?? ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU SURE? DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME? YOU DO REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO ME RIGHT?

OUR TRIUNE GOD IS NOT ANGRY, NOR SURPRISED AT OUR FLAWS, OUR WEAKNESSES, OUR STRUGGLES…HE IS A PATIENT KIND AND COMPASSIONATE FATHER WHO KNOWS HIS CHILD…AND HE KNOWS & SEES THE END OF THE STORY…HE KNOWS WE WILL RISE BACK UP, REPENT, AND THEN TRY AGAIN. WE DRIVE OURSELVES NUTS WATCHING THE CLOCK…COUNTING THE DAYS…BUT NOT OUR TRIUNE GOD…HE IS SOOOOOOOOOO PATIENT!

Verses 3-8 tells us God refers to SPECIFIC terms of the covenant He has NOT forgotten one word of it.

“Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

To ENCOURAGE Abram’s faith in the promise of descendants, God changed Abram’s name from Abram (father of many) to Abraham (father of many nations).

There was, no doubt, a sense in which Abram - “father of many” - was a HARD NAME to bear for a man who was the father of none, especially in a culture where inquiry about one’s personal life was a courteous practice. AND SATAN AND MANKIND (WHICH HAS NOT REALLY CHANGED AT ALL OVER TIME) HAS BEEN A NOISOME PESTILENCE IN ABRAHAM’S EAR….

SOOOOO GOD SAYS YOU ARE GOING TO BE A FATHER TO MANY? AND NOW A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS??? UMMMMM, I DOUBT IT.

SO God KNOWING ALL THESE THINGS…went a step further and made his name “father of many nations.” It is almost preposterous for a childless man to have such a name.

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT…IN 30 YEARS, ONE MAN & HIS WIFE COULD CONCEIVABLY PRODUCE 30 CHILDREN.

SO IMAGINE, HOW EVERYONE FELT, WHAT THEY THOUGHT when Abraham comes back from the FACE TO RACE presence TALK WITH JESUS CHRIST AND ANNOUNCES ALMIGHTY GOD HAS CHANGED HIS NAME FROM FATHER OF MANY, TO FATHER OF MANY NATIONS!

I IMAGINE THE LOOKS, THOUGHTS AND RESPONSES TO THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, CAN’T YOU?

THEY LOOKED AT HIM, AT SARAI, AND SAW NOT EVEN ONE CHILD OF THEIR BODY…AND NOW ABRAM….OOPS NOW ABRAHAM TELLS THEM HE IS GOING TO BE THE FATHER OF NATIONS. I BET MORE THAN A FEW THOUGHT…WE NEED TO GET OLD MAN ABRAHAM OUT OF THE SUN AND GET HIM TO HAVE A NICE LIE DOWN IN HIS COOL TENT…BECAUSE THE OLD MAN IS LOSSSSSSSSSSSING IT.

OTHERS MUST HAVE THOUGHT ABRAHAM wanted to escape the burden of his name. Instead by telling them what ALMIGHTY GOD HAD SAID AND DONE….ABRAHAM increased the burden.

BASICALLY ABRAHAM TELLING EVERYONE…SAID GOD SAID THIS…NOW HE HAS TO PROVE IT TO ME AND TO MY PEOPLE.
AND IN THE NATURAL…PEOPLE LOOKED AT 99 YEAR OLD, WHITE-HAIRED, WRINKLED, SLOW MOVING ABRAHAM & HIS EQUALLY WHITE-HAIRED, WRINKLED, SLOW MOVING SARAI…AND SAID TO THEMSELVES…IT WOULD BE NICE IF GOD GAVE THEM ONE…I WONDER IF ALMIGHTY GOD KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS HOW OLD AND FEEBLE THEY ARE, RIGHT?

I PUT MYSELF IN SARAI’S PLACE…AND TO HEAR MY HUSBAND ANNOUNCE THIS NEW REVELATION AFTER HAVING HEARD IT FOR 30 YEARS, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, STRONGER, MORE YOUTHFUL…NOW IT WOULD BE MORE LIKELY I WOULD HAVE BEEN THINKING TO MYSELF….ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NOW? NOWWWWWWW HE WANTS TO GIVE ME A CHILD?????

I, WHO HAVE WATCHED FRIENDS AND FAMILY GO THROUGH PREGNANCY, GO THROUGH LABOR, GIVING BIRTH, THEN CARING FOR AND CHASING AFTER THOSE BABIES??? NOW, WHEN I COULD NOT RUN IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT, AND AM READY TO GO TO BED AT SUNDOWN, NOW YOU TELL ME I AM GOING TO BIRTH NATIONS????

AND AS A CHILD NAMED FAITH, IN A TIME WHEN NO ONE…AND I MEAN NO ONE HAD EVER HEARD OF NAMING A FEMALE CHILD FAITH…I WAS 22 YEARS OLD, BEFORE I EVER MET, OR HEARD OF ANOTHER FEMALE BEING NAMED FAITH.

I WAS BURDENED WITH THE NAME…OH SO YOUR NAME IS FAYE, FATE…NO MY NAME IS FAITH? YOU MEAN AS THE BIBLE FAITH HOPE AND CHARITY…THAT FAITH?

IT WAS TOUGH AS A KID, GROWING UP WITH THE NAME FAITH. TEACHERS INSTANTLY CALLED ME FAY, OR FAYE, AND MANY TOLD ME OVER MY GROWING UP YEARS…BOY THEY GAVE YOU A HARD NAME TO LIVE UP TOO. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOUR PARENTS NAME YOU FAITH? AND BOY, YOU THOUGHT MY NAME GAVE THEM PAUSE, WHEN I INNOCENTLY TOLD THEM THE TRUTH, JESUS TOLD MY PARENTS TO NAME ME FAITH. THEY REALLY TOOK A MENTAL STEP BACK…IF NOT A PHYSICAL ONE.

MANY TOLD ME YOU ARE DOOMED BEFORE YOU EVER STARTED WITH THAT NAME. AND HA! I DID NOT HAVE ANYYYYY IDEA HOW DIFFICULT IT WOULD BE…TO WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT…

BUT WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR MAN, IS WHAT? POSSIBLE FOR OUR TRIUNE GOD. HE HAS GROWN ME UP…AND LET ME TELL YOU IT TOOK LOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTS OF PATIENCE. I WAS THE NIGHTMARE CHILD…I DID NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING AT FACE VALUE….IT WAS A KAZILLION QUESTIONS AND ALWAYS…WHY? WHY DO I HAVE TO? WHY SHOULD I? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY! SO NOW 57 YEARS LATER, I AM FINALLY REALLY LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS TO WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT….

SO I EMPATHIZE AND SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR BROTHER ABRAHAM…AND I HAD JESUS LOVING, BIBLE BELIEVING FAMILY ALL MY LIFE AS A BUFFER….ABRAM…NOW ABRAHAM HAD NO ONE IN HIS FAMILY TO TEACH HIM ABOUT JESUS…SHOW HIM HOW TO WALK IN FAITH…TO BE A MAN OF GOD…HE HAD NONE OF THAT….HE HAD IDOL WORSHIPPERS FOR HIS FAMILY.

YOU HAVE AN IDOL WORSHIPER WHO LOVES AND BELIEVES IN A TRIUNE GOD AND ONE WHO IS BELIEVING IN HIS OLD AGE FOR A CHILD STILL….AND FOR HIM TO BE NOW NOT THE FATHER OF MANY, BUT THE FATHER OF NATIONS…

SO WHAT WOULD WE CALL THAT?
WHAT DID THEY CONSIDER THAT?
HERE IT IS…HERE IS THE WORD.
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

BUT THAT IS JUST HOW ALMIGHTY GOD WANTED IT. HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW THAT IT WAS BY HIM, THROUGH HIM, AND FROM HIM ALONE THAT ABRAHAM AND SARAI CONCEIVED.

THIRTY YEARS EARLIER, THEY ((PEOPLE & FUTURE HISTORIANS)) COULD HAVE SAID OR LATER WRITTEN…WELL ABRAHAM AND SARAI SAID IT WAS ALMIGHTY GOD…BUT ((SNORT)), GET REAL, IT WAS NOT REALLY A GOD THING, IT WAS NATURAL, IT WAS NATURE…IT WAS JUST PROCREATION…AND ALMIGHTY GOD DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT…

ALMIGHTY GOD WANTED NO DOUBTS…THAT IT WAS HE AND HE ALONE WHO CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE, AMEN?

AND there are many wonderful name changes in the Bible, such as when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel in Genesis 32:28, and when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter in Mark 3:16. And better yet…did you all know, that when we get to Heaven God promises a wonderful new name to every overcomer in Him in Revelation 2:17. How cool is that?

RIGHT NOW…ALL THROUGH THE BIBLE JESUS CHRIST GIVES US MANY NAMES IN FAITH…SUCH AS saint, righteous, chosen, royal priesthood, sons of God, My Beloved, My Bride…and so forth…
WHY?

BECAUSE OUR JESUS KNOWS He will accomplish the meaning of the name in us - even it if seems preposterous….and impossible!

AND YOU NOTICE TO ENCOURAGE Abraham’s faith in the promise of the land, God repeated the promise again, reminding Abraham it is an EVERYLASTING PROMISE given by an EVERLASTING covenant.

Verses 9-14 tells us God institutes a sign of the covenant for Abraham and his descendants.

“And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 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; and 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 child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Every male child among you shall be circumcised: For the first time, God gave Abraham something to do in regard to the covenant. He told them to take upon themselves a SIGN of the covenant, showing they WILLINGLY RECEIVED the covenant by faith.

You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins: The sign was circumcision, the cutting away of the male foreskin. God chose this sign for many important reasons.

WHY?

Circumcision was not unknown in the world at that time. It was a ritual practice among various peoples.

There were/are undoubtedly hygienic reasons, especially making sense in the ancient world & more so with the proliferation of STDS & AIDS.

Morris, a Bible scholar & historian says, “There is some medical evidence that this practice has indeed contributed to the long-lasting vigor of the Jewish race.”

McMillen, another historian says, “None of these Diseases, from noted studies in 1949 and 1954 showing an incredibly low rate of cervical cancer for Jewish women, because they mostly have husbands who are circumcised.”

But more importantly, circumcision is a cutting away of the flesh and an appropriate sign of the covenant for those who should put NO TRUST in the flesh.

Also, because circumcision deals with the organ of procreation, it was a reminder of the special seed of Abraham, which would ultimately bring the Messiah.

He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised: God probably commanded the circumcision of children to take place on the eighth day because this is the day when an infant’s immune system is at the optimum level for such a procedure.

McMillen also notes ANOTHER WHY ON THE 8TH DAY, thanks to the advances in MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY, that newborn children have a peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. It seems an important blood-clotting agent, vitamin K, is NOT formed in the normal amount until the fifth to seventh day of life, unless that newborn child is breast fed within hours of its birth. Another blood clotting agent, prothrombin, is at its highest levels in infants on precisely the eighth day of life, making the eighth day the safest, earliest day to circumcise an infant.

AND IT ONLY TOOK MANKIND…ALMOST 7 THOUSAND YEARS TO COME TO LEARN, GET SMART ENOUGH, AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND…SOMETHING ALMIGHTY GOD HAS ALWAYS KNOWN.

ALMIGHTY GOD ALWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HAS A PERFECT AND GOOD REASON FOR THE THINGS HE ASKS OF US…COMMANDS US TO DO, EVEN IF WE OURSELVES DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WHY OF IT.

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT….IF ABRAHAM HAD ASKED WHY SHOULD WE DO THIS? AND ALMIGHTY GOD SAID THE BLOD-CLOTTING FACTOR, VITAMIN K, & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS STRONGEST THEN IN CHILDREN….YOUR WIVES AND YOU YOURSELVES WILL BE SPARED CERVICAL CANCER, HAVE BETTER HYGIENE….ABRAHAM WOULD HAVE HAD NOOOOOOOOOOO CLUE WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT?

AND ALMIGHTY GOD GIVES A WARNING HERE AS WELL…the uncircumcised male child . . . he has broken My covenant:

Those who rejected circumcision rejected the sign of the covenant. They were no friends of the covenant God made with Abraham. It wasn’t that circumcision made them a part of the covenant (faith did), but rejection of circumcision was a rejection of the covenant.
AND IT WAS A PHYSICAL SIGN OF REJECTION OF GOD’S COMMAND…AND REJECTION OF THE FAITH COVENANT.

Unfortunately, through the centuries, history has shown us that the Jews began to trust more in the SIGN of the covenant (circumcision) than in the God of the covenant, their RABBIS began believing & teaching that circumcision by itself was sufficient and necessary to save them.

THIS FALSE TEACHING WAS SO BAD that Paul refutes this idea extensively, especially in light of the finished work of Jesus in Galatians 5:1-15.

The Jewish & yes Gentile rituals, rules, and laws do NOT insure anyone of an eternity in Heaven…ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN SAVE…AND JESUS OFFERS SALVATION TO JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE.

FURTHERMORE, Paul assures us, Christians are free to either circumcise or not. One may do so for social or hygienic reasons but it doesn’t get us any closer to God: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love does in Galatians 5:6.

The closest Christian parallel we have to circumcision is baptism. WHY DO YOU SAY THAT FAITH?
WHERE DO YOU COME BY THIS?

FROM PAUL HIMSELF….Paul relates the two ideas together in Colossians 2:11-12.

However, baptism is also a “sign” of the covenant; it does NOT save us, but is a sign of the covenant that does. Being baptized does not save us, but no Christian should refuse baptism. BAPTISM, JUST LIKE COMMUNION, IS A SIGN THAT WE LOVE JESUS…. JESUS HIMSELF COMMANDS US…DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME…IT IS A PRIVATE SPIRIT TO SPIRIT HUG FOR JESUS…AS WELL A PUBLIC SHOUT OUT THAT SAYS I CHOOSE JESUS CHRIST…I LOVE JESUS CHRIST…I HONOR JESUS CHRIST. HERE I AM, UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN!


Verses 15-16 tells us about God’s promise of a son to both Abraham and Sarah.

The promise is CLEARLY STATED: a son will come through Sarah, whose name ALMIGHTY GOD changed from Sarai. Some teach that Almighty God cares and is only concerned with MAN…and woman is nothing more than chattel…a possession…who has NO PLACE, CARE, LOVE, RIGHTS, AND CONCERN DIRECTLY IN THE EYES OF ALMIGHTY GOD.

RIGHT HERE…ALMIGHTY GOD DID NOT FORGET HIS SARAI…HE GAVE HER A NEW NAME TOO. HE MADE SURE TO INCLUDE HER….HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT…

SO NOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING PRECIOUS AND IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN…BEFORE JESUS CHRIST CAME, BEFORE HE TOUCHED, SPOKE TO, INCLUDED WOMEN, AND GAVE THEM HONOR AND IMPORTANCE, AND RIGHTS IN A MAN’S WORLD THAT STUNNED MANKIND…ALMIGHTY GOD IN GENESIS SHOWS THAT HE SEES, KNOWS, LOVES, AND CARES FOR WOMEN…AND THEY ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO HIS PLAN, HIS HEART…AS MEN ARE!

AND LISTEN TO THIS…JUST IN CASE ABRAHAM DID NOT UNDERSTAND…AND THE PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND…AND YES HAGAR AND ISHMAEL DID NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE….ALMIGHTY GOD SPEAKS BLUNTLY AND LOUDLY ABOUT HIS SARAI...AND HE WAS AND IS SPEAKING LOUD AND CLEAR TO MANKIND TODAY…

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

There is only a subtle difference between Sarai and Sarah, but it is an important & precious difference.

POOLE tells us why….“Sarai signifies my lady, or my princess, which confines her dominion to ONE family; but Sarah signifies either a lady or princess, simply and absolutely without restriction, or the princess of a MULTITUDE.”

God who also hears and reads the thoughts….wanted to MAKE SURE ABRAHAM AND SARAH UNDERSTOOD…ONCE AND FOR ALL…HE MAKES IT VERY CLEAR that this son will not come about by another surrogate-mother situation (as with Hagar and Ishmael). Sarah herself will give birth, even though it is past her time in life to do so (Sarah was about 90 years old at this time).
SIMPLY PUT ALMIGHTY GOD SAID….

ABRAHAM DO NOT TRY TO HELP ME OUT…I DO NOT NEED HELP. WHAT I PROMISE WILL HAPPEN WILL HAPPEN.

AND HE SAID TO SARAH…I KNOW ABRAHAM TALKS NON-STOP ABOUT A SON A SON A SON A SON…WHERE IS MY SON THAT GOD PROMISED ME. I KNOW HE HAS DRIVEN YOU NUTS…I KNOW THE PEOPLE HAVE LOOKED ON YOU WITH SMIRKS, AND PITY….I KNOW YOUR ARMS ARE EMPTY…BUT DO NOT TRY TO HELP ME OUT…I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU A SON OF YOUR BODY….FROM YOUR BODY SARAH…NO ONE ELSES….SO DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT HELPING ME OUT. I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING HERE!!!

Verses 17-18 tells us Abraham’s response to the promise.

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

THE FIRST TIME I READ THIS I THOUGHT…GOOOOOOOOD GRIEF ABRAHAM….DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE LAUGHING AT? UMMMMM…ABRAHAM…IT IS NOTTTTTT A VERY SMART THING TO LAUGH IN ALMIGHTY GOD’S FACE…UNLESS YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND…OR WANT A LIGHTNING BOLT IN THE REAR END…OR MAYBE WELL YOU DO NOT KNOW MIRIAM…BUT SHE GOT LEPROSY FOR HER CHALLENGING AND SNICKERING…UMMMM STOP LAUGHING ABRAHAM…RIGHT?

BUT THE MORE I HAVE GROWN IN OUR JESUS, THE MORE HE HAS SHOWN ME, THE MORE IMPOSSIBLE MADE POSSIBLE HE HAS DONE IN MY LIFE….I NOW START GRINNING MYSELF…WHEN ANYONE TELLS ME…FAITH, SWEETIE PIE….YOU ARE BELIEVING FOR THE….WAIT FOR IT…THERE IS THAT WORD…THE IMPOSSIBLE. AND WHEN JESUS DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE..I TOO HAVE BURST OUT LAUGHING…IN STUNNED, SLACK JAWED PURE JOY TOO.

SO ABRAHAM, I THINK, HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE THE MORE IMPOSSIBLE THE SITUATION HE WAS IN THE MOREEEEEEEE POWERFUL AND ABSOLUTE THE PROMISED ANSWER WOULD COME.

SO NOW WE KNOW when Abraham fell on his face and laughed: Abraham’s laugh didn’t seem to be one of cynical doubt, but of rejoicing in something he knew was impossible by all outward appearance, but that God could perform.

Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? He knew both he and Sarah were well past the time people normally have children.

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT…ABRAHAM WAS ALREADY OLD WHEN ISHMAEL WAS CONCEIVED, RIGHT? AND WITHOUT GIVING TMI…SEXUAL INTIMACY BETWEEN A MAN AND HIS WIFE…IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT…THOUGH THIS WORLD WITH ITS MOVIES LOADED WITH UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL SEX SCENES MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A PERVERT…A PEEPING TOM…AND I INSTANTLY CHANGE CHANNELS IF A PROGRAM OR A MOVIE GETS INTIMATE, RIGHT?

BUT THINK ABOUT ABRAHAM’S DAY…HE WAS EXPECTED TO NOT ONLY PERFORM, BUT PRODUCE A CHILD FROM A SEXUAL UNION WITH HAGAR, A MAID SERVANT, AS SHE SAT ON SARAH’S KNEES. ABRAM WOULD HAVE BEEN FACE TO FACE WITH SARAI…WITH HAGAR BETWEEN THEM. IN MY MINDS EYE, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCOMPLISH, RIGHT?

YET HAGAR, A YOUNG HEALTHY, VIBRANT WOMAN DID CONCEIVE WITH AN OLDDDDDDDDDD MAN, EVEN OUTSIDE GOD’S INTENTION AND WITHOUT HIS COMMAND AND BLESSING.

SO in the presence of Him whom he believed, ROMANS 4:17-21 SUMS IT UP BEST FOR US. “God, who GIVES life to the dead and calls those things which do NOT exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

BUT ABRAHAM IS A LOVING FATHER AND GET NOT FORGET ABOUT ISHMAEL EITHER.

“Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” When Abraham added this…we see that Abraham didn’t really understand God’s promise completely. He WANTED ISHMAEL TO BE A GOOD MAN IN GOD’S EYES…ALTHOUGH WE KNOW ISHMAEL WAS NOTHING BUT A NIGHTMARE CHILD, YOUNG MAN, AND AN ADULT. SO ABRAHAM perhaps thought God simply meant Ishmael would be Sarah’s “spiritual son.” Abraham - like all of us - found it hard to trust God for more than what he can conceive of.

AND YOU CAN BET SATAN WAS RIGHT THERE TELLING ABRAHAM AND SARAH…MAYBE YOU MISUNDERSTOOD GOD…MAYBE HE MEANS THAT ISHMAEL IS TO BE YOUR CHOSEN….MAYBE ALMIGHTY GOD DID NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL LITERALLY CREATE A SON WITH SARAH…BUT THAT MAYYYYYYYYYYYYBEEEEEEEE ISHMAEL WILL BE YOUR ADOPTED SON…AND YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON HIM. BLESS HIM…GIVE HIM BY YOUR SPOKEN WORD & RITUAL COVENANT EVERYTHING THAT GOD HAS PROMISED AND GIVEN YOU?

BUT IN THE NEXT VERSE….WE SEE THAT ALMIGHTY GOD KNEW AND HEARD THE TWISTING, TWEAKING LIES AND POSSIBILITIES THAT SATAN WAS WHISPERING IN ABRAHAM AND SARAH’S HEART AND MIND…SO HE PATIENTLY REPEATS HIMSELF……..AGAINNNNNNNN AND TO INSURE THAT ABRAHAM AND SARAH ARE NOT DECEIVED NOR CONFUSED…ALMIGHTY GOD NAMES THE CHILD…THE SON THEY WILL HAVE BEFORE HE IS EVEN CONCEIVED!

THIS NEXT VERSE IS ALMIGHTY GOD TELLING SATAN…HEY IDIOT…I HEARD THAT…YOU ARE EVER A LIAR AND JUST TO PROVE IT….HERE IS WHAT I AM GOING TO ADDITIONALLY TELL THEM…AND PROMISE THEM!

Verses 19-22 tells us God repeats the promise and names the child who will come forth from Abraham and Sarah and NOW HE TELLS THEM WHEN!

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.”

HERE IS ANOTHER NUGGET…AFTER GOD, IN HUMAN FORM, OUR PRECIOUS JESUS CHRIST, FINISHED TALKING FACE TO FACE WITH ABRAHAM….ABRAHAM WATCHED HIM ASCEND AND RETURN TO HEAVEN.

SO NOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING ELSE COOL AND UNIQUE…THE DISCIPLES WERE NOT THE FIRST TO WATCH JESUS ASCEND BACK INTO HEAVEN…..ABRAHAM WAS!

Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. WANT TO GUESS WHAT ISAAC MEANS? DOES ANYONE HERE KNOW WHAT ISAAC MEANS?

ISAAC MEANS LAUGHTER…

NOW TELL ME ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR….AND PATIENT GOODWILL FOR HIS CREATION.

HE HAS LISTENED TO ABRAHAM AND SARAH WHISPER TOGETHER…MUTTER TOGETHER…AND AS THE YEARS PASS…AND THEIR BODIES CEASED TO BE FRUITFUL…THEY BEGAN TO LAUGH A LOT….A LOT!

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT…I HAVE CARED FOR VERY ELDERLY FAMILY MEMBERS…WHO BECAME FRAIL, DEVELOP PART-TIMERS…AND WATCH THEM CALL OUT…WALK INTO THE ROOM…AND THEN STAND THERE…HAVING TOTALLY FORGOTTEN WHY THEY CAN INTO THE ROOM OR WHAT THEY WANTED TO ASK ME.

AND ALMIGHTY GOD HAD TO HAVE WATCHED AND LISTENED AND HEARD…SARAH GIGGLING FROM UNDER THE BLANKETS AS SHE CALLED OUT…

ABRAHAM…..I AM OVER HERE…THE BED IS OVER HERE…STEP RIGHT…NOW KEEP COMING STRAIGHT AHEAD AND YOUR KNEES WILL HIT THE BED….AND THEN AFTER ABRAHAM GETS INTO THE BED, SETTLED NEXT TO HIS SARAH…THEY BOTH START GIGGLING…AND ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A CHILD…YOU ARE GOING TO BE A FATHER TO MANY….HEEE HEE HEE HEE…RIGHT?

SO I IMAGINE, ALMIGHTY GOD IN HEAVEN, GRINNING HIMSELF AT THEIR SWEET ANTICS AND TONGUE IN CHEEK COMMENTS ABOUT BEING A FATHER TO MANY WHEN THAT FATHER CAN NOT EVEN SEE OR FIND HIS OWN BED.

SO I TRULY BELIEVE WHEN ALMIGHTY GOD TOLD THEM THE SON’S NAME….HE WAS NOT ONLY PROMISING THEM JOY…BUT HE WAS ALSO SAYING….OOOOOOOO YEAHHHHHHH….I HEARD YOUR LAUGHTER, YOUR JOKES, AND YOUR SNICKERING ALL THAT WAY UP HERE IN HEAVEN.

SO THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED ME IN EMAIL? DOES THE TRIUNE GOD LAUGH? DOES HE GRIN? DOES HE HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR?

YESSSSSSSSSSS HE DOES!!!

The son will be named Isaac (“laughter”) because he will be such a joy to his parents, but also to always remind Abraham he laughed at God’s promise to give him a son through Sarah at this late age.

AND YOU NOTICE…ALMIGHTY GOD STILL LOVES ISHMAEL, THOUGH HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A WILD CHILD. A TRIAL TO HIS MOTHER AND ABRAHAM. AND SADLY ALWAYS WILL BE. BUT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD LOVES WHEN WE LOVE…EVEN WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT TO DO SO.

SO HE TELLS ABRAHAM…I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him: Ishmael will be blessed (because Abraham prayed he would), but ALMIGHTY GOD WANTS NO SLIPS OR MISTAKES HERE…HE TELLS ABRAHAM BLUNTLY…the covenant and its promises will pass ONLY through the son to come, ISSAC, the son of promise.

Verses 23-27 tells us Abraham carries out God’s command of circumcision.

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

Abraham’s belief in the covenant was proved by his obedience to the command. What we really believe will show in our actions.

Abraham’s “THAT VERY SAME DAY” obedience was complete (every male among the men of Abraham’s house), prompt (that very same day), and IT WAS, TO THE WORLD’S PERCEPTIONS daring & RISKY….TEMPTING THE FATES.

WHY?

BECAUSE TO CIRCUMSIZE ALL THE MALES 8 DAYS OLD TO 100 YEARS OLD ALL AT ONCE, WAS TO virtually incapacitate all his fighting men at the same time. TO LEAVE THEM DEFENSELESS…WITHOUT GUARDS…TO DARE THE WORLD TO ATTACK THEM WHEN THEY COULD NOT DEFEND THEMSELVES. CIRCUMSION FOR YOUNG MEN, MUCH LESS GROWN MEN…WAS MORE DEBILITATING FOR A TIME…THAN IT WAS FOR BABIES.

YOU KNOW SATAN, HAD TO HAVE WHISPERED THAT VERY REAL POSSIBILITY INTO ABRAHAM’S EAR AND INTO THE EAR OF ALL THE FIGHTING MEN AND FAMILIES UNDER HIM….BUT ABRAHAM KNEW THAT ALMIGHTY GOD WOULD NOT HAVE ASKED IT OF HIM…IF ALMIGHTY GOD WAS NOT ABLE TO PROTECT THEM FOR ALL HARM AT THE SAME TIME.

SO…Abraham didn’t need to pray about this.
He DIDN’T NEED to THINK IT THROUGH.
He DIDN’T SLEEP ON IT.
OR SLOWLY OBEY…HAVING IT DONE IN STAGES.
God said it, and he did it.
This is a wonderful example of obedience from a great man of faith.

SO WHAT DOES GENESIS 17 SHOW US. WHAT DOES IT TELL US. WHAT DOES ALMIGHTY GOD WANT US TO SEE AND LEARN FROM GENESIS 17.

MORE THAN LEARNING ABOUT ABRAHAM AND SARAH AND THEIR LIVES…ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS…YOU WANT TO KNOW ME…HERE IS INTERVIEW FOR MANKIND.

YES…I AM REAL.
YES…I AM EVER PRESENT.
YES…I AM PATIENT.
YES…I DO LOVE YOU.
YES…I DO UNDERSTAND YOU.
YES…I SEE AND HEAR AND KNOW ALL THINGS.
YES…I DO HAVE A TONGUE IN CHEEK SENSE OF HUMOR.
YES…MY CREATION IS A SOURCE OF JOY AND AMUSEMENT TO ME.


JUST AS WE PARENTS HAVE BAT HEARING, AND EYES IN THE BACK OF OUR HEADS WHERE OUR CHILDREN ARE CONCERNED…AND WE INSTANTLY PERK UP…PAY ATTENTION….TIPPY TOE DOWN THE HALL TO SNEAK A PEEK AND WATCH OUR CHILDREN WHEN THEY START WHISPERING AND GIGGLING….WHY? BECAUSE WE KNOW THEM. WE KNOW THEY ARE UP TO FUN MISCHIEF…AND MORE TIMES THAN NOT….THEY ARE GIGGLING ABOUT & OVER US…SOMETHING WE SAID OR DID…SOME CRAZY IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE WE MADE TO THEM…

AND ALMIGHTY GOD IS SAYING…JUST AS YOU HAVE MY HUMOR…YES I DID GIVE YOU HUMOR…AND IT CAME STRAIGHT FROM ME…AND MY HEART THAT LAUGHS, AND SMILES AND ENJOYS YOUR FUN, INNNOCENT AND PRECOCIOUS MISCHIEF…YOU DO AS WELL…

AND JUST LIKE ME….YOU PARENTS, FRIENDS, HUSBANDS AND WIVES…BIDE YOUR TIME…YOU HAVE SNEAKED UP ON THEM…YOU HAVE HEARD WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT YOU…LISTENED TO THEIR GIGGLING OVER YOU…AND THEIR DISBELIEF…AND THEIR SHE HAS LOST HER MIND, HIS MIND…THEY ARE SO GOOFY. THEY CAN NOT POSSIBLY DO WHAT THEY SAY…I MEAN LOOK AT THEM, THEY ARE OLD…THEY HAVE NO CLUE….THEY HAVE BEEN PROMISING US THIS FOR WHAT….THREE MONTHS, YEARS????

AND YOU WAIT, JUST AS I DO FOR INNOCENT PAYBACK…FOR THAT MOMENT… WHEN YOU COME OUT OF NO WHERE AND SAY…SO YOU THINK I AM INSANE? YOU THINK I AM OLD? I AM FORGETFUL? YOU THINK I DID NOT HEAR YOU LAUGHING AT ME…GIGGLING UNDER THE COVERS AND WHISPERING ABOUT ME, YOUR FATHER…WELL GUESS WHAT…..GOTCHHHHHHHHHHHHA!

AND AMID THE FUN AND THE GOTCHAS…WE LEARN TO THAT ALMIGHTY GOD IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PATIENT AND LONG SUFFERING. HE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO THROW LIGHTNING BOLTS FROM HEAVEN 24/7 OVER ABRAHAM’S CONSTANT WHY WHY WHY???? ARE YOU SURE??? ARE YOU SURE??? DID YOU FORGET??? WELL DID YOU???
WHEN WHEN WHEN???? HOW HOW HOW?? BUT ALMIGHTY GOD LOVESSSSSSSSSSS….HE IS A WONDERFUL FATHER…

AND WHEN HE SEES US STEP OUT…INTERCEDE IN PRAYER AND IN ACTION…AND ASK FOR BLESSINGS FOR OTHERS…EVEN WHEN THEY DO NOT DESERVE THE BLESSING….EVEN WHEN THEY ARE WILD, MEAN-SPIRITED, SELFISH, BULLIES….LIKE ISHMAEL IS….EVEN THEN…THOUGH ALMIGHTY GOD WILL PUT HIS CHOSEN FIRST, YOU AND I, THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND CALL HIM FATHER, AND HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST…LORD SAVIOR MASTER AND FRIEND AND HIS CHOSEN WILL REMAIN FIRST…HE STILL BLESSES THE BULLIES, THE DIFFICULT PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES…NOT FOR THEIR SAKES… BUT FOR OURS.

THIS CHAPTER IS JOY FILLED…AMUSING…AND TELLS AND SHOWS US OUR TRIUNE GOD’S HEART…SO TAKE THE TIME, AS I DID WHILE PUTTING THIS BIBLE STUDY TOGETHER, TO THINK OF THE GIGGLING UNDER THE COVER WHISPERS YOU HAVE MADE ABOUT JESUS. AND KNOW THAT JESUS IS GRINNING TOO….AND HE HAS A GOTCHA…COMING FOR YOU AND I!

ALL THE IMPOSSIBLES IN OUR LIFE…THE IMPOSSIBLE PROMISES JESUS GIVES US IN HIS WORD…THE IMPOSSIBLE HOPES AND DREAMS AND HEARTS DESIRES WE HAVE…AND ALL THE PROMISES WE READ AND STUDY AND PRAY OVER…BUT IF TIME PASSES, OR IT SEEMS RIDICULOUS TO ASK OR EXPECT…AND WE ROLL OUR EYES, WE GRIN OVER THEM, MUTTER OVER THEM, SNORT OVER THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF THEM…

KNOW THAT OUR JESUS IS SAYING…I HEARD THAT!!!!! BUT NO MATTER…REAL SOON….I AM GOING TO ANSWER YOU….AND THEN I WILL GET MY LAUGHTER GOING…WHEN I SAY TO YOU GOTCHAAAAAAAAAAA!

BE BLESSED AND STAY BLESSED IN OUR JESUS!