Friday, June 25, 2010

God's Everlasting Covenant

God made Abram and Sarai the father and mother of nations and changed their names to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:4,5,15,16). God had blessed Sarah and made Abraham 'a father of many nations' in His covenant (Genesis 17:5,16). God had promised Abraham that he will be exceedingly multiplied and that he will be "...exceeding fruitful, and [God] will make nations of [him] and kings shall come out of [him]" (Genesis 17:2,6).

God also established an everlasting covenant with Abraham to be God to him and to his seed after him (Genesis 17:7). During Abraham's time, circumcision was the token of the covenant required of every 'man child.' The uncircumcised were considered to have broken the covenant with God (Genesis 17:9,10,14).

God promised Abraham a son. Abraham laughed "and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear" (Genesis 17:16,17)? "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him" (Genesis 17:19).

God also blessed Abraham's son, Ishmael and "...will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation" (Genesis 17:20).

After talking with God, Abraham was circumcised along with his thirteen year old son, Ishmael "[a]nd all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger..." (Genesis 17:22,23,25,27).

For your reference, turn to Genesis 17.

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