God is With His People | Genesis 17:1-14
“So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore Ishmael. Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishamel to him.”
--Genesis 16:15-16
Ishmael is born when Abram was 86 years old. He is the father of the Arab nations and will exists alongside of God’s chosen people as the angel explains in his blessing:
“And he will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will dwell in the face of all his brothers.’”
--Genesis 16:12
This led to the birth of the false religion of Islam which would rise out of Ishmael’s lineage. The Angel of the lord reached out to Hagar and He still reaching out to the Arab people.
As of 2020 1.5% of Iranian people profess to be Christians (Christ Followers). The Population of Iran is approx. 92,861,000 this means there are approx. 1,380,000 Christians in Iran. In 2014 there were approx. 37,000 Christians. God is calling out to the Arab / Islamic world—this is in the face of a country that is run by Sharia / Islamic law. Under Sharia Law, leaving your faith (Islam) is punishable by death.
God’s amazing grace continue to work in Abram and Sarai’s life and in Ishmael’s life. God has cut a covenant with Abram and now that covenant promise will be sealed in an outward sign; outward expression—circumcision. God isn’t making a new covenant here rather He is confirming His unconditional and eternal promise to His people found in Genesis 15:17-18.
God is preparing His people; He will come down to His people, make them His by giving them this seal/ mark, and getting them ready so they may live for His glory while living in the middle of rebellious nations.
- Abram loves God and God loves Abram; Abraham is blessed by God.
“Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God almighty; walk before Me and be blameless, so that I may confirm My covenant between Me and you, and that I may multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with him…”
--Genesis 17:1-13
Imagine the context: Abram just made a big mistake with having a son out of wedlock with Hagar. This mistake has lingering consequences which God’s people are still dealing with today (the rise of Islam). Yet, God is still calling Abram, God’s grace is still falling on Abram—God loves Abram.
Remember, Abraham will commit further sin. He will lie about Sarah being his wife in Genesis 20:1-18 and God will challenge Abraham’s faith with the sacrifice of Isaac—Abraham will fulfill God’s test and be faithful. This is why Abraham is considered righteous and faithful because he repented to God, knew his place before God, and would ultimately follow God’s call in his life.
Abraham’s relationship with Yahweh
-God is calling Abram to righteous living “I am God Almighty.” (Gen. 17:1)
God is revealing Himself to Abram—the name “God Almighty” is “El Shaddai” in Hebrew—there is much debate to what this means showing us how amazing, how vast, and how wonderful God’s character truly is.
“El shaddai, I am God all-sufficient; from shadah, to shed, to pour out. I am that God who pours out blessings, who gives them richly, abundantly, continually.” –Adam Clarke
Donald Barnhouse took the approach that the Hebrew word shad means “chest” or “breast.” It may have in mind the strength of a man’s chest (God Almighty) or the comfort and nourishment of a woman’s breast (God of Tender Care).
Lutheran Theologian H.C. Leupold explained that Shaddai comes from the root shadad, which means “to display power.”
The Septuagint – a translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek before the time of Jesus – translates Almighty with the Greek word pantokrator, the “One who has His hand on everything.”
-Abram’s faithfulness and obedience to God pleases God, this is one reason why God will confirm this covenant with Abram: “Walk before Me and be blameless, so that I may confirm my covenant between Me and you, and that I may multiply you exceedingly” (Vs. 2)
-Abram’s response: He falls on his face and lays prostrate before God: “Then Abram fell on his face, and God spoke with Him” (Vs. 3).
“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”
--Jonathan Edwards
“When the fear of the Lord disappears, sin becomes casual and obedience becomes optional.”
--Leonard Ravenhill
“Give knowledge to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Make a righteous man know it and he will increase his learning. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
--Proverbs 9:9-10
Abram is responding to a holy God. He is laying down, face first, showing humility, showing worship, this is why Abram is faithful—he knows where he stands before God. There is a clear relationship with God—a back and forth. God has called Abraham to lead God’s family, God’s people.
“’As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. And 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. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will go forth from you.”
--Genesis 17:4-6
“Furthermore, the verb rendered ‘establish’ may also be translated, ‘uphold’ and ‘maintain.’ Thus, God’s statement in Vs 2. And Vs. 7 would be better translated, ‘I am upholding My covenant.’ Hence God’s previous command to walk before me, and be blameless should not be viewed a condition to ensure that the covenant will be made, but rather as a response to the covenant having already been made.”
--The Moody Bible Commentary
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your seed after you. And I will give to you and to your seed after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
--Genesis 17:7-8
This is an amazing promise from God! God is encouraging Abraham’s faith spurring Him on. God loves Abraham, that God loves humanity and God is building a relationship with His people, with humanity.
- God seals this wonderful promise of salvation through the physical confirmation of circumcision.
“God said further to Abraham, ‘Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
--Genesis 17:9-11
Why is God’s sign of the Abrahamic covenant to his people circumcision?
Circumcision is a physical representation of God’s promise. It is a physical reminder for God’s people that God is with them.
God is Sealing / Marking His people (Theological):
-God is forever marking His people and even blessing their offspring with this eternal, unconditional promise of deliverance. This is why it is made on a reproductive organ (blessing the children created by that organ).
-God consistently will seal/ mark his people for protection from His wrath, so the world may know who He is through them, and so His people will be reminded on how to obey His covenant, commands and statutes.
“So now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God ask from you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?... Yet on your fathers did Yahweh set His affection to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. For Yahweh your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the fearsome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”
--Deuteronomy 10:12-13,15-17
“Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads.’”
--Revelation 7:2-3
“In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
--Ephesians 1:13-14
God is protecting His people (Practical Health):
Circumcision was a common practice in the ancient times (yet one culture did not mandate it etc). Circumcision prevents the spread of some diseases; can be considered to be more sanitary
“There were undoubtedly hygienic reasons, especially making sense in the ancient world. ‘There is some medical evidence that this practice has indeed contributed to the long-lasting vigor of the Jewish race.’ (Morris) McMillen, in None of These Diseases, noted studies in 1949 and 1954 that showed a remarkably low rate of cervical cancer for Jewish women, because they mostly have Jewish husbands who are circumcised.”
--Enduring Word Commentary
Development of a baby:
The construction of the brain, and its neural correlate of consciousness starts 14 days after conception, with the formation of the neural plate on the dorsal side of the embryo.
The first sense the fetus develops in the womb is the sense of touch. This is demonstrated by ultrasound images: the baby plays with its hands, feet, and umbilical cord and responds to the mother’s touch on her abdomen (developed at 7-8 weeks) From the very first days of life, the baby explores objects through touch and creates a mental representation of them, to the point that they recognize as familiar those they have already examined (6). But the sense of touch for a baby is much more than a tool for understanding their surroundings: it is closely connected with the brain centers from which emotions and ancestral mechanisms of social behavior originate.
- God seals His wonderful promise of salvation through Himself in the flesh, Jesus Christ, the forgiver of our sins.
Circumcision in God’s chosen people is a physical sign that God is with them and they are with God through the faith of their forefather: Abraham and ultimately through the new covenant of Grace: Jesus Christ. This is also why those who were not circumcised did not belong in God’s covenantal promise; however under the new covenant physical circumcision is not required rather the sealing of the Holy Spirit is required to be delivered, to be saved.
“A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.’”
--Genesis 17:13-14
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and dense gloom the peoples; But Yahweh will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.”
--Isaiah 60:1-3
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are being justified by law; you have fallen from grace! For we through the Spirit, by faith, are eagerly waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
--Galatians 5:1-5
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”
--John 8:56-59
“It is bad enough to be without money, or without health, or without home, or without friends, but it is far worse to be without Christ.”
--J.C. Ryle