Genesis Chapter 17

God’s Covenant & Control

Genesis 16 clearly showed us that GOD IS IN CONTROL. Our position is to seek His Will and wait for His wisdom, guidance, direction and timing. We also learned the valuable lesson that God sees and hears EVERYTHING; Thanks be to God!.

17:1

Since Abram is 99 years old, we know that 13 years have passed. This is also the very first time we see God identifying Himself as the Almighty God! El Shaddai, in Hebrew. The law of first mention should be remembered here; so we note the supreme importance, power and might of God! Almighty God is able to provide abundantly beyond anything we can possibly even imagine. (See Ephesians 3:20) Walking before God meant that EVERYTHING Abram did was to be done in obedience to God, knowing He sees and knows even the thoughts of men. To be ‘perfect’ meant to have an attitude and willingness in mind, heart and soul to be in God’s Will continually. Obviously, none of us are “perfect” in the sense of being without sin.

17:2-3

‘AND’, this indicates that God’s Covenant was part of God’s Eternal Plan, and was to be fulfilled according to Abram’s faith in God and obedience to God. The Covenant was God ordained and to be between Abram and his ‘seed’, and the promise of multiplication was also reiterated. (3.) Abram’s response was immediate and showed his faith and humble attitude, he falls to the ground on his face! Calling our Creator, the ‘man upstairs’ or other flippant, degrading references, is NOT an attitude of humbleness or reverence, and is an INSULT to God! Do we humble ourselves before God by falling down before Him? Do you pray on your face, seeking God in your heart and life? Even praying on your knees is humbling yourself before God. Pray and see how God leads you into a deeper relationship with Him as you humble yourself before Him.

17:4

We are given a new reference to God’s promises to Abram; God now says BEHOLD! This is the phrase used by God, and Angels, when the event or promise is to be fulfilled in some manner, means “now pay close attention!”. God specifically repeats the promise of making Abram the Father of many nations. Keep in mind, he is now 99! Also, be aware that this is the first time we see only God speaking; His exact Words are given to us as He gives His promises to Abraham.

17:5-9

Now God tells Abram He is giving him a new name: ABRAHAM, which means the Father of a multitude of nations! God tells Abraham he will be exceedingly fruitful, causing nations and kings to come from him; further this covenant will be between Abraham and his seed for generations, forever, and will be an everlasting covenant. God promises He will always be God to Abraham and his descendants. (8. – 9.) God repeats His covenant of giving to Abraham, and his descendants, the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and He will be their God. Abraham is to keep God’s covenant, and his descendants are also to keep the covenant.

17:10-13

Now God gives Abraham the terms of the sign of the covenant. Abraham is to be circumcised, and all males are to be circumcised, who are eight days and older. All males in the household, even those who are not related to Abraham, or who are slaves, all means everyone, must be circumcised. This would be God’s requirement for the everlasting covenant.

17:14

Anyone who did not conform to this requirement was to be cut off from the people, and was NOT to be part of the covenant. In fact, God says that person has broken God’s covenant. Obviously, the responsibility for having a male baby circumcised on the eighth day was the responsibility of the father and mother. Why did God insist the circumcision was to be done on the eighth day? We now know, with modern medicine, that the baby’s ability to experience pain in the foreskin was at the lowest point on the eighth day; in addition, the baby’s blood does not produce Vitamin K, which is a clotting element until the 5th to 7th day. So the highest point of the baby’s blood being able to clot and stop bleeding was the 8th day. So God knew the eighth day was the perfect time for circumcision. In addition, the eighth day refers to the day of new beginnings. The child was now promised to be part of God’s covenant. Remember, when we truly obey God, it must be in His timing! In the future, Moses says that God would circumcise the hearts of His people so that they would be devoted to Him in Deuteronomy 30:6. Unbelief was described as having an uncircumcised heart in Jeremiah 9:26 and Ezekiel 44: 7-9.

17:15-16

God continues to speak to Abraham and now includes Sarai, telling Abraham that her name will no longer be Sarai, but shall be Sarah, which means Princess. God also promises to bless Sarah and she will become a mother of nations, and kings of peoples will come from her. Sarah is 90 years old at the time of this promise!

17:17

Abraham falls down laughing, thinking in his heart, ‘how shall a man who is 100 years old, and a woman who is 90 have a child?’ We can be pretty certain that Abraham is thinking this is impossible! Today, if God spoke to you and told you something that appeared to be utterly impossible, you would probably think, that can’t be from God, because it is impossible! Yet, ALL things are possible with God.

17:18-20

Abraham’s asking for Ishmael to be a substitute shows Abraham believes God’s promise is impossible! God tells Abraham NO! immediately, with His response to Abraham, ‘NO, Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac.’ So God confirms with His Word, to Abraham that Sarah will become pregnant by Abraham and will have the promised son whom he is to name Isaac. The Hebrew root verb form of ‘sohahaq’, which means ‘to laugh’, is the derivative of Isaac. (20.) God assures Abraham that He has not forgotten Ishmael, and will keep His promise to bless him and make him the father of a great nation.

17:21-22

BUT, this affirms that the covenant was to be with Abraham through Sarah and Isaac, and God affirms that the promised son, Isaac, would be born at the time chosen by God next year. Notice that God’s promises are always completed at His perfect time. God is finished speaking with Abraham and leaves his presence.

17:23-27

Abraham immediately obeys God’s command, by circumcising Ishmael and all those born in his household as well as all the slaves; every single male under his control, including himself, all on the same day. This was a great act of faith, as circumcision leaves the men totally incapacitated for several days; which means they could not defend themselves against the evil people around them. Abraham believed God’s Word, and trusted God would protect them and completely obeyed God.

Notice that the Word covenant appears 13 times in this chapter! This Abrahamic Covenant was to make a great nation of Abraham’s seed; to Bless Abraham and his name; to make him a great blessing; to Bless those who blessed him, and his seed, and to curse those who cursed him, and his seed, and give the specified land to Abraham’s seed. Strong lessons for us. When we say we believe God, do we obey Him immediately, or stall? Obedience means we obey God in His way and His timing. God can only bless us as we are completely obedient to Him. If God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayers, be honest, are you in total and complete obedience to Him?