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Genesis Chapter
Seventeen
I.
Content of the Chapter
God Made the Covenant with Abraham
A. God changed the name of Abram and made him
the father of many nations (v.1-8);
B. God made circumcision as a proof of the
covenant (v.9-14);
C. God changed the name of Sarai and promised
the son of Isaac (v.15-21);
D. Abraham kept the commandment of circumcision
(v.22-27);
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Gen. 17:1 “When 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.”
YLT: “And Abram is a son of ninety and nine years,
and Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith unto him, `I God Almighty, walk
habitually before Me, and be thou perfect;”
Meaning
of Words: “Almighty (El Shaddai)”: the
God of a mother’s breast, meaning that God is the All-Sufficient God; “blameless”: perfect;
Literal
Meaning: when Ishmael was
born, Abram was eighty-six (Gen. 86:16). There is no record of the next
thirteen years in the Scriptures at all. Probably, God did not manifest or
speak to Abram for about thirteen years.
“Was ninety-nine years old”, it was the time when he considered his own
body already dead (Rom. 4:19).
“The LORD appeared to Abram”, man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
“I am Almighty God”, God reveals that He is the Almighty One and does
not need man’s flesh and He alone can take all the responsibilities of man.
“Walk
before Me and be blameless”, let us lead a
life before God of utter trust in Him, neither in ourselves nor in anything.
God wanted Abraham to be a blameless man, which suggested that he was
not perfect yet.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God pleases to reveal men Himself (Gal. 1:16). Therefore,
if we have no revelation or word of God for a long time, we must have done
things that displease Him.
2) If we have expediencies by ourselves, we may not easily feel the
presence of God.
3) Believers who walk in flesh may sin against God
and lose the presence and word of God.
4) “The Almighty God” seeks “blameless man”. As
long as we have upright intention before Him, He will be everything in pleasure
and satisfaction to us.
5) If we have hope outside of God, we are not
blameless before God. He who is really perfect before God can do nothing by
himself (John 5:19).
6) To those who trust in God perfectly, He is
abundant (Rom. 10:12) in inexhaustible providence.
7) We do not seek to be blameless by ourselves, but
by the Almighty God. Since we have such an All-Sufficient God to deal with all
our needs, we have no reason to be imperfect.
Gen. 17:2 “And I will make My
covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."”
YLT: “and I give My covenant between Me and thee,
and multiply thee very exceedingly.'”
Literal
Meaning: “covenant” has been
mentioned for about twenty times. “Covenant” is more reliable than “promise”. “Covenant”
is a surety to man according to the faithfulness of God, so it is inalterable.
“I will…”, it shows that “walk before Me and be blameless” in the previous is the precondition of God’s
fulfilling the “covenant” of this verse ---- if Abram trusts in God perfectly,
God is willing to be bound by the “covenant” to multiply Abram exceedingly.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Though the Almighty can fulfill all the promises
for man, if man is unwilling to trust in Him wholly, His works will be
obscured.
2) Once we have committed ourselves to God, He is willing to be bound by
the “covenant” and take our responsibility to the end.
Gen. 17:3 “Then Abram fell on his
face, and God talked with him, saying:”
YLT: “And Abram falleth upon his face, and God
speaketh with him, saying,”
Literal
Meaning: “then Abram fell on his face”, it showed that he feared God and submitted to
God and confessed that he was frail and was nothing.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Whenever man falls on his face before God, God
will speak again. The humbler one is before God, the more word of God he will
obtain.
2) God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (James. 4:6;
1Pet. 5:5).
Gen. 17:4 “"As for Me, behold,
My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.”
YLT: “`I -- lo, My covenant with thee, and thou
hast become father of a multitude of nations;”
Literal
Meaning: God here repeated
the previous covenant to Abram (Gen. 15) and promised him to be “the father of
many nations”. In fact, Christians are spread all over the world, proving that
he is already “the father of many nations in the presence of the Lord” (Rom.
4:17).
Gen. 17:5 “No longer shall your name
be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father
of many nations.”
YLT: “and thy name is no more called Abram, but
thy name hath been Abraham, for father of a multitude of nations have I made
thee;”
Meaning
of Words: “Abram”: the high father,
the lofty father; “Abraham”: the father of many nations;
Spiritual
Meaning: God here changed the
name of Abram, which contained the following meaning:
1) According to the original, God added a letter of His own name to the
new name, showing that man can walk only by God (Zech. 4:6).
2) A name represents a man’s being, so the alteration of the name shows
that the “person” is changed. The former Abram who relies on himself has now
become Abraham who does not trust in himself.
3) “Abram” emphasizes the “individual”, and “Abraham” focuses on the “corporation”
(kingdom), which suggests that God wants us to achieve the corporate testimony
of building the church by a group of people rather than the personal spiritual
achievements.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “Abram” has changed into “Abraham” when God
comes into “Abram”. Let each believer make God increase and one’s self decrease
(John 3:30).
2) Let each believer not regard his own but each of others. We need the
measure of God to enlarge our mind and views (see Phil. 2:4-5).
Gen. 17:6 “I will make you
exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from
you.”
YLT:
“and I have made thee
exceeding fruitful, and made thee become nations, and kings go out from thee.”
Literal
Meaning: besides “descendants”,
“kingdom” and “king” are added to God’s promises to Abram. The descendants of
Abraham had indeed then built the kingdom, and many kings appeared among them.
Spiritual
Meaning: Jesus Christ is the
Son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1) and is the coming king (Matt. 2:2), who will build
the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God will bring His kingdom through believers and
reign on the earth and carry out His will and manifest His glory (Matt. 6:9-13).
2) Faith makes us partakers of the heavenly kingdom and lets us reign in
life (
Gen. 17:7 “And 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.”
YLT:
“`And I have established My
covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee, to their generations,
for a covenant age-during, to become God to thee, and to thy seed after thee;”
Literal
Meaning: from the standpoint
of God, this covenant was “an everlasting covenant”, for He never changes
(James 1:17) and will keep this covenant forever and will be the God of Abraham
and his descendants. The problems lie in the side of man ---- the people of
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The purpose of God’s selecting us is to be our
God. God likes us to obey Him and worship Him and serve Him.
2) Not only will we be the people of God, but also our offspring will
also be His obedient people.
3) The normal relationship with God is the reason for man’s being
blessed and is the greatest blessing of man.
Gen. 17:8 “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."”
YLT: “and I have given to thee, and to thy seed
after thee, the land of thy sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for a
possession age-during, and I have become their God.'”
Literal
Meaning: note the words God
has spoken to Abraham from verse six to eight: “I will make… I will establish… I
give…”, which indicates that everything will be fulfilled by God and man needs
only to rest and enjoy here.
“As an
everlasting possession”, though God has
promised to give the
Spiritual
Meaning: the good
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) That we can obtain God and God’s blessing is not
of our will, nor of our running, but of God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:16) ---- “I
… and I will…”.
2) Whoever walks in the steps of the faith of Abraham (Rom. 4:12) will
enjoy the profit of the promised covenant of God (Gal. 4:28).
3) The greatest gift that believers can give to their children is to
make them believe the Lord and build a normal relationship with God.
4) Christ is our
Gen. 17:9 “And God said to Abraham:
"As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after
you throughout their generations.”
YLT:
“And God saith unto Abraham,
`And thou dost keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, to their
generations;”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The precondition of enjoying the covenant for
believers is to keep the commandment of the covenant.
2) To keep the covenant of God is to keep the word of God. If believers
keep the word of God, they will be more blessed.
Gen. 17:10 “This is My covenant which
you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male
child among you shall be circumcised;”
YLT:
“this My covenant which ye
keep between Me and you, and thy seed after thee: Every male of you to be
circumcised;”
Literal
Meaning: “male child” represents all the descendants;
“Be circumcised”, this is the first time of
mentioning “circumcision” in the Bible. Circumcision means cutting off the skin
at the end of the penis as a sign of God’s covenant with the people of
Spiritual
Meaning: “circumcision”
symbolizes that Christ has made us put off the body of the flesh (
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) True circumcision is in spirit, not in letter (
2) If believers have truly dealt with the lusts and strength of the
flesh, they will surely enjoy all the portions in the covenant of God.
3) Not only that is bad but also that is even good in us ---- everything
outside of Christ should be circumcised. Whatever is out of us will obstruct
the abundant provision of God.
Gen. 17:11 “and you shall be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between Me and you.”
YLT:
“and ye have circumcised the
flesh of your foreskin, and it hath become a token of a covenant between Me and
you.”
Literal
Meaning: “sign”: it is a “mark”,
showing that whoever is circumcised will be a partaker of the covenant between
God and Abraham.
“A sign
of the covenant”, “covenant” is a
kind of blessing given by God. Circumcision as a sign of the covenant shows
that it is a sign of blessedness. Circumcision is not only beneficial to the
physical health but also the growth of spiritual life ---- man lives for God
and by God.
Spiritual
Meaning: here it means that
circumcision is a sign of the covenant, which indicates that the promise of God
will be fulfilled only in those whose flesh has been put to death.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (
2) If we believers desire to inherit the blessings of the gracious covenant,
we have to firstly deal with our flesh and cannot and dare not fulfill anything
by the strength of the flesh.
3) Each Christian shall have the sign of circumcision. However, it is
not a physical one, but a spiritual one made by Christ through the Spirit.
4) If people see our change after we have been saved, this is the proof
for us to have part in the everlasting covenant.
Gen. 17:12 “He 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.”
YLT:
“`And a son of eight days is
circumcised by you; every male to your generations, born in the house, or
bought with money from any son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed;”
Literal
Meaning: “eight days old”, it is evidenced by modern medicine that
it is not quite painful when a baby is just born. And on the eighth day, there
is a maximum of a certain kind of hemostatic component in a baby’s body, it
easier to stop bleeding on that day than on any other day.
Spiritual
Meaning: “Is born in your
house”, he who is born in the house of God and has the life of God.
“Is bought with money from any foreigner”, we are foreigners nothing to
do with the Israelites. However, God bought us with a price (1Cor. 6:20).
“Eight days old”, it symbolizes that circumcision is done in the
resurrected life.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) It is not sufficient that we are born of God and
are bought by the blood of the Lord, and we shall also be circumcised. Since we
believers are saved, we shall continue to deal with the flesh.
2) Believers shall deal with the flesh (
Gen. 17:13 “He 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.”
YLT:
“he is certainly circumcised
who born in thine house, or bought with thy money; and My covenant hath become
in your flesh a covenant age-during;”
Literal
Meaning: “My covenant shall be in
your flesh”, it means that
whoever has no such sign of circumcision shall not partake in the promised
covenant of God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The covenant is efficacious in those who do not
walk in the flesh.
2) Only when believers have manifested the signs that the flesh has been
dealt with, can they really enjoy the goodness of God’s covenant.
Gen. 17:14 “And 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."”
YLT: “and an uncircumcised one, a male, the flesh
of whose foreskin is not circumcised, even that person hath been cut off from
his people; My covenant he hath broken.'”
Literal
Meaning: circumcision shows
that one commits himself unto the covenant of God ---- henceforth only Jehovah
is his God and he will trust in Him and serve Him wholly. Otherwise, he is
willing to be cut off by Jehovah (see v.14), just as he cuts off his foreskin.
Spiritual
Meaning: whoever is unwilling
to learn the lesson of the cross and unwilling to be dealt with the cross will
lose the fellowship with God and can not touch the presence of God nor enjoy
the full blessings of the house of God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If our flesh has not been dealt with, we cannot
be vessels of God’s testimony. Therefore, we shall not be partakers of the
testimony of God’s people.
2) Even though one is redeemed and has obtained the divine life, if he
has never been dealt with by the cross, he is a man “who is cut off from the
people” and has no part in the building of the church.
Gen. 17:15 “Then God said to Abraham,
"As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah
shall be her name.”
YLT: “And God saith unto Abraham, `Sarai thy wife
-- thou dost not call her name Sarai, for Sarah her name;”
Meaning
of Words: “Sarai”: lifted up, may
princess; “Sarah”: princess, mother of many nations;
Literal
Meaning: According to the original,
God added a letter of His own name to the new names, Abraham and Sarah, which
seemed to indicate that they were of God.
When the people of
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If believers desire to bear spiritual children,
they themselves shall be previously changed.
2) He will increase and I will decrease (John 3:30). The new image of
Christ, namely, the constitution of God, will increase in us, and thus the constitution
of our flesh will decrease thereby.
3) Once the constitution of God in believers increases, they will be
free from the narrow self-centered individualism and be brought into the wide
church-centered vision (both the new names of Abram and Sarai contain a meaning
of “many nations”).
Gen. 17:16 “And 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."”
YLT:
“and I have blessed her, and
have also given to thee a son from her; and I have blessed her, and she hath
become nations -- kings of peoples are from her.'”
Spiritual
Meaning: Abraham typifies the
father of many nations (Rom. 4:11), and Sarah typifies the father of many
nations (Gal. 4:23). When man cooperates with God by faith, there will be the
kingdom and kings.
Enlightenment
in the Word: man’s
faith and God’s promise are complementary to each other. Faith shall be
efficacious on the basis of promise (the word of God). And promise shall be
fulfilled when it is accepted by faith.
Gen. 17:17 “Then 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?"”
YLT:
“And Abraham falleth upon his
face, and laugheth, and saith in his heart, `To the son of an hundred years is
one born? or doth Sarah -- daughter of ninety years -- bear?'”
Literal
Meaning: Abraham laughed secretly in his
heart that it was absolutely impossible. However, it even became true and
brought true “laugh” (Gen. 21:6).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Out faith is build upon the word of God, not the
environmental elements.
2) True joy is from God, and faith is the channel of joy.
Gen. 17:18 “And Abraham said to God,
"Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"”
YLT:
“And Abraham saith unto God,
`O that Ishmael may live before Thee;'”
Literal
Meaning: it seemed that
Abraham did not realize the fault of Ishmael, so he cherished Ishmael and asked
God to receive Ishmael.
Gen. 17:19 “Then 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.”
YLT: “and God saith, `Sarah thy wife is certainly
bearing a son to thee, and thou hast called his name Isaac, and I have established
My covenant with him, for a covenant age-during, to his seed after him.”
Meaning
of Words: “Isaac”: he who laughs;
Literal
Meaning: “no”: here God
refused Abraham’s suggestions abruptly to make him realize the fault of bearing
Ishmael.
“Isaac” was born in “laugh”. Things that are impossible in human sight
have even become true in him.
Spiritual
Meaning: “Isaac” typifies
that Christ is the beloved Son of Christ.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Our natural advantage or strength, no matter how
good it is, will never please GOD.
2) God is not Yes and No, but in Him is Yes (2Cor. 1:19).
3) Only when believers reject what they have and what they can do and
trust in the Almighty God wholly, can they bear “Isaac” that God pleases and
have true joy.
4) God looks at the Christ in us only (“Issac”), so let us seek more
Christ in life.
Gen. 17:20 “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.”
YLT: “As to Ishmael, I have heard thee; lo, I have
blessed him, and made him fruitful, and multiplied him, very exceedingly;
twelve princes doth he beget, and I have made him become a great nation;”
Spiritual
Meaning: the blessings seem
to be contradictory to “No” in the previous verse. Probably, here it teaches us
that:
1) Since man is young in spirit and weak in faith, sometimes God is
forced to condescend to us temporarily. However, it does not mean God has accepted
our faults or changed His will.
2) God on one hand points out our faults and on the other hand chastens
us by our faults. The prosperity of Ishmael later had become the trouble to the
people of
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God hears Abraham’s pleading for Ishmael,
showing that He is truly a God who sympathizes with man’s infirmity (2King
20:5).
2) God blesses not only the people of
Gen. 17:21 “But My covenant I will
establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next
year."”
YLT: “and My covenant I establish with Isaac, whom
Sarah doth bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year;'”
Spiritual
Meaning: the case of bearing
Isaac shows that the right faith is characterized by the following points:
1) Which is of the promise of God ---- all the
true faith of man is based on the word of God;
2) Which eliminates human labor ---- faith does
not need human aid, but is fully due to the work of God;
3) Which needs to wait for the time of God ----
“at this set time next year”;
Gen. 17:22 “Then He finished talking
with him, and God went up from Abraham.”
YLT: “and He finisheth speaking with him, and God
goeth up from Abraham.”
Enlightenment
in the Word: sometimes we go
away when we finish our speaking in prayer. However, the true spiritual prayer
should be finished in “hearing the talking of God”.
Gen. 17:23 “So 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.”
YLT: “And Abraham taketh Ishmael his son, and all
those born in his house, and all those bought with his money -- every male
among the men of Abraham's house -- and circumciseth the flesh of their
foreskin, in this self-same day, as God hath spoken with him.”
Literal
Meaning: “that very same day”, it pointed that the obedience of Abraham
was instant. .
Enlightenment
in the Word: once we believers
have known the will of God, we shall keep it immediately.
Gen. 17:24 “Abraham was ninety-nine
years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”
YLT: “And Abraham a son of ninety and nine years
in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised;”
Gen. 17:25 “And Ishmael his son was
thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”
YLT: “and Ishmael his son a son of thirteen years
in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised;”
Enlightenment
in the Word: no matter how long
believers have been in the Lord, no matter young or old in the Lord, everyone
should deal with his flesh. To deal with the flesh is the life-long lessen of
believers.
Gen. 17:26 “That very same day
Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;”
YLT: “in this self-same day hath Abraham been
circumcised, and Ishmael his son;”
Gen. 17:27 “and all the men of his
house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were
circumcised with him.”
YLT: “and all the men of his house -- born in the
house, and bought with money from the son of a stranger -- have been
circumcised with him.”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Believers shall not only deal with their own
flesh but also encourage the brethren to deal with the flesh (“were circumcised
with him”).
2) The leading brothers in the church shall not teach others to deal
with the flesh only but more be examples to others.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Conditions of Enjoying the Grace of God
A. Reject what man “has” ---- reject Eliezer
(v.15:2-4);
B. Reject what man “does” ---- deny Ishmael
(v.18-19);
C. Have to change what man “is” ---- change the
name (v.5, 15);
D. Reject what man “is able to do” ----
circumcision (v.9-14, 23-24);
E. Be out of God ---- Isaac only (v.19);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou