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The Covenant is Established

We come in this chapter to the establishment of the covenant with Abraham. The word covenant is limited to those "contracts" by which the LORD promised to His adopted people that He would be their God. The whole idea of covenant is of a bundle of promises and whenever we come across the word we should remember the word grace. God freely promises His blessings to His people and requires in return their response of obedience.

The LORD has already been dealing with Abram covenantal ways but here more detail and precision is added. The seriousness of all of this is highlighted by the emphasis upon names in this chapter:

The LORD appears to Abram and introduces Himself as the God Almighty – El Shaddai. This is the first time that this name is used of the LORD in the Bible and becomes the standard name by which Abram knows his God see Ex.6:3.

Abram has his name changed to Abraham – as a confirmation that the promises of God concerning his offspring. Instead of being known as "Exalted Father" Abram will now be known as Abraham "Father of a multitude".

Similarly Sarai undergoes a name change to confirm her place in God's plan for His people. She is renamed Sarah. Both names mean "Princess".

It is worth noting that once these name changes are announced that the old names virtually disappear completely from Holy Scripture. This very fact should encourage us when we read other promises in the Bible such as:

Jer.31:34 "For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

The son to whom Sarah will give birth is to be named Isaac – "he laughs".

Ishmael too is mentioned by name in this passage where there is a play on his name. Abraham intercedes on his behalf and God responds that He has heard Abraham's pleas – Ishmael means "God hears"!

It doesn't take much effort to see that the chapter is largely taken up by what the LORD has to say to Abram/Abraham. The LORD speaks at length and Abram's responses are recorded.

It is clear that the LORD makes a number of speeches to Abram – but just how many is not so clear. Five times it is specifically mentioned that God spoke to Abraham (vv.1, 3, 9, 15, 19) and some commentators maintain that these introduce 5 distinct speeches. However as nothing separates v.9 and v.15 from what immediately precedes them I propose rather to divide the passage up into three blocks. Each block contains a speech from the Lord and is followed by Abraham's reaction.

1.     Section One

·       vv.1-2 God speaks

·       v.3 Abram responds

2.     Section Two

·       vv.4-16 God speaks

·       vv.17-18 Abraham responds

3.     Section Three

·       vv.19-22 God speaks

·       vv.23-27 Abraham responds

This pattern is simple and helps us to see the primacy of the LORD. He it is who initiates, who makes His promises and who requires obedience. Abraham's role is to benefit from all that God has done and promises that He will do and then to respond appropriately and obediently.

The LORD comes to Abram and His intent is to bless him. He comes not to worry, frighten, oppose or destroy but to do good to Abram.

How often it is that people harbour totally different views of God! How many think of God as something of a kill joy only out to make life miserable for us. It is sadly easy for us to act as though we believed this to be the case too seeing His yoke as anything but easy and His burden as anything but light. And yet that is what our Lord Jesus tells us as He invites us to come to Him to find rest for our souls.

Abram has already received covenant promises – and he'd done nothing to merit them. However to enjoy the blessings of these covenant promises Abram must abide by covenant conditions and they are here spelled out to involve walking before God and blameless living.

There is nothing new or extraordinary about these requirements which we have already met in the lives of Enoch and Noah.

To walk before God means to live in fellowship with God – and that is the high calling of every single Christian: 1Jn.1:7 "truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." This involves all the comfort and assurance of knowing not merely that He is there but also that He is there for me – he can be relied upon and trusted.

To walk before God also means making sure that no other divinity is to come into our lives as the 1^st commandment tells us:

Ex.20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

Or again in the NT:

1Jn.5:21 "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

The requirement of living blameless lives is also picked up and repeated in the NT where as Christians we are told by Jesus Himself that we are to be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Mt.5:48). We must not think that this is somehow to be achieved by our own unaided efforts however. Abram has already been counted as righteous when he took God at His word and believed Him. It is by faith that we are saved – this imputed righteousness will if genuine be accompanied by an ever increasing life of sanctification.

 In the presence of the LORD who thus deigns to address him and to establish His covenant with him, Abram simply falls to the ground on his face!

Here we find matched together humility and adoration. His prostration is a sign of his submission to One who is worthy of such homage.

How often do we find this combination in the Bible as men have a real and true encounter with Almighty God!

 This is by far the longest section and it splits into three sub-sections.

ü  Firstly the LORD declares what He will do: v.4 "As for me…"

ü  Secondly the LORD addresses Abraham v.9 "As for you…"

ü  Thirdly, the LORD states how Sarah is implicated in His plan v.15 "As for Sarah…"

ü  (A few verses further on Ishmael too is spoken of: v.20 "As for Ishmael…")

1^{stly .} What the LORD will do. "As for me…"

With a series of prophetic promises the LORD commits Himself to blessing Abraham richly:

·       Abraham will have many descendants including nations and kings – ultimately this will include King Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

·       The covenant will be no temporary arrangement destined to pass away when Abraham dies but it will be renewed to his offspring as an everlasting covenant. Now for many years the Jews simply assumed that physical descent from Abraham was sufficient but Paul in the NT makes it very clear that mere physical descent is not what is in view:

Rom.9:8 "This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring."

·       The land of Canaan – the promise already given is renewed. In the NT it is no longer the geographical land which constitutes the believer's hope but the heavenly. The writer to the Hebrews declares that Abraham himself was not focused upon the physical land but looked beyond to this heavenly country.

2^ndly. What is required of Abraham. "As for you…"

The promises and commitments are freely given. Nevertheless Abraham is expected to respond and the way in which he is to respond is made crystal clear to him.

As beneficiary of the covenant promises he must also carry on his body the covenant sign – circumcision.

This sign is to serve as a mark of total commitment on the part of Abraham and his household to the LORD – it is first and foremost that a commitment rather than a commitment to a certain lifestyle. Detailed instructions concerning the lifestyle appropriate for those so committed to the LORD are not yet being given.

Abraham is simply told that he must keep the LORD's covenant and perform the covenant sign. The sign was to be put on every male belonging to Abraham. The sign was both bloody and painful.

Similarly in the NT the believer responds first and foremost to the LORD who saves him. Christianity, indeed all true Biblical religion, is bound up with a personal response to a personal LORD in a personal relationship of commitment. How foolish to think that a mere change of outward lifestyle can satisfy our God! Becoming a Christian means being put right with our God and living from that moment on in fellowship with Him – we must never allow this to degenerate into some new form of religious legalism where all the emphasis is placed upon our doing certain things!

In the NT such commitment to the Living God also is accompanied by a covenant sign. But no longer is that sign bloody and painful – no more blood needs to be shed – and so circumcision gives way to baptism. But just as the outward sign of circumcision was useless without covenant obedience so reliance upon baptism with no corresponding fruit of the Spirit is futile.

3^rdly. Sarah has a part in God's Plan. "As for Sarah, your wife…"

In the preceding chapter Sarai had tried taking things into her own hands and had made a complete and utter mess of things. With scant reference to the LORD she had planned and schemed but, when her plans didn't work out quite as she had hoped, she turned herself into a victim making plaintive cries for justice. We saw that it wasn't really justice at all that she was interested in but vengeance!

Sarai was barren then and now some 13 years later she is well past the age of child-bearing. Will there yet be any place for such a one in God's plan?

I wonder whether you ever feel like that. Maybe you feel you've messed up big-time and there's no longer anything left to hope for. Learn from the example of Sarai – how good and gracious is our LORD to poor old Sarai!

The first thing is her name is to be changed – her old life belongs to the past a new chapter is opening and this name change will be a constant testimony to what the LORD firstly promises to do for her and then subsequently does do for her.

Sarai becomes Sarah and the promises of God will not by-pass her! The promised seed will come through her offspring – Sarah will have a child and all the wonderful promises of God will be accomplished through the fruit of her womb!

Yes, she's had to wait a long time but God doesn't operate to our human timetables! Never too early, never too late – in His perfect timing He operates all things according to the counsel of His own will.

Sarah was finding out that her times were indeed in the LORD's hands (Ps.31:5)

Habakkuk has a word for us when we're tempted to think that things are going too slowly:

Hab.2:3 "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end––it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."

This time two of Abraham's reactions are recorded for us:

1.     Once more he falls to the ground – this time in laughter! If you've ever heard some news that just seems too good to be true you'll have some idea of how Abraham felt. He is just thrilled at the majesty of it all! Joy fills his soul as the astonishing news breaks in upon him!

This was not the sneer of unbelief, but a smile of delight at the improbability of the event. As CT Studd would write "Faith in Jesus laughs at impossibilities."

How do we know that Abraham's laughter was of this kind? Well there are at least two arguments that plead in his favour. In the next chapter we will read of Sarah laughing with incredulity – her laughter does not pass without censure but here in this chapter Abraham is in no way reprimanded. Then secondly the NT confirms that Abraham did not waver in his faith – rather it declares that "he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God" Rom.4:20.

2.     Abraham prays. Ishmael had probably been at the centre of Abraham's hopes concerning the future for at least 13 years. Now it proves that he was wrong about this but he doesn't at once cast off this son whom he has cherished for so long now. No, he pleads seriously for him and receives satisfaction!

Increasing clarity is the hallmark of this third speech.

Confirmation is given of the respective roles of Sarah, her son who will be born a year hence and called Isaac, and Ishmael.

Yes, Sarah will give birth to a son and the covenant will be established with him. In the space of just a few verses this fact is repeated – Abraham is not left in any doubt whatsoever about God's plan for his immediate family.

And even if the covenant does not pass through Ishmael that does not mean that the LORD will do nothing for him. In response to Abraham's prayer blessings are multiplied to Ishmael – confirming what the LORD had already said to Hagar in ch.16.

Abraham is given more and more detail – a clearer and clearer understanding of God's plans. This illustrates how the LORD God has proceeded throughout Scripture – general information and broad outlines come first, like an artist's sketch, then more and more the colour is added! This should be our experience too if we are living healthy Christian lives – our understanding of God's ways and plans focusing upon our Lord and Saviour should be becoming ever clearer and more detailed. Are we growing Christians?

The LORD has now said all that He wants to to Abraham at this particular time and leaves him. Does the wording "God went up from Abraham" suggest a return to heaven of the pre-incarnate Lord?

So what is Abraham to do now?

Surely there is only one thing for him to do having received such wonderful promises from the LORD!

And what do we find?

Prompt obedience.

Never mind the painfulness of circumcision – never mind his advanced age (unusual even for those nations practising circumcision at that time) Abraham wants to do just what the LORD has told him to do in fulfilment of the covenant conditions.

And so Abraham is circumcised, Ishmael is circumcised and so are all the men of Abraham's household – just as "God had said to him" v.23.

What an example to us of prompt obedience!

Have we responded with such prompt obedience to the LORD as He calls us firstly to repent of our sins and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we might be saved?

Have we followed that first step of gospel obedience with the obedience of taking to ourselves and obeyed our Lord in following Him into the waters of baptism?

May God grant us all such ready obedience not only at the outset of our Christian lives but throughout our lives as Christians!

Amen.