God's Covenant with Abraham
Study Scripture: Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22
Lesson 2

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Key Verse

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Genesis 17:9

INTRODUCTION

God called Abraham then called Abram at the time from a life of idolatry and paganism, while he still lived in Ur of the Chaldees.  The ‘call’ began a series of contacts and appearances by God to Abraham, during which time and on which occasions God made certain promises to Abraham.  

The time of our text is twenty-four years after Abram had left Haran, for Caanan in obedience to the divine call, (Gen. 12:1-3). In the intervening years God made several significant promises to Abram, specifying that his heir would come from his own body (15:4), and giving him a more exact description of the land that he would possess. Abram had previously only been told to go to a land that God would show him. He was also told the fate of his offspring for the next several generations (15:12-16). Progressively God revealed more and more to Abram and in chapter 15:18 He formally enacted (cut) a covenant with Abraham that incorporated the promises he had previously made.  

It is very important that we understand that when God called Abram, everything God said to him was new, and he would be feeling some considerable excitement as well as some fear at this new venture.  

We must also consider that during this sojourn to Haran and then into Caanan, Abram was learning things about God over a period of years, with every new experience and learning one thing at a time, little by little.

Abram was not perfect, but was learning and growing in God. So let us put ourselves in Abram’s shoes so we can properly understand events in his life.

Abram had, as we stated before finally left Haran in response to the divine call. He and his nephew Lot had separated. He had defeated the eastern all ian ce of kings, which is recorded in chapters 13 and 14. He had met Melchezidek, king of Salem and Priest of the Most High God, and communed with him

 During the thirteen years following God’s very detailed promises to him, Abram made a wrong turn. In the thirteen years we read of the Sarai, Hagar, Ishmael affair, when Abram following the advice of his wife, attempted to produce the heir God had promised in a very questionable fashion. Following an established practice of that day, Abram had a child with Sarai’s maid, Hagar, but this only led to grief and disunity for all involved.  

We should not consider these thirteen years of heartbreak and trouble, during which time God did not speak, to Abram and Sarai as spiritually barren, with no growth in their knowledge of God. They were learning that when a believer tried to serve God by a ‘fleshly’ way of thinking, acting presumptuously, there are bad consequences. Following established cultural practises and ways of thinking is not generally appropriate for true believers in God.  

During these years, when God did not act to fulfill his promises, Abram and Sarai would be coming to believe even more strongly that having a child together would be more and more impossible. This is exactly what happened.  

Their response to God in chapter 17 shows that clearly. But what the thirteen year delay did was to make it even clearer that this birth of the promised son, when it did happen, would unmistakably be the work of God.

After this incident and its immediate aftermath, though there is no record of any direct communication with or from God, and no exploits of faith by Abraham, neither do we read of any apostasy from the faith. Despite the problems in the household caused by the birth of Ishmael, and the intensifying feeling that there would be no other ‘son of promise’, strong faith in God continued.

The thirteen years silence however served to wipe out any remaining possibility that Abram and Sarai could produce a child naturally. Abram was now ninety- nine years old and his wife was eighty six, long past their child-bearing years. The birth of another ‘son’ would have to be a supernatural work. This would be a clear contrast to the human plan that produced Ishmael. But sadly it appears that  Abram had come to believe that Ishmael was his only hope for an heir.

This whole incident is full of powerful teaching lessons for us. Close attention is critical.

We should not try to think that anything is too hard for the Lord.

Do not try to help God.

When God allows us to have our own way, the results are always distressing for us. We will be sorry we asked. See Psalm 106:15.

Our headstrong behaviour will very likely lead to our ‘thorn in the flesh.’

From the call of Abram, the promises, to the covenant, God is the initiator and guarantor of all the transactions between him and Abram. Abram is essentially a ‘bystander’ when God ratifies the covenant in chapter 15:18.

God’s eternal plan for man’s salvation and the foundations for such a plan are even at this point evident. God graciously offers the promises, Abram believes them and it is counted to him for righteousness. It is an illustration of the fact that God’s grace is the essential fabric in the relationship with Abram and his coming descendants. It is God that establishes the covenant and bestows the blessings.

It is noteworthy that Abraham is referred to as the ‘friend of God’ in several passages (2Chron.20:7; Isa.41:8; James 2:23) and it is through this covenant relationship that Abram becomes the friend of God.

This is precisely the pattern of involvement found between Christ ian s and Christ and it is for this reason, we are called the ‘sons of Abraham’. The pattern is that of God first graciously reaching out and our response of obedient faith; a faith which is still brought about by God.

The Abrahamic covenant is of crucial importance to Christ ian s for it  enshrined the promise of a Redeemer, through whom all nations would be blessed. In it God demonstrated his un-surpassing grace in his willingness to make a covenant with men for their own eternal blessing.

The covenant we study today is not new, however the broad promises made to Abraham earlier are brought into a clearer focus. Sarai is to be the mother of the promised heir and a sign or token of the covenant is established. The emphasis here is on the ‘seed’, while the former was on the land.

As in the case of all people ‘called’ by the grace of God, the sanctification process immediately kicked in for Abram and his would be a lifelong process, even so he is called the ‘Father of the Faithful’. God promised to be his God and the God of his descendants. The place of Christ ian s in this promise is under the banner of his ‘spiritual seed’ and heirs to the promised blessings.  

Today as we study our text, let us pay particular attention to God’s opening words to Abram: “ walk before me, and be thou perfect”.

TEXT

Verse 1.   The time of this appearance is twenty-four years after Abraham arrives in Caanan, fourteen years after the covenant of Genesis 15 and Ishmael is thirteen years old. Abraham is well past his child-bearing years, he is quite comfortable with Ishmael and maybe the promise of a seed is on the ‘back-burner’. God has not forgotten his plans however, the promise of a son was getting close and he appears to Abraham.

It has been years of heartache, but now God graciously brings Abram a new revelation, revealing a new aspect of his grace. He does this by revealing a name.

…the Almighty God..El Shaddai is the name employed here and this should help Abraham deal with what he is about to hear. It speaks to the power of God to control nature so that it does his will, a soon to be demonstrated feat. Despite the now impotence of Abram and Sarai’s bodies, the power of the Almighty God will bring about an Isaac between them.

This name “El Shaddai” is a mysterious one for Abram. There is debate about its exact meaning. We list some below.

First is God (el) who (sa) is sufficient (day).

Second, God all sufficient: from “shaddah”, to ‘shed’, ‘to pour out’. So here this is God who pours out blessings, who gives richly, abundantly, continually.

Third, the Hebrew word “shad” means ‘chest’ or ‘breast’. Barnhouse believes this word speaks about the strength of a man’s chest (God Almighty) or the comfort and nourishment of a woman’s breast (God of tender care).

Fourth, another interpretation is that this name of God comes from the root “shadad” which means “to display power”.

Fifth, the Septuagint translates the word into Greek with a word meaning “almighty”, or the “One who has his hand on everything”.

We see then that God brings increasing clarity about his Person and Nature to Abram. This is amazing self-disclosure. This is new revelation.

This new clarity brings a new demand. God expects a new standard of behaviour.

Note that when God reveals himself to us, much is expected of us. The old life is gone. No compromise with the flesh must be made.

Up to this point, at least as far as is recorded, God had required little of Abram except to leave Ur and to believe his promises. That in itself was a pretty powerful demand by God of Abram. Let us never underestimate the level of faith required to leave the bright lights of Ur , and go out into the unknown, without the protection of clan and tribe.

On the eve of the covenant coming into force, Abram’s behaviour would be set by God.

Walk before me… is not to be considered as a bargain being put before Abraham but rather the conditions for the maintenance and realization of the blessings he is about to hear. This will be a walk under the watchful gaze of God with a desire to meet his approval.

…be thou perfect…is not a state of complete moral perfection but carries the sense of ‘complete’ or ‘sound’, so that no necessary aspect the spiritual life is missing. It literally means “whole”.

Together the phrases call for a God conscious life with faithful observance of all duties. It should be understood as having a constant regard to God’s words as our rule and to his glory as the purpose of all our actions and to be continually in his fear.  

The importance and pertinence of this opening command is easily understood, as it was a failure to grasp the almighty power of God that led Abram to connive with Sarai to bring about God’s purposes on their own.

Christ ian s can draw a timely warning here against trying to do God’s will in our own strength or by our own devices.  

When a person understands who El Shaddai is, when there is this personal self- disclosure, one understands why one is required to consider one’s ways and behave righteously without compromise.

Verse 2.   The covenant was already established twenty five years previously, (15:18) so the sense here is that it was now being put into force or initiated.  

The expression could be rendered ‘I will give my covenant’ and agrees with the thought that the covenant is a gracious gift from God. The scope of the promise of descendants is repeated here (Gen.15:5) and descendants are in the forefront of the promise.  

Note that Abram might have forgotten the full terms of the covenant. Especially during the thirteen years of trouble, when he would be having only ‘normal’ communication with God. Waiting brought some difficulty to this great man of faith. God however, had not forgotten anything.  

It appears that years of ‘ordinary’, normal faith is necessary in our lives, so that when the dramatic encounters with God occur, we are prepared by this previous quiet (though often unappreciated) time of growing.

Verse 3.   Prostration is the proper posture in the presence of God Almighty.

The revelation of God as the El Shaddai and the renewal of the covenant promise regarding the number of his descendants, puts Abram on his face. There is apparently an overwhelming sense of unworthiness in the presence of God, (Dan.817, Rev.1:17)  

He is in the position of absolute humility, overwhelmed by the honours done to one so unworthy. He looks upon himself with meekness and on God with reverence and so assumes the position of  adoration. This is the ‘lowest’ posture possible, is a form of great reverence, and is still a common practice in the East.

Verse 4.  The as for me invokes a sense of certainty and solemnity to the promise. He speaks of My covenant, it is of God’s own making. He reveals the ‘fine print’ of the covenant about Abram’s descendants. To be the father of many nations is an almost unparalleled feat.  

One writer notes:

This is true in a literal sense. The twelve tribes of Israel and many Arab tribes, the twelve princes of Ishmael, Keturah's descendants, and the dukes of Edom sprang from him. But it is to be more magnificently realized in a spiritual sense. "Nations" is a term usually applied, not to the chosen people, but to the other great branches of the human race. This points to the original promise, that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed.  

Another angle on this promise sees believers in all ages as Abram’s spiritual seed and he is rightly called the father of the faithful. In this sense the apostle Paul directs us to understand the promise. He is the father of those in every nation that by faith enter into covenant with God.

 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (Romans 4:16).

Verse 5.   On the occasion of this appearance Abram is introduced to a new name for God, El Shaddai and now he receives a new name himself.

Abram means ‘exalted father’ or ‘father of many’, and must have been something of an embarrassment, he having only one child.

His new name Abraham means ‘father of a multitude’ and would surely have elicited snickers among the locals, if not in his own household.

Abram must have thought that it would be nice for God to reduce the burden brought by that name, but now God had changed his name and increased the burden.

The practice was to give particular or even grand names to children in the hope they might become equal to their names. Unlike men, a name given by God was the expression of something real or something that eventually becomes reality.

The name change was clearly made to highlight and uphold the sovereignty of God. The promise was that he would be fruitful, and would have to look to God for his fruitfulness.

This would seem to be a small thing, but it was really a critically important part of God’s new revelation. Abram was now irreversibly changed. The old life was being removed. God would now exalt him and make him fruitful. There were to be no more ‘fleshly’ moves. No more dual alleg ian ces tolerated.

This reminds us of Jesus changing Simon’s name to Peter. God had all authority, knew his man, and thus gave him a new name.

Remember that Sarai’s name was also changed to Sarah. The New Testament never refers to her old name, and in setting her up as a pattern for women, indicates she was no longer nagging and demanding, but was given a gentle and quiet spirit which in God’s sight was precious. (1 Peter 3:4). She became by name a ‘lady or princess of a multitude’.

Verse 6.    Further details on his descendants follow a repetition of the earlier promise of a host of descendants and blessings. Kings will come from Abraham. Not only will many nations come from Abraham but they will be populous nations.

Verse 7-8.    The covenant is extended to Abraham’s seed and must have been a comfort to Abraham’s heart. God would be a God not only to him Abraham but to his seed throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant. The promise to be their God far outweighs any other element or promise or particular benefit.

The promise to be their God is a prominent theme of God to his chosen people and runs right through the Old Testament. It is at the pinnacle of God’s desire for his people throughout the scriptures, for 

as the apostle John’s vision closes at the end of the Book Of Revelation, he hears a loud voice saying:

 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God (Rev.21:3)

This is the climax, the ultimate promise and blessing of all God’s people and it should be the blessed hope of all believers.

Verse 9-14.   The obligations of the covenant are clearly defined in this chapter. In verse four God said, ‘As for Me.’ In verse nine He said, ‘As for you.’ In verse fifteen we read, ‘As for Sarai’ and finally in verse twenty, ‘As for Ishmael,’.  God’s covenant is eternal and sure. The enjoyment of the blessings of the covenant is conditional. Only by keeping these conditions can man enjoy the blessings of God as guaranteed in the covenant.  

The obligation upon Abraham and his descendants was that they be circumcised. These verses established circumcision as a sign or token of the covenant and its attendant obligations are detailed.  

Note that circumcision was practised at that time by other ancient peoples. But this was the sign God chose for Israel . Those who refused circumcision were said by God to have broken the covenant. It was that important. Circumcision was a symbol of the relationship with God and followed God’s instruction to Abram. to’ walk before Him, and be blameless’.  

The Apostle Paul links the two ideas of circumcision and baptism in Coloss ian s 2:11-12, teaching that baptism is also a ‘sign’ of the covenant.

Remember that ‘signs’ do not save. Christ ian s must however never refuse baptism, for this ‘sign’ has important significance. But remember also that being baptized does not in itself save us. We too must walk before God, and be blameless.

Verse 15.   To this point Abraham had been promised a son but it was not specifically stated that Sarai would be the mother. Some believe this left the door open for the scheme by Abraham and Sarai to ‘help’ God keep His promise. Abraham had been convinced by Sarai and circumstances that it must be Hagar. It seems as though Abraham still considered this to be the case.

Here Sarah is formally taken into the covenant and we read of the particular blessings for her, beginning with a new name. She is to be called Sarah. Apparently there is little difference in the meaning of the two names; the former means ‘princely’ and the new means ‘princess’. Some see a significance in the addition of the ‘h’, a important letter of the name Yahweh, (YHWH). In any case she is to be the mother of kings, so the change is appropriate.

Verse 16.   Sarah’s blessings mirror those promised to Abraham, she is to be the mother of kings and nations. The ultimate fulfilment of royal seed will be Messiah the prince.

The heir is narrowed to Abraham and Sarah , despite what they both might have assumed and what their experience might have indicated.

Verse 17.   There are different opinions regarding Abraham’s reaction to the news. He is clearly astounded but what of the laughter. It was not unbelief as Paul states in Romans 4:20;

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Often, our first reaction to startlingly good news is that of laughter and many think this was the case with Abraham. Some however believe that there were elements of disbelief in Abram’s reaction.

Abraham shows great reverence and humility falling on his face and the more honours and favours God bestows on us, the lower we should be in our own eyes and the more reverent and submissive before God.

The answer to Abraham’s question is a resounding  yes and a cause for wonder and awe. Hence, his irrepressible laughter arises not from any doubt of the fulfillment of the promise, but from the surprising and delightful mode in which it is to be fulfilled. This feat could only be effected by the almighty power of God.

Verse 18.   Abraham had obviously and naturally grown very fond of Ishmael and here he ask that Ishmael might live in God’s favor. It is not to be thought of as another option being put forward by Abraham.

But it might be that though Abraham believed and rejected despairing or self- effort to help God, he might have thought that God would do a miraculous thing and grant the promised life through Ishmael.

We note that God did not rebuke Abraham, but in grace removed any doubt as to what He intended to do. The covenant and its promises would come definitely through the ‘son of promise’. Apparently God is not against repeating himself to his less than perfect followers.

Note, we do not prescribe to God but he does gives us leave in prayer, to bring our requests and desires to Him. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children. 

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.(Job 1:5).

One writer notes:

The great thing we should desire of God for our children is that they may live before him, that is, that they may be kept in covenant with him, and may have grace to walk before him in their uprightness. Spiritual blessings are the best blessings, and those for which we should be most earnest with God, both for ourselves and others. Those live well that live before God.

Verse 19.    The details and scope of the covenant is further revealed. The promised seed will be called Isaac (laughter) and the covenant will again be established with him and with his descendants. There is complete precision in the promise.

Verse 20-21.    God answers Abraham’s prayer and grants his request, Ishmael will be blessed and God will make him great but the covenantal promises are with Isaac. The promise of a seed is near fruition and we can only imagine the joy and delight of Abraham and Sarah at the news.

The sovereign Lord makes choices as a clear distinction is made between Isaac and Ishmael. This is a clear illustration of the doctrine of sovereign election. Christ ian s must be accepting, even as Abraham.

Verse 22.   God initiated the revelation, authored and made the covenant and here ends the conversation by his departure. In leaving God went up, for He must come down from his lofty abode, He must condescend to meet with men.

CONCLUSION.

Graciously God came down and made a covenant with Abraham and his seed and in this all the nations of the earth are blessed.

While there are certain experiences such as the visible manifestations of God, by and large the experiences of Abraham are those that are open to all Christ ian s. The experience of faith, trust and sanctification should mark the life of those who are the ‘friends of God’,

(John 15:14).

Most importantly, we see that Abraham loved God and now accepted God’s promise, vowing never again to resort to fleshly efforts to fulfill the plan of God.

It is amazing how little we expect from God. It is so easy to stop believing God and expecting miracles in our lives. We live prepared only to give God credit for the normal, easily predictable events in our life. We seem to accept that some things are too hard for the Lord,

It often takes us a lifetime, or some long time to grasp God’s promises and so often we need new revelation which are often clarification of promises made to us long ago.

What we can learn from this is that God want us to grasp the great old truths of his Word. It is only then that we will grow and mature and be in a blameless walk before Him.

Note carefully that Abraham could grow and in fact grew. He came to learn more about God and to more deeply understand Him.

If we do not grow in our understanding God’s nature and person, we will often fail, just as Abram did. God will not allow his true believers to remain in a static relationship. He will force us to grow by bringing new and often unpleasant experiences in our life. This is chastening, and it is not pleasant.

So let us learn God’s Word. Let them become a part of us. Let us come out of lethargy and draw closer to God. The closer we come to him, the more pleasant and joyful life will be.