God's Covenant With Abraham

Click here to read Genesis 17.

Chapter 17 again deals with the promises of God to Abram. Abram's name was changed to Abraham and Sarai's name was changed in it's spelling to Sarah. God appeared to Abraham when he was 90 years old. God made the following covenant with him:

1. "You shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram but it shall be Abraham."
2. "Every male among you shall be circumcised when they are 8 days old. (This would be a "sign" or "mark"; the same Hebrew word was used for the "mark of Cain".)
3. "As for your wife Sarai, her name shall be changed to Sarah." "I will bless her and give her a son."

When Abraham heard about Sarah having a son, he fell on his face and laughed, for he was 90 years old and Sarah was 80. Abraham had no faith in either one of them being able to have a son. He tried to get the Lord to favor his son Ishmael, his son by Hagar, but the Lord would not. However, He did promise to make Ishmael the father of a great nation, but the "blessing" and the "promise" and Abraham's descendants would come from the son that Sarah would give him. They were to call that son Isaac.

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