THE HOLIEST Children of Abram (Abraham)...
Tablet Two
The name of Abram is changed to Abraham, and new promises are given for his new son, Isaac
The name of Abram is changed to Abraham, and new promises are given for his new son, Isaac
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
(Genesis 17:1-8)
<1>God appeared to Abram again when he was ninety-nine years old and requested, "be thou perfect" and follow God's Laws ("walk before me"). The result of following His Laws would be: "I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." So still there was a requirement for the promises which God gave to Abram, that is, he should follow God's Laws and be perfect.
<2>Also a new chapter started in God's relationship with him. God changed his name from Abram (which has become synonymous to mean "father of one [nation]") to Abraham, "father of many [nations]." <3>With this, it seems that God had changed His promise, because God had promised Abram that He would make "a great nation" of him, but now He promised he would be "a father of many nations." The truth is that it is Abraham who would be the father of many nations. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham and said, "I have made thee [the Abraham] a father of many nations." So it is Abraham who would be the father of many nations, not Abram.
<4>Abram is the father of a great nation, whose seed was Ishmael, so the promise also belongs to Ishmael. However, Abraham would have a son by the name of Isaac who would create many nations, and Isaac's father is Abraham.
<5>"And I will make nations of thee," and "kings shall come out of thee." Here are two completely different promises, a promise of material possession which is "nations," and a promise of spiritual domination, "kings."
<6>Also God promised to give to his seed (Isaac) all the land of Canaan. This time God gave a definite name as to which land He was going to give to Isaac. There was a definite boundary about the land that would be given to him. But in the case of the promises given before (to Abram), many lands with no boundaries would be given to his seed.
<7>So we can see that not only was the name of Abram changed to Abraham, but a completely new relationship was established between God and Abraham. These promises also are completely different than the previous ones.
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
(Genesis 17:9-14)
<8>The sign of the covenant was that all males should be circumcised.
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shallher name be.
And I will bless her, and give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
(Genesis 17:15-16)
<9>The name of Abraham's wife also was changed from Sarai to Sarah. With this she was blessed to have a son. It is here again that the promise of "many nations" and "kings" was given to her seed, which is Isaac.
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and 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?
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
(Genesis 17:17-18)
<10>Abraham could not believe that he would have a child at that age and from his ninety year old wife. That is why he asked God if these promises could be fulfilled through Ishmael, whom he already had from Hagar, "that Ishmael might live before thee."
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.
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall be begat, and I will make him a great nation.
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
(Genesis 17:19-21)
<11>God knew what Abraham was thinking, and that is why He said to him, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed." He assured Abraham that He had decided it would happen so it surely ("indeed") would occur.
<12>Also God repeated His promises which were given to Abram about his seed (Ishmael). He said, "As for Ishmael,...I have blessed him." That is, "I have already blessed him and promised what I will do about him." <13>Abraham could not believe he would have another son, so he asked if also these promises would be fulfilled by Ishmael.
<14>That is why God here repeated the promises He had given about Ishmael: "And [I] will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly;...and I will make him a great nation." So again God showed that the previous promises which were given to Abram were about Ishmael. He had already blessed him, and would multiply him as the number of the stars, give him a large territory, and make "a great nation" from him. These all are the same promises previously given to Abram. <15>Also He had blessed Ishmael, which is, spiritual domination (scepter).
<16>"But my covenant will I establish with Isaac." However, this covenant and also all the new promises He gave after Abram's name became Abraham would be with his son Isaac. With this, God separated the promises given before and after the name change from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah.