today's meditation (Gn.17) Obedience Demonstrates Faith

(Dear Lord Jesus, give me insight into Your word, and help me stay focused...)

(Genesis 17:1-27)  Now 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.
2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 “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.

6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

9 God said further to Abraham, “Now 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 among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 13 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. 14 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.”

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 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Now 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 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Once Abram "became a believer" - his faith being reckoned as righteousness - God changed Abram's name to Abraham, and Sarai's name to Sarah.  With this came a reminder of God's everlasting covenant regarding land, seed and blessing, where God promised that Abraham and his descendants would have the promised land, they would be exceedingly fruitful, and they would multiply exceedingly - with kings among his descendants.  It was here that God added this new bit of information.

King David would be a man after God's own heart... and the last king who would come through Abraham's people was Jesus - the righteous King of kings and Lord of lords!  God Almighty Himself came to earth in flesh to make salvation, and the covenant below, possible.  Because the Jews rejected Jesus their Messiah and King when He first came, the Abrahamic covenant will be completely fulfilled in the millennial kingdom.  Until then...

There is so much in these verses, it's actually mind-blowing!!!

We see that God asks Abraham to be obedient and keep the covenant.  God knows that we are not perfect, and we cannot be perfect without accepting and believing in Jesus' work on the cross, which allows for forgiveness of all sins... which is accepting and taking on His righteousness and His grace.  This requires our heart's decision to be humble, removing "self" and accepting Christ as our Savior... a circumcision of the heart.  (see Romans 2:29)

It seems harsh that God gave the instructions that if anyone was not going to be circumcised they were to be cut off from the people of Abraham.  God desired all of them to be of one mind, in obedience.  Just as God desires all people to become believers, and have Christ's righteousness.  Anyone who does not have a circumcised heart, will not enter heaven.

Also notice that God included servants who were born into Abraham's house.  This very clearly demonstrates that God is not harsh or discriminatory.  It is another parallel in the bigger picture:  ANYONE who believes in Jesus, becomes a child of God!

And here is yet another parallel in the bigger picture!  As Abraham was "a believer" - God expected Abraham to trust Him and be obedient - which would lead to blessings and being fruitful.  Just as for believers today:  the outward proof of our faith in Christ - is obedience - which will lead to fruit of the Spirit.  A question we can ask ourselves is - how evident is our faith to those around us???...