The Covenant with Abraham - Part III

Good morning. As we proceed into this chapter that Wayne just introduced for us here, I just want to let you know we have supplements from last week we're carrying over. And one of them is one page on the historicity of the accounts in Genesis 12 through 50. Another that we made available, I believe there are still some out there, is maps of what is anticipated between Genesis 15 and Ezekiel 48 on the size and distribution among the tribes for the Millennial Kingdom, for the time when Christ will reign on the earth. And then the third one is going over the What was predicted initially in Genesis 15 is this time of bondage of the Jews in Egypt and coordinating that with other passages. So those three supplements are available.

And so for this morning here, we'll start with the chart that you also have on your handout, page one. And initially here, We'll mark out this Abrahamic covenant, the fourth of the four covenants we highlight in Genesis here. We've been going along and kind of clocking some of the different passages that talk about the covenant with Abraham.

This morning we'll be looking at chapter 17, and that'll kind of finish up the ones that are listed there. So now it's a go for Genesis chapter 17. One of the charts that we introduced last week, and this has one addition to it, and that is we pointed out in last week's passage, Genesis 16, that talks about Ishmael being born. And now we're moving on here to Genesis chapter 17, and this is a year before Isaac is born. So basically over a decade has transpired between these chapters. And so just to kind of keep things in mind, Abraham is approaching a century old here at this point in time.

One of the things that comes out in this chapter is the Lord reiterates the promises. In other words, He restates those promises that He made and then adds to them. So there's a confirmation and an assurance about the promises made before, as well as here's some new information that you can add to it and that helps clarify it. He talked about basically three things, land, blessing, and offspring. This particular part of the covenant with Abraham focuses on the offspring part of it. We remarked that as of about a couple chapters back, it's kind of turning a corner. More now about the offspring of Abraham. God not only restates those promises, but God becomes more clear and specific. What do we mean by that?

Statements like in verses 15 and 16, saying specifically to Abraham, as for Sarai, your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be your name. Name change. I will bless her indeed. I will give you a son by her." That was not something that had been made clear before by anything that was revealed. And Abraham had assumed that, oh, I've got to come up with the answer to God's promise. So now he makes it clear. Then I will bless her and she shall be made the mother of nations. Kings and peoples will come from her.

The other thing that has become very clear here, but my covenant I will establish with Isaac, not Ishmael that we read about last week, but Isaac whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year. One of the other things that comes up here is why would God wait? to restate and clarify his promises until Abraham is 99 years old. Now this is where I have to give a caution. I grew up most of my earlier years at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California.

Ray Steadman was the kind of principal pastor at that point in time. And he was teaching through Genesis. And he was teaching at this passage right here. He was teaching at this passage right here. And just as he got to this passage, a great number of folks who thought themselves beyond years of having children, all of a sudden had children. And my younger brother by about ten years is one of those.

So I just want to caution you about that. Miraculous things could happen. Don't be surprised. Well, you can be surprised if you want, but anyway. One of the reasons, I think, why the Lord does things the way He does is for this reason. God often waits to answer promises until it's very clear that it is only by His doing that it's going to come off. You get that? God waits often to answer promises until it's clear that it's only by His doing that it happens. God's promises to Abraham and his descendants frequently, not only in this instance, but as we go farther down, frequently are of such a nature that it is clear that only by God's doing, only by God's accomplishment is this going to happen.

Let me give you a for instance. This is yet ahead of us. It may be as close as seven years away. We hear about Armageddon, and there's even, I would call it an inappropriate movie made by that name. Kind of a fun movie, but it has nothing to do with Armageddon. We hear of Armageddon, and yet it's frequently misunderstood. It's a series of eight events that take place towards the end of the seven-year tribulation period, just prior to and including the time of the Lord's coming.

Israel will be surrounded by enemy armies, so overwhelmed, in fact, that they will despair of any possible human survival through this. The Lord will intervene and will save them only at the time and only at the point where they finally realize only God's going to save us. And that's exactly what will happen.

Romans 11.26 says all Israel will be saved and it points to this time at the end of the tribulation period. Anyway, we went through some of this in Isaiah. Perhaps we'll go back to it again later.

My point being here, the Lord often waits until it is only by God's intervention that the promise is fulfilled. Curiously enough, I'll put a little smiley in there, and I think you even have it in your handout, God intends that there be many things in our lives that are that way as well. God wants us, we who believe, if you're a believer here this morning, God wants us to live lives that are inexplicable by anything that this world sees.

There was once a fellow who came into a church and he said, I don't see anything in this church that I can't explain with my introductory sociology class. That's not good. Christians are to be living inexplicable lives. Lives that cannot be explained, that cannot be comprehended and understood by things that are seen here on planet Earth.

We're going to see in this chapter outward symbols of these promises that God's making. Two of them, in fact. So let's look at those shortly here. One symbol was to circumcise all of the males in Abram's household. Now, what I will not do, and especially not do graphically on the screen, is explain circumcision. If you don't know what that is, talk to somebody that does. I'll be glad to help. I won't put it on the screen.

The other symbol was to change Abram's name to Abraham. And this finally ends any possible confusion we might have had between the two names. Abram's name was now changed to Abraham, and Sarai's name was now changed to Sarah. And we'll talk about what those mean and why in a minute here. So those two outward symbols, okay?

Circumcision, name change. Now, circumcision. Is everybody doing it? We want to ask that question, and that's certainly questionable. Circumcision was a practice that was done in the cultures around Abraham. Not universally, but to some degree. One example we could give is the Egyptians. The Egyptian priests have record that they practiced circumcision at least among themselves.

If there was wider spread practice, we don't know. But one of the things is I look at this little Egyptian drawing. I don't know what those hieroglyphics mean. I don't know if those guys are whistling or what. But anyway, you would get the impression. OK. All right.

Circumcision was also practiced among the Canaanites. Those are the people that Abraham was having dwelling right around them. And also the Hurrians, where Abraham had come from and where his family was still located. So those are a couple of places that would be pretty close at hand to where he was.

Later on by the Edomites. Those are the descendants of Esau. And the Ammonites and the Moabites, and those we're going to read about in a week or two here, the descendants of Lot by his daughters. So these places. Ammonites, Moabites, and the Edomites on the east side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea there.

Circumcision was also practiced by the sons of Ishmael. We read in this account here that Ishmael himself was circumcised. The sons of Ishmael, Ishmael had 12 sons, and the offspring and descendants of those became the founders of Islam. And Islam, even today, still practices circumcision, but not connected to, not because of this account, not connected to the covenant with Abraham. It is simply ritual cleanliness or purity, and not connected to this covenant here. So, how is it different from Abraham?

By it we mean circumcision. How is circumcision different from Abraham if everybody else was doing it? Well, let's take a look at that. Certainly we talked about these other cultures who practice circumcision. Only with Abraham did it externally signify. In other words, was it an outward symbol of the covenant that God had made with Abraham. Other people practice circumcision, but it meant different things. It meant something different with Abraham. It was specific as a symbol of this covenant that God had made. Genesis 17, 12 has another thing that is unique, and that is circumcision was done at eight days of age, as was carried on among the Jews. That was also unique and not done by the other cultures. So two aspects that are unique.

One of the applications we have to that is that there are times when we who believe, we here, us believers, will appear to do the same things as unbelievers. Why is it not the same thing? Because we mean something different by them. We mean something different by them. By the very same acts and words. Here, in a matter of minutes, we'll be taking the Lord's table together. We're not just simply eating. We mean something different by it, don't we?

A Christian couple gets married. Christian marriage has a definition different than what the world understands. It looks to the world like the same thing on the outside, but it means something very different. It has a biblical definition that the world, frankly, does not comprehend. It looks like the same thing. It means something quite different.

We get baptized. We even have done that here in this room with the baptistry behind the screen there. We mean something different by it. It's not just taking a bath. If it is, it's not very thorough. We mean something different by what looks like the same act. It's also a little strange because usually we don't have to have one or two people help us take a bath. Usually. Okay. So we have a question here before us though.

Why circumcision? Why pick that? I mean, you could have chosen a number of different symbols. Why not instead, for example, oh, there's the why not, okay. Why not instead, for example, some sort of unusual hat or something? You know, that would have certainly set people off in a different category. Get some unusual hats there. Roger, you're shaking your head. All right. How about some distinctive shoes, okay?

That might have set something off and a different thing. Why not just choose one of those things? And it might be a little easier than the circumcision thing. I mean, you could have both the men and the women do it and, you know. No? There's some reasons here. One reason for having circumcision as a selected symbol, by God, by the way, it's not just Abraham picking something. as a selected symbol. One, it was a frequent reminder to every single one of those circumcised males of God's promises involving offspring. Now one question you might ask is, why pick something that's exclusively for the males? A couple of reasons.

One is because of the principle of the headship of the husband in the home. So the husband was the one who was reminded and it was then to communicate that reminding to the rest of the family. That's point one. The other thing is it would be understood in these households that the wives and daughters, any other females in the household would be included under what the father or the husband was included. So those two reasons.

But there's more here. involving the cutting off of the flesh. Certainly it's a cutting off of just a piece of flesh. The circumcised male was the one who rejected the flesh in favor of trust in God's promises. It was a physical symbol of the spiritual reality. Setting aside fleshly provisions, fleshly accommodations, fleshly strategies in favor of trusting God in what He's promised.

One more, it was very personal. Personal by God's intent. And by personal, I mean two things. One, it was very individual. It was personal in that it was individual. God doesn't just sort of gather up groups and put them all in one category. Each individual is included. The second thing about being personal is it's very intimate. You can't get more personal than that when you talk about being intimate.

So both of those reasons are, it's very much by God's intent. Circumcision was not an arbitrary choice or just one he could have picked alongside distinctive hats or unusual shoes or any other choice. It was something that had reasons behind it by God's intent. So a question we have here in front of us, does this mean that Abraham was now saved by works?

Oh no! We've been teaching grace all along, and now we've got salvation by works. Is that what he's saying? I don't think so. Okay? Let's turn, and I put this on your handout, specifically on page 2 on the top, deliberately, because I want us to keep our fingers in the Bibles in Genesis, but look at this passage in Romans chapter 4. Paul addresses this very question that we put in front of ourselves here.

What shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, is found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, not before God, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. A person, when you go to a job, you're not just doing a favor for the employer. The idea is that you're going to get paid. The employer has an obligation to pay you. That's the picture that he's putting there. So justified by works is the question mark here. Let's look at verses 5 through 8 in the next slide.

But to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works, blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, whose sins have been covered. In verse 8, blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account. Verses 9 and 10 have it this way. Is the blessing then on the circumcised or on the uncircumcised also?

And by this he's making a distinction, Jews and Gentiles. For we say faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it credited? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Which way? Not while he was circumcised, but while uncircumcised.

We see that here. Genesis 15, 6, Then he, that is Abraham, believed in the Lord, and he, God, reckoned it to him as righteousness. And now in this chapter, Genesis 17, And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. What's the order there? Paul's very point. Chapter 15, he had already credited faith believing as righteousness. That had already been done. It isn't until two chapters later that he comes up with the circumcision. The circumcision is not the means of salvation.

It is a symbol, an indicator of salvation. See? And that's Paul's point exactly. Let's look at what he says in verses 11 and 12. And he received the sign of circumcision, the seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised. It is a symbol, a seal, an external indicator of the faith and the righteousness he already had. So that he might be the father of all who believe, without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them. There's us. And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, which he had while uncircumcised.

Salvation is not by circumcision or any other work. The rabbis used to say, great is circumcision, even higher than the Sabbaths. They exalted circumcision as a principle and powerful act. But what Paul makes abundantly clear here, that's not salvation. Salvation is by faith, period. Not by circumcision or any other external act or any other qualification. Nothing you're born into, nothing you can do, nothing you can accomplish. Salvation is by faith and faith alone.

Now, we come upon a name change for Abram and Sarai. Abram, which means high or exalted father, pointed likely to his noble descent. In other words, his father was one who was exalted or up there. That was changed to Abraham at this point in time. How would you like to be 99 and then get your name changed? Father of a multitude, since a multitude of nations would come from him.

Verses 4 and 5 make this point. Sarai, which means my princess, perhaps pointing to her noble descent, was changed, slight change I'll admit, to Sarah, royal princess, and she is specifically told, or he is told, that she would be the one from whom kings would come, as stated in verse 16. One of the things, both of their names were pointing to descendants. Pointing to descendants instead of pointing to their current status or to the ones they're descended from. something else, verses 6 and 16, kings would come from them.

And obviously, a quick example would be King David and that whole line from King David. And then Christ Himself, who will be the King of the Jews and King of Kings here on planet Earth, maybe as soon as seven years from now. As we had this chart here on the first page, one of the things that comes up here, Here's Abraham. He figures, okay, I've got a son, finally, an Ishmael. And the Lord says, no, not that one. Not that one. Isaac is to be born a year from now, when you're a hundred years old. When it looks like, humanly speaking, there's no way this is going to happen. That's when it'll happen. And so Abraham laughs. We're going to see in the next chapter, Sarah laughs. So both of them are given cause for laughing. And so this is the Abraham-Sarah sitcom.

Not exactly. Now, name changes in the Bible. We could go on to quite a few. Abraham and Sarah are, of course, a couple of them, where Abram was changed to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. We could go on to others. As a matter of fact, as we go through Genesis, we're going to find more, more name changes. But in the New Testament, Cephas, or it's actually Kephas, his name was changed to Peter. So that's a name change that we find. Another one is Saul, whose name eventually becomes Paul. So those are both Old and New Testament examples.

Now, name changes were to be a sign of a few things. One is a sign of God's promise. You'll see various places where names are changed. It is frequently given as a sign of God's promise. God made a promise, therefore the name changes. of new purposes. In other words, now you've got a new purpose. God gave you a new purpose and intent. And finally, of pivotal events that take place.

It was an indication of something big. The name change was frequently something that came from God himself. And it signified something substantial, not just a fickle whim of, let's change your name. And it's sure a good thing they did it before all this bureaucracy cropped up and everything was in triplicate, right?

Okay. There are many name changes yet to come. A great many more than are in the Bible. Okay? A great many more. Now, let's talk about that. Certainly the Old and New Testaments have these name changes. We've looked at a few of them. We'll see some more as we get through Genesis.

In Revelation 3.12, we'll find that Christ will be given a new name. Can you imagine that? We're saying as the last one before this message here, Jesus' name above all names. But Christ will be given a new name. Do you know what that name is?

I don't know either. Okay. But He will be given a new name. And we don't know what that is. Also, if you're a believer here this morning, there's something else you can count on. You will be given a new name. And I don't know what that is either. I can't tell you. Come up and see me afterwards and I'll guess, right? I don't know. But here's the deal. It will be known between you and the Lord alone. Isn't that amazing? You and the Lord alone.

Sometimes we're inclined to think, oh, God just has all kinds of Christians out there and I'm just kind of one little tiny cog in the whole machine. No. Isn't it amazing that the Lord Not only cares, certainly it says He loved the world and died for the sins of the whole world, but what is amazing is He cares about you personally, individually. Yeah, you.

Enough, and this is the great signifier of that, enough so does He care for you personally that there will be a name. that only you and He will know. Isn't that something? Because He cares about you personally. He cares about His personal relationship with you.

So get ready for the name change, okay? I don't think you have to have any tattoos to worry about, but anyway. God intends His relationship with you to be very personal. When we look ahead and we say, the Lord is going to have a name change for each one of us here. Only He and we, and by that I mean one at a time, will know that new name. It means that His relationship with us is not just generic.

Is every person here this morning in Christ? Yes. Is every person here this morning, do they have the position Do they have the identity that is there because they are in Christ? Yes. Is that the same for each believer? Yes. And they've got an elective where they've been spending six months and with a few months to go about who you are in Christ. All that being said and being true, there is also a uniqueness in your relationship with the Lord that is not duplicated and that the Lord holds and has just with you. Isn't that wonderful? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes. You can put your name there. I could put my name there. For God so loved Vern that He gave His only begotten Son that if Vern believes, he'll have everlasting life. And you could put your name right in there too. For you, he would die and did.

For you, And just you, there will be a relationship and even a name that you and the Lord will uniquely know. Because He loves you personally, not just generically. In the same way that Abraham and Sarah saw that God chose these symbols that were very personal, God intends for the relationship that we have with Him also to be personal and intimate. Personal and intimate. Now and forever. We can look at our relationship with the Lord and begin to kind of look ahead from some of the indications we have of Scripture. Think back on this.

Remember the account in the Gospels where Thomas says, I won't believe that he is resurrected unless I see him walking around and I can put my fingers in those marks in his hands and in his side. Then I'll believe, but not until then. Finally, Thomas realizes, oh, he is indeed the risen one. He did indeed rise from the dead.

Revelation 5-6, in a time yet to come, but it could be a time as close as before the end of this day. And I saw between the throne and with the four living creatures and the elders, a lamb standing as if slain. This is Christ. A lamb standing as if slain. Isn't it amazing that here is Christ resurrected And when he is resurrected, the marks in his side, the marks in his hands are still visible. Here in the heavenlies, still standing as a lamb that was slain, still with the marks visible.

Now think about this. We as believers, every single one who believes, has been identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seeding. You've been identified with Him in those things. Now let's put on top of that, beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him.

Now what does that mean? We'll have a body as His. Now, I have some questions. I don't have answers for you, but some questions to ponder. We'll be like Him. Will that mean that we bear the marks as well? Or will it mean that the things that we struggle with and agonize here on earth and maybe even have physical marks from, that those things will be glory marks in the days to come? What does it mean that we will be like Him? Perhaps the thing that we've wrestled with and we thought, oh, if I could only get rid of this awful thing, maybe that would be glory marks. What will it mean for us to be like Him at that time when He will have a new name and He will share a new name with us?

I just can't wait to find out. I hope it's today. Let's pray. Lord, we thank You as we look at Your Word here, as we examine what You have revealed for Abraham and about his wife, Sarah, and for all those who would descend from them, including us. As we look at that, we just ask that You would Work in our hearts to bring these truths home, that they would not simply be packed away in our gray matter as facts that we remember, but that they would instead be learned and lived, that they would impact how we live today and tomorrow and, in fact, on into eternity. I thank you, Lord, for these precious truths. In Jesus' name, amen.