The Sign of the Covenant

Thirteen years had passed since the last chapter when Sarah caused Abraham to produce a child, Ishmael, with her made Hagar. So it has been more than 13 years after God's promise to Abraham about his descendents and the inheritance of land. Now God re-affirms His promise of blessings with even greater details and the signing of the covenant.

The details revealed when God appeared to Abraham now is that not only will he have many descendents, but his descendents will form many nations, some his descendents will form a line of kings, the covenant would be everlasting and the land given to them will be their everlasting possession. When God says everlasting, it is everlasting. In other words, the covenant between God and his people still stands today and the Promised Land still belongs to His chosen ones, even though it may not be so politically.

In addition, here God specifically promised the blessings to Ishmael and his descendents but He also made it clear to Abraham that Ishmael is not the chosen line. His chosen line will come from the child of Abraham and Sarah, and God specifically named the child Isaac. It is also here that Abraham and Sarah got their new names.

For believers in Christ, the New Covenant is sealed by the shed blood of Jesus. The Old Covenant is sealed by the circumcision of Abraham's family as well as all his household staff. Perhaps this indicates that God is an inclusive God, and that anyone associated with Abraham has the opportunity to come under the covenant with God and share the blessings.


Genesis 17

 1 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.
 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:
 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
 7 And 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.
 8 Also 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.”
9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.
13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 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.”
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 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.
24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;
27 and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.