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.” (Genesis 17:1-2)
God confirmed His covenant with Abraham. The Lord introduced Himself to Abraham with a new name, previously unknown to mankind.
The name "Almighty God" consists of the Hebrew words El-Shaddai. The word El means "strong or mighty" The word Shaddai means the "breasted one' or "nourishing one".
Shaddai is also a feminine word. God was revealing to Abraham saying, "I will be the total provider for you in time to come, just as a mother provides for her child." Most of us picture Almighty God as strong and powerful but today’s scripture (Genesis 17:1-2) tells us He is also tender like a mother (in fact much more than a mother can be)
Now after God had spoken to Abraham and he believed God’s promise the following transpired.
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, (meaning ‘Exalted Father’) but your name shall be Abraham (meaning ‘Father of a multitude); for I have made you a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:3-5)
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai (meaning ‘Dominative’), but Sarah (meaning ‘Mother of Princes’) 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." (Genesis 17:15-16)
Now they still did not have children, yet God had commanded them to call each other with their ‘New Names’ You can imagine the expression on the faces of his neighbors and the servants of his household. I can just imagine them saying, “The old duo are going crazy now, just imagine childless papa Abram saying he is the father of a multitude and calling old barren Sarai, mother of princes……their religion has gotten into their heads.”
As we already know, their new names had special meaning. Each time their names were called, the future was being prophesied: Abraham would be the father of a multitude, and Sarah would be the mother of Princes.
Words were being spoken into the atmosphere that were reaching into the realm of the spirit, where their miracle was. Those words were beginning to draw out the miracle that God had promised – Isaac.
Now you better know that this practice can work against us if we are calling for things that are not of God’s will but the enemy’s. As a matter of fact, the world seems to be addicted to calling for disaster.
7And 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. 8Also 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.” (Genesis 17:7-8)
When God made a covenant with Abraham, He promised to bless Abraham's seed (Genesis 12:3, 13:15, 15:3, 16:10, 17:7, 17:10). The term seed refers to Abraham's children.
The physical evidence that a Hebrew child was in covenant with God was the act of circumcision. On the eighth day in the life of a Hebrew male child, the foreskin of his flesh was circumcised (Genesis 17:12).
This physical act leaves a scar on the flesh as a visible reminder of the covenant. Likewise, the crucifixion scars on the body of Lord Jesus are a reminder of the new covenant he instituted through His suffering.
It is interesting to note that Jesus appeared to His disciples and revealed these scars eight days after his resurrection (John 20:26-27).
and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. (Genesis 17:11)
God's covenant with Abraham was sealed in the blood of circumcision (Genesis 17:11), and the new covenant was sealed in the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:13).
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. (Genesis 17:23)
Notice the phrase, ‘that very same day’. When God commanded Abraham and his household males to be circumcised, he did not delay in obeying the command of the Lord but made sure it was done the very same day. This act showed how much Abraham feared the Lord.
King David wrote, “Without delay, I hurry to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60 GNT).
Delayed obedience is disobedience.
Our obedience to God’s word may be peculiar in the eyes of the world, but it is very pleasing in the eyes of God.
When Abraham cut a covenant with God, he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin and the flesh of every male child born in his house (Genesis 17:23). When we enter the new covenant, we accept the sacrifice of Christ's suffering and, by faith, receive the forgiveness of our sins by His blood. The flesh of Christ was cut so that we could be grafted into the covenant.
Ten Blessings or Promises to Abraham in Genesis 17
verse 2 - I will establish my covenant with you
verse 2 - I will multiply you greatly
verse 4 - you will become the father of many nations
verse 5 - I will make you the father of many nations
verse 6 - I will make you extremely fruitful
verse 6 - I will make nations and kings come from you
verse 7 - I will keep my covenant between me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you
verse 8 - I will give you and your future offspring the land where you are residing, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession
verse 8 - I will be their God (i.e. Abraham’s future offspring)
verse 16 - I will give you a son by Sarah
Three Blessings or Promises to Sarah in Genesis 17
verse 16 - I will bless her
verse 16 - I will bless her and she will produce nations
verse 16 - kings of peoples will come from her
Four Blessings or Promises to Ishmael in Genesis 17
verse 20 - I will certainly bless him
verse 20 - I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly
verse 20 - He will father 12 tribal leaders
verse 20 - I will make him into a great nation
All three are given the promise that a nation will come from them. In the case of Ishmael a great nation but in the case of Abraham and Sarah multiple nations are promised.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Chapter 38
- Chapter 39
- Chapter 40
- Chapter 41
- Chapter 42
- Chapter 43
- Chapter 44
- Chapter 45
- Chapter 46
- Chapter 47
- Chapter 48
- Chapter 49
- Chapter 50