Part 2: God's Covenant with Abram

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Welcome! To Our Ancient Future Story: Navigating Scripture Through the Eyes of Family. Where I share with you, Biblical stories, as a family member would tell a story around the dinner table. As children of God, we are a part of God’s family, and His family story has a lot of history. Each week, we will take one story and talk about it, the cultural, historical, geographical, and sociological impacts. We will be looking at these stories from the perspective of our ancestors, through the lens of ancient times, in hopes of learning more about our family. This is Our Ancient Future Story.

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Welcome back to Our Ancient Future Story, I’m Vic, and I am so excited to share the 2nd part of God’s Covenant with Abram! A couple episodes ago we began talking about covenants, what they are and why they are so sacred. Specifically, we discussed the Abrahamic Covenant. Then in our last episode, we discussed the story of Abram, Hagar, and the Birth of Ishmael, which takes place in between these two covenant chapters. So today, I want us to look at the Covenant story as a whole. My goal is to help us understand the entirety of God’s covenant with Abram, so that we can see God’s Redemptive story shine through. God’s plan for redemption wasn’t stopped because Abram and Sarai decided to jump the gun. Instead, God did something that was so counter cultural, He extends an invitation for a covenant again.  

And this is the story we are going to tell today! So, grab your cup of coffee or something to drink, and get ready to hear the story of God’s Covenant with Abram. 

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Before we get started, I want to give a disclaimer, this episode has content that is more suitable for our older listeners. So, if you are listening to this in the car or somewhere with children around who are listening with you, you may want to pause the podcast now before, we really dive into today’s topic. 

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 Alright, on to the story. 

Our story opens 13 years after the birth of Ishmael. Abram is now 99 years old when Yahweh comes to speak with him again. When the LORD appears, he says, “I am God Almighty walk before me and be blameless, that I may make my covenant with you and you will be multiplied greatly.” Hearing this, Abram falls on his face! This was a Holy Moment for Abram, because it had been 13 years, since Yahweh last spoke to Him. Yahweh continues, “you Abram, will be a father of many nations.” Then God does something a little strange, He changes Abram’s name. 

[Historical Fun Fact: God changes Abram’s name on purpose. Abram means Exalted Father, whereas Abraham means Father of Multitudes. God was showing Abram that even his name is a reminder of God’s promise to give him a son.] 

So, Abram’s name changes from Abram to Abraham. For God said, “you Abraham will be the Father of many nations. And I will establish my covenant with you and with your descendants through all generations. It will be an everlasting covenant between you and me. I will give you and your descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. 

            As for you, you must keep my covenant you and your offspring through all generations. Every male among you must be circumcised and this will be a reminder for you and your descendants of the covenant we are making. Every male born into your house must be circumcised on the 8th day of their life. All other males you acquire who are bought with your money shall be circumcised. Anyone who is not circumcised must be cut off from you and sent out of your household because they have broken the covenant between us. 

            Then God turns the conversation to Sarai. He said, Abraham you shall not call your wife Sarai, instead you shall call her Sarah. I love that God did not leave Sarah out of the name change. God said, she will also be blessed and bear many children. So, now Abram is laughing. On the ground Laughing. Because this all sounds great, but he is thinking can it be true? I am 99 years old and Sarah is 90 can we really have children this late in life? Out of this thinking, Abraham ask God to establish his covenant with Ishmael instead. But God is adamant, “No, you and Sarah will have a Son and his name shall be Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant. As for Ishmael, I have heard you, I will bless him and make him a great nation, but my covenant will be with Isaac. He will be born one year from now.

When they had finished talking, Abraham took Ishmael and all the men of his household and he circumcised them. Abraham was 99 years old, and Ishmael was 13 years old when they were circumcised. 

And that brings us to the end of our story for today. God establishing his everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants. This covenant is known as the Abrahamic Covenant and it is observed by many of Abraham’s descendants today. 

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 So, Let’s dig into our story. We open this chapter similarly to the way Genesis 15 opens with the Lord appearing to Abram and making the “Personal God” claim. “I will make you a great nation” 

This is the third time God, has given this promise to Abram. Icular, the placement of this passage. Because the promises in Genesis 15 and Genesis 17 are virtually the same. So, while reading it, one would assume that they should go together. But instead, we had the story of Hagar and Ishmael in between. 

So, let’s look back to Genesis 15 for a moment and look at the terms in the Covenant agreement. Remember a covenant is like a contract, and both parties were agreeing to uphold the conditions of the contract, but if they failed to uphold their end of the deal, their blood would be spilled like the animals they sacrificed. 

To refresh our memories, these are the terms God is promising and agreeing to keep in Genesis 15. 

1.    400 years Abram’s descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and they will be slaves and mistreated there (EGYPT)

2.    I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterword they will come out with great possessions (Plagues of Egypt/Leaving Egypt)

3.    You (Abram) will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age (lives to see Ishmael and Isaac get married, and he dies peacefully) 

4.    In the 4th Generation your descendants will come back here (Ephraim and Manasseh, Abram’s Great-Great-Grand Children leave Egypt to possess the promised land)

5.    The Sin of the Ammonites have not reached full measure (these are the descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot by his youngest daughter)

6.    To your (Abram) descendants to I give this land from the Wadi of Egypt (AKA the Brook of Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula, Just south of Beersheba, Israel’s southernmost city) to the great river, The Euphrates (Just north of Dan, Israel’s northern most city) 

As for Abram’s side of the agreement, 

1.    Believe Yahweh! 

Then, God did something unusual, he walked through the animal carcuses as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch, which means, God is agreeing to take on the responsibility of fulfilling BOTH sides of the agreement. AND He is agreeing to have his blood shed if the covenant is broken. 

But then our story stopped and we got this story in Genesis 16, where Abram DID NOT Believe Yahweh, He Believed Sarai. 

“And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go into my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:2 ESV, emphasis added).

In listening to Sarai, and taking matters into his own hands, Abram broke the covenant that He and God and cut. Which means God’s blood must be shed.

And this is where Chapter 17 picks up, Abram is now 99 years old. He has married, Sarai’s Egyptian servant, Hagar and together they have a son named Ishmael who is 13 years old. 

It has been 13 years since Yahweh last spoke to Abram, so when God shows up it is a holy moment. It is interesting that God’s first words are “I am God almighty, walk before me and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 

God shows up, but he doesn’t use the name Yahweh like before, instead he uses God Almighty or El-Shaddai in Hebrew, to identify himself. It is interesting to note that God would not introduce himself as Yahweh again until he introduces himself to Jacob in Genesis 28. 

Nevertheless, God says to Abram “I am El-Shaddai, walk before me and be blameless.” I love this because it shows that Abram now has some responsibility. He must Walk before the LORD and be Blameless. But why does God say that? Because God is about to make a redemptive offer. God wants to make a covenant with him again, this time promising that Abram and Sarai will be multiplied greatly. Cutting this covenant means going through the whole process over again because to seal a covenant blood must be shed. 

 In hearing this, Abram falls on his face. I mean what else is he going to do? This is a holy redemptive moment. God is extending grace to Abram, despite the fact that Abram had broken the agreement. 

But then God adds something new to the promise: Not only will Abram and Sarai have many descendants they will also have different names. God said, “No longer will you be called Abram (means Exalted Father); your name will be Abraham (Father of Many), for I have made you a father of many nations.  

So, you may be asking the question, why does God change his name? Isn’t it a weird time to change someone’s name? After all Abram is 99 years old. These are good questions, but we see name changes often in the Bible. There are the famous name changes like SimonPeter/Cephas (Rock) or SaulPaul, or as we will discuss later JacobIsrael. But in each of these name changes, they were not haphazard, They were intentional to signify the shift in that person’s life from living their way to living God’s way. Simon was a fisherman working on his dad’s boat, but then Jesus changed his name to Peter which means Rock. Simon was destined to be a fisherman, but Peter was destined to be the Rock that the church was established on. Saul was a persecutor of Christians but on the Road to Damascus his name was changed to Paul who was destined to be the Zealous Champion of the Gospel to the Gentiles. And Jacob was mischievous, he was a thief and a liar. But God changed his name to Israel because he wrestled with God and with men and had prevailed. Israel was destined to become namesake of God’s chosen people.

So, why did God change Abram’s name? Abram had broken the covenant, but that was not to be his legacy. Abram was no longer just an exalted father to Ishmael or the man who broke the covenant. His destiny was to be Abraham, the father of many nations and the beginning of God’s redemptive story. The covenant was broken, but the plan for redemption was not. 

God then continues his speech by laying out the terms of the new covenant He is now agreeing to cut with Abraham. 

 “I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:6-8) 

Again, we see God’s terms to the covenant:

1.    Make Abraham fruitful with many descendants, Make Him so many that his household becomes a Nation

2.    Give Abraham Kings in his Linage

3.    Establish and Everlasting Covenant to be Abraham’s Personal God AND all of Abraham’s descendants personal God. 

4.    Give the Land of Canaan as an everlasting possession to Abraham and his children. 

Then God tells Abraham in order for this to be true you must also do something. I.e., Abraham’s terms to the new covenant. 

“You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner---those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:11-14)

God tells Abraham, You and all of your male descendants after you must circumcised. Now this must have taken Abraham aback because, the practice of circumcision was not happening in the Ancient Near East, so it begs the question, why did God make this act the sign of the covenant he made with Abraham. There are three main reasons why I think this is the sign that God chose. 

1.    The Blood Covenant. So, just as we discussed in Genesis 15 about cutting a covenant this is similar, in that blood must flow to seal the covenant. But this time, instead of an animal being split in two, every male would bleed when the foreskin was cut off.  

2.    Since Circumcision was not practiced in the Ancient Near East, this ritual would separate Abraham’s descendants from all other tribes of people. 

3.    It would be constant reminder to every male that the covenant God made with Abram was broken by the act of sex. But also, it would stand as an eternal reminder of God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham. Because Circumcision is such a personal thing. It is a constant physical reminder for the males in Abraham’s household of the covenant that God has made.

God emphasizes that ANYONE who enters Abraham’s household, either by birth or by purchase were to be circumcised. If they were not circumcised, they could not live in Abraham’s Beth-Av (household) because they would be breaking the covenant. And anyone who breaks the covenant must be split in two like the animals. Blood must be spilled for a broken covenant. It was a blood covenant. God is serious about His Covenants, thus the severity of the punishment for breaking it. 

Another interesting thing to note in Genesis 17:12, is that God specified “on the 8th day.” This is interesting because as we know from modern medicine, the 8th day of a child’s life is when blood in the human body begins to clot. To attempt to circumcise a child less than 8 days old could result in hemorrhaging and even death. Therefore, they circumcise male babies on the 8th day after birth. 

The circumcision covenant is an Everlasting covenant. Which means every person who comes from the linage of Abraham must be circumcised. So, it is interesting when looking at our world today and knowing that both Islam and Judaism, the religions that came from Ishmael and Isaac, still practice circumcision today. 

Then in Verse 15, God then shifts the conversation to Sarai. 

“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. (Genesis 17:15)

God also changed Sarai’s name. She would no longer be Sarai but Sarah. Some scholars have noted that an “ah” has been added to both Abram and Sarai’s names, making them AbrAHam and SarAH. “Ah” is the sound you make when breathing out, so some have concluded that the “ah” in their names is the breath of God. Also, in Hebrew, their names would have added the letter “Hey” or “H” in our English alphabet. This Letter by itself can mean, Behold, or Breath. So, again we see this idea of God breathing life into Abraham and Sarah.

“I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17:16)

But Abraham does not believe this, he is 99 years old! So, he laughs and says out loud, “Can I have a son at 100 and Sarah at 90? Is that even possible? God, why couldn’t you just make Ishmael your promised son?” (Genesis 17:17-18 my paraphrase).

Abraham was trying to make God’s timing go faster. He had waited 13 years since the last time God had promised him a son by Sarah, but still no child was born. So, when Sarah offered her servant Hagar, Abraham jumped at the chance to have an heir. The problem is, this child was out of the impatience of man, not the promise of Yahweh. And the impatience of man can never inherit the promise of God. 

But The promise of God did not wavier. He was going to send his own son through the linage of Isaac to be the fulfillment of every broken covenant. 

Jesus was circumcised at 8 days old

Jesus would fulfill the Mosaic Covenant, by keep the Law of Moses perfectly

Jesus would fulfill the Davidic covenant, by being the promised King forever

Jesus Died to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant, by spilling His blood on the Cross

Jesus would establish the New Covenant, by rising from the dead and offering Forgiveness to us all! 

The covenant that Abram broke, would ultimately be fulfilled by Abraham’s seed. 

Then God left Abraham. And that same day, Abraham took Ishmael and every male in his household whether by birth or by purchase, and he circumcised them. Abraham was 99 years old, and Ishmael was 13 years old, when they were circumcised. 

 And that is where our story stops for today. God establishing his everlasting covenant with Abraham. Come back next time as we dive into the story of Abraham and Sarah’s promised son, Isaac. 

 But before we go, I want to close our time together by reading the scripture from which our story comes from today in Genesis 17. I hope that as you listen to this chapter being read that you will embrace all that we have learned, and that this passage will be illuminated for you. Let’s Read. 

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly." Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 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. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God." And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year." When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.”

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Thank you for listening to today’s episode of Our Ancient Future Story, I hope that you really enjoyed it! This episode was written and produced by Vic Harmon. Executive Produced by Amanda Gilliam. Music is Embarking on Adventure by Evan MacDonald. 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ourancientfuturestory.

See you next time! Bye!