The Lord Promises Abraham a Son - Genesis 17:1-27

1. An expositional study taught by Harry Morgan

2. For those of you online post your comments or questions in the “comment section” on your screen. As time affords they may be read to the class.

3. Departs Haran Fathers Ishmael Circumcision “I will make you a great nation” “look up at the sky and count the stars” “you will be the father of many nations”

4. 1. How many years pass between the last verse of chapter 16 (16) and the first verse of chapter 17? 16:16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram 99 -86 13

5. Genesis 14:4 “12 years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the 13thyear they rebelled.” Joshua 6:15 Israel marched around Jericho 13x Judges 21:25 13 “judges” enumerated Mark 7:21–23 Christ specified 13 evil characteristics and products of man’s depraved heart Revelation 12:3,4,7,9,13,16,17; 13:1,2,4,11; 16:13; 20:2 “Dragon” is found exactly 13x

6. 2. Why the delay? Romans 4:19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

7. 3. Why does Genesis 17:1 begin with the conjunction “and” when there is such a long gap in time since the events of the previous chapter? 17:1 (NKJV) When Abram was… 17:1 (KJV 1900) And when Abram was… 17:1 (NASB95) Now when Abram was… 17:1 (YLT) And Abram is a son of…

8. 4. What did the LORD do for Abram? Why? 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him… הָא ָ ר (rā·ʾāh) = became visible רַמָא (ʾā·mǎr) = spoke

9. 5. How did the LORD introduce Himself to Abram? Explain His name in Hebrew and its meaning. What does this name tell you about God’s character? 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God… הוהי (yhwh) = LORD לֵא(šǎd·dǎy ʾēl) = Almighty God יַדַש דַדָש = to be strong

10. 6. What two commands did God give Abram? Explain the meaning of each. 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 1. “walk before Me” 2. “be blameless” םי ִ מָת (tā·mîm) = perfect, without defect; translated 44x “without blemish”

11. What is –perfect? םי ִ מ ָָּת םי ִ מָת Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect ( ), converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; Matthew 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

12. 7. What two promises did God make with Abram? What is the significance of each? 2And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” not “cut” (kārat) but “gives” (nātan) hence “ratify” (םיקה) v. 7 Unilateral Eternal Gracious Covenant: God’s • covenant – used 13x in this chapter • my covenant – used 9x • everlasting covenant – used 3x • the covenant between me and you – used 1x

13. 7. What two promises did God make with Abram? What is the significance of each? 2And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

14. 8. What was Abram’s response? Why? 3Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “And God (Elohim) talked with him….”

15. 9. How did God elaborate on His promise to Abram? 4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. • covenant – used 13x in this chapter • my covenant – used 9x • everlasting covenant – used 3x • the covenant between me and you – used 1x

16. 10. What is the meaning of the phrase “My covenant is with you”? How does this phrase apply to you? 4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Isaiah 59:21 “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”

17. Jeremiah 31:31–40 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— …after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 40And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.”

18. Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

19. 11. What is the significance of Abram’s name change to Abraham? 5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ם ָ רְבַא (Abram or Avram) = “exalted father” םָה ָ רְבַא (Abraham or Avraham) = “the father of a multitude” +

20. 12. How many times did God declare, “I will” in Genesis 17? 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

21. 12. How many times did God declare, “I will” in Genesis 17? 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

22. 12. How many times did God declare, “I will” in Genesis 17? 19Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

23. 12. Identify each of the 7 times God declares, “I will” in Exodus 6:6-8. Exodus 6:6–8 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”

24. “everlasting covenant” (berîṯ ʿôlām) v.7 “everlasting possession” (ʾaḥuzzaṯ ʿôlām) v.8

25. 13. How do verses 5-8 relate to God’s initial covenant with Abram in Genesis 12:1-3? 12:1–3 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

26. 13. How do verses 5-8 relate to God’s initial covenant with Abram in Genesis 12:1-3? 5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

27. 12:7 “this land” 13:15 “all the land which you can see” 15:18 “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates” 17:8 “I shall give to you…the whole land of Canaan as a permanent holding.”

28. 12:2 13:16 “as the dust of the earth” 15:5 “as the stars” 16:10 to Hagar “I will multiply thy seed, that shall not be numbered for multitude” 17:4-6, 15-16 “multitude of nations” & “kings shall be descended from you” “great nation”

29. 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 15:13 “your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.” 17:7 “in order to be your God and your descendants’ God.”

30. 14. What was God’s expectation of Abraham and his descendants? How was it possible for them to fulfill His expectations? 9And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. Jeremiah 31:32–40 “…not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

31. 15. What was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants? Why do you think God chose this sign for His covenant? 10This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

32. 16. Explain the details of who, how, why and when this sign was to be observed. 10This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

33. 17. Are we, as Christians, commanded to observe this sign? (Acts 15:1-2, 6-20) 1And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. 19Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

34. 18. How does Romans 4:13-25 shed additional insight on Genesis 17:9-10? 9And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. “to keep a covenant” “to break a covenant” (14) 1stUse:

35. Romans 4:16–17 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

36. 19. What is the significance of the 8thday elsewhere in scripture? 12He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. • Carefully observed throughout scripture: Gen. 21:4; Lev. 12:3; Lk. 1:59, 2:21; Phil. 3:5 • Significance: 7 days = creation; 8thday beginning of a new creation

37. 20. Explain medical reasons for circumcision. • Easier hygiene. • Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. • Decreased risk of sexually transmitted infections. • Prevention of penile problems. • Decreased risk of penile cancer.

38. 20. Explain the medical reasons for timing of the sign of the covenant. ➢ Vitamin K for blood-clotting is not formed until 5th– 7thday. ➢ Prothrombin for clotting peaks by the 7thday.

39. 21. What did God tell Abraham should happen to those who did not observe the sign of His covenant? Why? 14And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Word play in the Hebrew text which literally reads: “If the foreskin is not cut off, he shall be cut off.”

40. 22. Why did God change Sarai’s name to Sarah? What is the meaning and significance of these two names? 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.” ➢ Sarai (י ַ רָש) = “my princess” ➢ Sarah (ה ָ רָש) = “a princess” [verb is also translated “to strive” or “to struggle” or “rule” cf. Jacob]

41. 23. Why did God refer to Sarah as “your wife”? Wasn’t that obvious to Abraham? 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. • God decreed that His Covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled through Sarah, his wife, and no other woman, including Hagar.

42. 24. What promise did God make regarding Sarah? 16And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

43. 25. What was Abraham’s response? 17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

45. 26. What was God’s response to Abraham? 19Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. קָחְצִי (yiṣ·ḥāq) = “he laughs”

46. 27. What did God say about Ishmael and his descendants? 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

47. 28. What did God say about Isaac? 21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

48. 29. How did Abraham respond after his conversation with God? 23So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.

49. 30. How old were Abraham and Ishmael? Why is this significant? 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

50. 31. What part of the Abrahamic Covenant has never been completely fulfilled? 1. Israel as a nation will possess the totality of the land promised (Ezekiel 20:33-37, 40-42; 36:1-37) in the future. 2. Israel will repent and receive the forgiveness of God (Zechariah 12:10-14). 3. Israel as a nation will be converted, forgiven and restored (Romans 11:25-27).