“I (God Almighty) will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants …. ‘
Genesis 17:1-14 (NLT)
Abram Is Named Abraham
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
The Mark of the Covenant
9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. 13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”
Examine the Scriptures
Genesis 17:1-14 (NLT)
Abram Is Named Abraham
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,
13 years after the birth of Ishmael.
Sarai had not yet given birth to a son.
the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’
One of the most well-known names for the Lord, El Shaddai,
English as “God Almighty,” and it is found in Job more than any other book in Scripture.
This title would be used to describe His power.
- God is omnipotent.
- God is the Almighty One who supplies and satisfies our every need.
- God nourishes and supplies the needs of His people.
- God is “The All Sufficient One…” He doesn’t need our help!
- God is more than sufficient to meet any need. He is power and provision.
- God is “The Overpowerer,” meaning He will do what He purposes to do, overpowering all opposition.
- God would be sufficient for Abram’s every need.
Exodus 15:6 (NLT)
“Your right hand, O Lord,
is glorious in power.
Your right hand, O Lord,
smashes the enemy.
Matthew 19:26 (NLT)
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
Luke 1:37 (NLT)
For the word of God will never fail.”
Psalm 115:3 (NLT)
Our God is in the heavens,
and he does as he wishes.
Job 42:2(NLT)
“I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.”
Jeremiah 32:27 (NLT)
“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
- God’s power is a resource for Christians.
Ephesians 1:19-23 (NLT)
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.
Expectations for Abram.
Called to a higher standard of living.
Expectations for Christians.
Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Philippians 1:9-10 (NLT)
9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
Holy, without fault, pure, and blameless.
(What God has begun in the past will be completed in the future.)
Holy- set apart
Pure – Not weakened or diluted (metal – wine)
Blameless –Free from accusation. Used to describe sacrificial lambs.
Above reproach
Right relationship with God and others.
Not causing others to stumble.
2 Peter 3:14 (NLT)
And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
Desire to live the life God called you to live. (Remember God’s power.)
- God chose us (Christians) to be holy and without fault in His eyes.
2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,
Postures give expression to the attitudes of our hearts.
4 “This is my covenant with you:
I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!
Previously
Genesis 15:5 (NLT)
Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
Abram – High father or “exalted father.”
Abraham – Father of many, father of a multitude
Romans 4:17 (NLT)
That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
Belief vs. keeping the law
6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation.
God confirms His covenant.
God repeats His covenant.
God’s covenant is everlasting.
This is the everlasting covenant:
I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
The Mark of the Covenant
9 Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant.
Acts 7:5 (NLT)
“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet.
You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.
Zephaniah 3:12-13 (NLT)
12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
They will eat and sleep in safety,
and no one will make them afraid.”
10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.
Not a Hebrew invention – used in Egypt as an act of ritual purity
A new meaning here.
- Physical circumcision was a reminder of God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
Separation
Purity (cut away sin)
Loyalty
- True circumcision is a change of heart produced by the Spirit.
Deuteronomy 30:6 (NLT)
“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!
Romans 2:28-29 (NLT)
28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 4:11 (NLT)
Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.
12 From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased.
- Circumcision has nothing to do with racial purity.
13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.14 Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”
The Council of Jerusalem did not include religious male circumcision as a requirement for new Gentile converts. Acts 15.
