A Man who obeys God

Genesis 17:15-27

Often I wonder, how did we get so busy, can we fit one more thing into this day, and then as I was reading Genesis 17:15-27, it became clear that I do not understand what a busy day is.  As we look at these verses, look at what is happening in one day of Abrahams life; first God shows-up, next Sarai gets a new name from God, and God does not tell Sarai, He tells Abraham, now in my house that might have taken a great deal of time explaining why we are not calling my wife by her given name.  Then God tells Abraham who is a hundred years old that he and Sarah are going to have a son.  This is how that exchange went; “And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.  I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her.  I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of people shall come from her.”  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?  Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 

Abraham is so elated at God’s promise that he laughed with joy and I’m sure surprise.  Then it is a hold on there a minute, what about my boy Ishmael, who is thirteen years old, why can’t he be the one to carry on my line?  It is not clear if that was just a father wanting the best for his first born, or that old serpent Satan putting thoughts in Abraham mind.  Satan is a created being and not all knowing, it is not clear to me if he knew that Christ would come through the line of David and would come from Isaac the promised one.  “And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.   I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”

Two things jumped off the page, first God said “no” Ishmael is not going to be my man, he’s not part of the promise, and I believe you could make a strong case that God is saying Ishmael will not live in agreement with My will.  The second thing is God only recognizes Sarah as Abraham’s wife.  God goes on to tell Abraham, I heard what you ask and I will make Ishmael into a great nation but he is not the one who I will enter into a covenant relation with.  “But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

When I read about Abraham all I see is a man who obeys God.  God tells him he is changing Sarai name to Sarah, and the next time Abraham refers to her he is calling her by her new name.  God leaves Abraham and he goes and gets Ishmael, and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house are circumcised on that day including Abraham.”  Now God has gone, Abraham has just been circumcised, and now he is off to tell Sarah all that happened in that one day.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice