The Almighty God and the Everlasting Covenant
Back to Abraham
Genesis 17
Listening to God's Revelation of Himself (Gen 17:1, 2)
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we read of Abraham hat "after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promises" (Heb. 6: 12-15). The story of Hagar and Ishmael has shown that, under pressure he failed in patience. That story closed with the statement that "Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram." Now we read, "When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram." For thirteen years he patiently endured. During these years there is no record of any communications to Abraham. God waits until all hope is over to obtaining the blessing by the efforts of the flesh.
Having experienced the futility of his own efforts to obtain the promised heir, and having been kept waiting until he is ninety and nine, and thus realized his utter weakness, the LORD appeared to Abraham and revealed Himself as "the Almighty God." This, as it has been pointed out, was a great advance upon former communications. In Genesis 15, we have read that God revealed Himself to Abraham as his shield and exceeding great reward. There it was a revelation of what God was for Abraham; here it is a revelation of what God is in Himself.
Connected with this revelation, the LORD said to Abraham, "Walk before Me, and be thou perfect." As we have seen, Abraham's way had not been altogether perfect. Though he was a man of true faith and patience, in the matter of turning aside to Egypt he had failed in faith; in the matter of Hagar, he had failed in patience. Now, having learned his weakness, he learns that God is Almighty. If then, God is Almighty, God's purposes and promises will surely come to fruition, however impossible their fulfilment may appear to nature, and sight, and the flesh. Abraham only has to remember that God is Almighty and at once every difficulty will disappear, every obstacle will be surmounted, and in quiet faith and patience he will be enabled to wait for God to act in God's own time. No longer is Abraham to expect anything from nature. Everything depends upon God from first to last. So God can say, "I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." We can say, "If God will"; who but the Almighty God can rightly say, "I will"?
Falling on His Face Before God (Gen 17:3)
The effect of this fresh revelation on Abraham is striking. When the word of the LORD came to Abraham in a vision revealing what God was for Abraham, at once Abraham thought of himself, and, in happy confidence speaks to God, spreading out his needs, and stating his difficulties before God. Here, when God personally visits Abraham, revealing who He is in Himself, Abraham falls upon his face as a listener, and God speaks to him. He realizes his own nothingness in the presence of God's greatness, and at once he takes the lowly place on his face. The former communications led Abraham to think of himself, and his need. This revelation leads him to think of God, and forms in him a character that is consistent with the One that meets his need: He walks before God and is perfect.
How beautiful are these practical examples of the blessed intimacies between God and the believer! God so inspires Abraham with the confidence that He is for Him that Abraham can speak with God; then Abraham is brought into the lowly place before God so that God can speak with him.
In our present day we require and have these different revelations of God. We need to know all that God is for us in His grace and love; and such knowledge leads to sweet intimacy and communion with God by which we can pour out our needs before Him, as to all our difficulties and trials. But we also have the revelation of all that God is in Himself as the Father. This revelation leads to a true sense of our nothingness before Him, while at the same time the heart delighting in its Object is formed into the likeness of the One upon whom we gaze. "We are changed into the same image from glory to glory." Thus whether in Abraham's day or in ours, the right appreciation of the revelation of all that the Lord is would lead to likeness to Himself. In this sense, we should walk before the Lord and be perfect.
Receiving Communications from God (Gen 17:4)
Then we are permitted to hear the blessedness of these communications as God talks with Abraham. First, Abraham is told that the grace of God would flow out to the nations. If God is Almighty He can overcome every barrier and bless the Gentiles.
Secondly, in connection with the revelation of God as the Almighty, Abram's name is changed from Abram to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude." Thus God puts honour upon His servant.
Thirdly, Abraham is told that he would be exceedingly fruitful. Not only through Abraham would nations be blessed, but through him there would be fruit for God upon earth.
Fourthly, while the nations would be blessed, yet Abraham and his seed would be in the closest relationship with God. "I will establish My covenant," said God, "between Me and thee and thy seed after thee." And that covenant will be an everlasting covenant by which God covenants to be the God of Abraham and his seed after him. Fifthly, God not only makes an everlasting covenant, but secures to Abraham and his seed, "an everlasting possession.
Responsibility Towards God (Gen 17:9-13)
These then are some of the blessings of the everlasting covenant that God makes with Abraham. The covenant presents God's settled purpose to bless, for seven times, in the course of this communication God says, "I will." Now Abraham learns that God looks for an answer in the believer's life to His own grace. Abraham is to walk before God and be perfect. As Christians we are not asked, even as Abraham was not asked, to walk well in order to obtain the blessing, but to walk in a way suited to God because we are blessed. To thus walk and be perfect before God, calls for dependence upon God and His Almighty power. But this involves the entire refusal of the flesh. To this end circumcision was introduced, as a sign that the flesh is to be mortified, if the walk is to be perfect before God.
In Genesis 15, death was brought in as the ground of justification; here the refusal of the flesh, by that which speaks of death to the flesh, is in order to holiness of walk. If God covenants to bless by His Almighty power, here must, on our side, be no confidence in the flesh or allowance of its activity. For the believer today, circumcision is, we know, "of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2: 29). The refusal of the flesh is not to be merely an outward neglecting of the body of which the world can take account, but the refusal of She flesh in all its inward workings in the heart — its self-confidence, self-righteousness, vanity and lusts - as that which has been condemned in the cross (Col. 2: 11).
There is the solemn reminder that the allowance of the flesh in the believer will lead to governmental judgment even to cutting off from God's people. Sarah is blessed with Abraham and is ennobled with i change of name. In the presence of these communications Abraham is filled with joy: for, doubtless, in this passage the laughter speaks of joy, not unbelief.
Pleading With God (Gen 17:18-21)
Abraham pleads for Ishmael, and God hears his prayer. Nevertheless, twice over Abraham is reminded that the covenant is established in Abraham's promised son who is to be called Isaac. From Romans 9:6-9, it would seem that Ishmael sets Forth the unbelieving mass of Israel. There we read, 'They are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called." The unbelieving mass of the nation are children of Abraham according to the flesh; but only the believing remnant are the true seed according to promise. Nevertheless, even the children according to the flesh would be great upon the earth.
Keeping the Covenant With God (Gen 17:22-27)
Having finished this great communication God left off talking with Abraham. The self-same day Abraham is careful to keep the covenant by performing the rite of circumcision. He puts into practice the word that he had heard, and acts consistently with the revelation that God has made of Himself.
Lord! be it soon! Thou know'st our heart,
In this sad world, no rest
Can find nor wish but where Thou art:
That rest itself possessed!
Soon shall we see Thee as Thou art:
O hope for ever blessed !
Thou'lt call us, in our heavenly part —
The Father's house to rest.
O rest! ineffable, divine,
The rest of God above:
Where Thou forever shalt be mine;
My joy, eternal love!
His counsels, all fulfilled in Thee;
His work of love, complete: —
And heavenly hosts shall rest, to see
Earth blest beneath Thy feet.
— J.N.D.
God's Almighty arms are round me,
Peace, peace is mine!
Judgment scenes need not confound me,
Peace, peace is mine!
Jesus came Himself and sought me;
Sold to death He found and bought me;
Then my blessed freedom taught me,
Peace, peace is mine!
While I hear life's surging billows,
Peace, peace is mine!
Why suspend my harp on willows?
Peace, peace is mine!
I may sing with Christ beside me,
Though a thousand ills betide me;
Safely He hath sworn to guide me!
Peace, peace is mine!
Every trial draws Him nearer,
Peace, peace is mine!
All His strokes but make Him dearer,
Peace, peace is mine!
Bless I then the hand that smiteth,
Gently and to heal delighteth,
'Tis against my sins He fighteth,
Peace, peace is mine!
Welcome every rising sunlight,
Peace, peace is mine!
Nearer home each rolling midnight,
Peace, peace is mine!
Death and hell cannot appall me,
Safe in Christ whate'er befall me,
Calmly wait I till He call me,
Peace, peace is mine!
Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness!
Our beauty Thou, our glorious dress!
Before the throne in this arrayed,
With joy shall we lift up the head.
Bold shall we stand in that great day,
For who ought to our charge shall lay,
While by Thy blood absolved we are
From sin and guilt, and shame and fear?
Thus Abraham, the Friend of God,
Thus all the saints redeemed with blood,
Saviour of sinners Thee proclaim,
And all their boast is in Thy name.
This spotless robe, the same appears
In new creation's endless years;
No age can catch its glorious hue,
The robe of Christ is ever new
Till we behold Thee on the throne
In Thee we boast, in Thee alone
Our beauty this, our glorious dress,
"Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness."
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