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DISCOVER GENESIS
An exploratory Bible course for disciples of Christ
PART 4 -- The Torah of ABRAHAM (Genesis 11:10 to 25:18)
GENESIS 17
God’s covenant with a former doubter and disbeliever, to become the father of multitudes and an active believer in God -- (DATE: Between 1852 and 1851 before Christ)
OUTLINE of Genesis 17:
25. The eternal covenant of God, through which he renamed Abram to Abraham and made himself the God of Abraham (17:1-9)
26. The circumcision of the foreskin of every male as the sign of this eternal covenant (17:10-14)
27. God renamed Sarai to Sarah and promised Abraham, through her, Isaac as the sole carrier of the covenant (17:15-20)
28. Abraham circumcised the foreskin of every male in his household (17:22-27)
DISCOVER Genesis 17: Thirteen years later, when Abram was already 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him again, declaring that he was God Almighty. He commanded Abram to walk before him and be blameless, so that he could make his covenant with him and make good on the promise he had given him, to make out of him a multitude of people. Then Abram fell on his face and God declared that forthwith he was no longer to be named Abram but Abraham, for he would become the father of a multitude of nations, from which kings would come forth. God also declared that this covenant would be everlasting for all of Abraham’s decedents and that he would be their God. And God concluded by promising that he, as their God, would give all the land of Canaan to Abraham and to his offspring as an eternal possession. -- The sign of this covenant that Abraham and all his offspring were to keep, was that every male, whether born into the family or a male slave bought with money, must be circumcised in their foreskin. This was to be done (either) on the eighth day after their birth (or when they were brought into the house). This circumcision of their foreskin was to be the covenant in the flesh of Abraham and his decedents, an everlasting covenant. And whoever would not keep it, was to be cut off from his people, for he had broken this covenant with God. -- Further God said to Abraham, that his wife was no longer to be named Sarai but Sarah. And God would bless her. Moreover he would give Abraham a son through her, and through this blessing make of her nations and kings over a multitude of nations. Hearing this, Abraham could not help himself but fall over from laughter, as he thought to himself, how was a child to be born to him now that he was already close to 100 years old, particularly when his barren wife was already 90 years of age? So when he had regained his composure he requested from God that he would take Ishmael to walk before him instead. But God replied that he would establish his covenant only through the son of Sarah, whom, once he was born, Abraham was to name Isaac. In addition, he had heard his chosen servant’s request for his firstborn, Ishmael, and agreed to bless him too, so that he also would be fruitful and multiply greatly, promising that from him twelve princes would be born and that he’d become a great nation for himself. But he reiterated that the covenant would be established through Isaac, whom Sarah would bear by this time next year. -- Then God left Abraham, who then gathered his household. And every male, beginning with him and his son Ishmael was circumcised on their foreskin the very same day.
PRAYER: Our God of Abraham, we worship and adore you, because for you nothing is impossible. You promised a couple, who were unable to have children and were well beyond the age of having a child, that they would nevertheless produce a son. Thank you that you established your covenant with Abraham and his descendants and that you bound yourself in selfless humility to be their God forever. In this way you foreshadowed your commitment in and through your Son Jesus Christ to establish a new everlasting covenant with all people who believe in Jesus, Jews and Gentiles alike, to not only become their God, but even their divine Father. We thank you with all our hearts for how you started with the simple man Abraham to establish an eternal salvation open for all who believe your son, including us. Amen.
QUESTION 17: What was the sign of the covenant, which God concluded with Abraham and all his descendants?
QUOTES: This chapter (Genesis 17) is the second most important chapter from the book of Genesis quoted and alluded to in the New Testament. We start out with the two quotes:
“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.” (Genesis 17:5) QUOTED in
Romans 4:16-17 “16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring - not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’ - in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” --
“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.” (Genesis 17:8) QUOTED in
Galatians 3:16 “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ’And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
In addition there are twelve allusions in the New Testament to verses from Genesis 17: Genesis 17:8 is ALLUDED to in Acts 7:5 and in Acts 7:45 (both referring to God promising Abraham to possess the land of Canaan) -- Genesis 17:10-11 is ALLUDED to in Romans 4:10 (highlighting the fact that Abraham was given promises by God before he was circumcised, which shows that faith in God is more foundational than obedience to the commandments of God) -- Genesis 17:10-12 is ALLUDED to in John 7:22 (referring to the fact that Moses commanded circumcision, because it had already been commanded to the founding fathers of Israel, i.e. Abraham) -- Genesis 17:10 and 13 is ALLUDED to in Acts 7:8 (referring to the fact that God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision) -- Genesis 17:12 is ALLUDED to in Luke 1:59 (teaching that the parents of John the Baptist had their baby boy be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, as God had commanded Abraham to do) -- Genesis 17:16 is ALLUDED to in Galatians 4:23 (contrasting Ishmael, the son of Abram according to the flesh, with Isaac, the son of Abraham according to the promise, which God gave Abraham in Genesis 17) -- Genesis 17:17 is ALLUDED to in Luke 1:18 (the priest Zechariah, who was to become the father of John the Baptist, like Abraham, did not believe that he in his old age would be able to get a child with his aged wife) and in Romans 4:19 (teaching that Abraham’s faith did not become weak when he looked at his aged body and the aged body of his wife Sarah, but rather they continued in their faith in God to the degree that they nevertheless produced a son together. In this Abraham became a model of faith for us Christians who have faith in Christ.) -- Genesis 17:19 is ALLUDED to in Matthew 1:21 (a son, Jesus, was promised to Mary like centuries earlier a son, Isaac, was promised to Sarah) and in Luke 1:13 (Zechariah was promised a son, John, just like Abraham was promised a son, Isaac) and in Hebrews 11:11 (teaching that Sarah by faith, i.e. by trusting what God had promised, received power to conceive a child even though she was too old for that).