Genesis Chapter 17: Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

This chapter of Genesis is all about a covenant with God and Abram (now called Abraham).  Abraham may have jumped the gun a little bit with Hagar in the last chapter!  God told Abraham that Sarai (now Sarah) would have a son (Issac) and that his covenant would be established through Issac. At 99 years of age, God comes down and tell Abraham that he has a new name, he will be the father of many nations, and he will receive all the land of Canaan (forever), and told Abraham that all the males must be circumcised.

In the scripture, God instructed the males to be circumcised when they were about 8 days old.  I am not sure how old I was when I was circumcised, but I am glad that it was too early to remember anything!  A servant of Abraham’s house was also to be circumcised.  This was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.  If someone was not circumcised, they broke the covenant and was to be “cut off” from his people.

God also renamed Sarai (Sarah is her name, both Sarai and Sarah mean princess) and told spoke of her having a son and being the mother of nations.  Abraham desired for his first son Ishmael to have a heart for God, so God blessed Ishmael as well.  Ishmael was to become the “father of twelve princes”.

One of the key points that I got from this chapter as well as the last is that Abraham had a heart to serve God.  God had mercy on Abraham on numerous occasions, one example being that God blessed both of Abraham’s sons.  Abraham did not ask for God to “bless” Ishmeal, rather he asked God for Ishmael to have a have a heart for God as well!

Genesis 17:18 “And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”"

That was Abraham’s response when he heard of all that Issac (Abraham’s son by Sarah) was due to receive through the covenant.  Just another example of the intense focus of Abraham in doing God’s will and trying to please God.