Chapter 17 Summary: 13 years later (there’s that number again, | ✞ Dr C 17 ✞

Chapter 17 Summary: 13 years later (there’s that number again, remember it was 13 years before the Canaanite people revolted and refused tribute to the land owners but God upheld his punishment of them and they were unsuccessful, dying in the process of their little hissy fit). ….13 years later God comes back to Abram, and despite already fulfilling his promise with Abram on a son (Ishmael is 13 years old), God wants to recommit his covenant. So Abram, now 99 years old, sees God again for the first time in 13 years, and Abram takes his old body and throws his face on the floor, submitting to the will of God AGAIN (which is interesting when considering how some people also pray/worship God, but we’ll get into that later).

God’s Covenant:
1.     I am God Almighty, Walk Before me and be Perfect/Blameless
2.     I will establish my covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly fruitful and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you
3.     Your name will no longer be Abram but Abraham because I have made you a father of a multitude of nations
4.     I will establish My covenant between you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
5.     I will give to you and your descendants after you, all the land of your travelling, and all the land of Canaan (reminder of where this land is now), for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God
 
WOW.  This is a pretty epic promise and All Abraham has to do is continue doing what he has been doing which is respect, follow, and be loyal to God and His word/desires of holiness in Man.
 
Wait a minute hold up, God isn’t done. …..
 
6.     Now as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations
7.     Every male among you shall be circumcised
8.     And You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you
9.     And even every male servant among you who is eight days old shall also be circumcised throughout your generations, whether they were born into your house or they were bought from any foreigner who is not of your descendants

This is where I would have said ….” Uhhhhhhhh come again? You want me to do what?”
But Abraham doesn’t even flinch and God continues….
 
10.  As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai anymore her name is Sarah
11.  I will Bless Sarah and I will give you a son by her THIS SEASON NEXT YEAR. Then she will be blessed by Me and she will be a mother of nations, kings of peoples will come from her (remember this line because she will only have ONE child, yet KINGS will come from her)

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, NOT at the cutting his hoohoo part, but at the fact that Sarah will bear a child at hers and his late age- He’s almost 100 and she’s 90.
 
Then Abraham asks: “what about Ishmael who lived before thee?” And 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.” (denied Ishmael and said Isaac is the one). “Ishmael will be taken care of and he will be very fruitful and have 12 princes and I will make him a great nation” (singular).
 
So without even blinking, Abraham agrees, gets up and takes his son Ishmael, and all the servants and descendants and circumcises ALL OF THEM.

>>>>Abraham REALLY trusts God.  BIGLY

NOTE: Now we have TWO heirs.
>Ishmael
>Isaac.

But only ISAAC gets God’s covenant passed to him.

Ishmael has got to be . Not only does he miss out on God’s covenant and gets the short end of the stick compared to his younger future half brother but he has to be circumcised at 13 too? Huh