god's Covenant Genesis 17

 

Genesis 17 – God’s Covenant 

 

This chapter is the key to the book of Genesis, and it may be the key to the entire Bible.

It was fourteen years after Ishmael was born that Abraham’s son, Isaac was born.

The Lord appeared to Abram for the fifth time.  He said, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.”  God comes to reaffirm the promise of a son, that rules out Ishmael. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90.  God says, “I am going to make you a father of many nations,” and He has made that promise good.  Abram means “high father” and now God changes his name to Abraham “Father of a multitude.”  Sarai was changed to Sarah.  Abraham was the father of a multitude by faith at that time and four thousand years later, he still is the father of a multitude. God’s covenant with Abraham was everlasting.  It is not going to run out.  God promised you and me an everlasting life if we will trust in Christ – that is a good covenant He has made.  The land of Canaan was an everlasting possession if they worshiped God alone.  Three times God predicted they would leave Canaan.  The first time was when they went to Egypt and was dispersed.  They were a family of seventy when they left Canaan and when they returned they were a nation of one and one-half million.  Secondly, God sent them into Babylonian captivity because of their idolatry.  Thirdly, in a.d. 70 they left Canaan when they rejected their Messiah.  When they return to Canaan they will never leave again.  This will be during the Millenium.

Because of the covenant there was circumcision.  It was a badge of the covenant.  The Israelites did not do this to become members of the covenant.  They did this because God told them to and because they had the covenant from God.

When God told Abraham, he was going to have a son, Abraham laughed. I think this laughter was from sheer happiness that this could happen.  “He considered not his 100-year-old body nor the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” He was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Abraham believed in God and is absolutely overwhelmed by the wonder and the goodness of God.

Ishmael was also Abraham’s son which he loved and said, “Oh that Ishmael

might live before you.”  God answered “no,” but God did bless him and promised him 12 princes that will multiply into a great nation. Abraham probably regretted his mistake with Hagar because that was a sin that caused trouble in the land since conception.  Sin is not something you get by with.  “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man soweth, that shall he reap.” Galatians 6:7