November 3, Genesis 17
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. - Genesis 17:5
I'm sure you've heard the folk wisdom, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." I've heard it said much more often about humans than canines. Sometimes we hear it from older people as a defense against unwanted change or having to learn something new and unfamiliar. Sometimes it might be an expression of frustration from a young person who's failed in their attempt to teach an older person something new. It's a good thing Abram wasn't a dog and the things God told him in this chapter weren't tricks. I say that because Abram was quite old and lots of new things are here.
Abram was 99 years old. Thirteen years passed between the end of chapter 16 and the beginning of 17. Thirteen long years, and still no child for Abram and Sarai. God appeared to Abram, identified himself and called Abram to walk before him and be blameless. He reiterated the promise that the old man would be the father not of just a nation, but a multitude of nations. Then the changes began, the new things that God told Abram that day.
First God gave Abram a new name. The old name seems to have meant “honored or exalted father.” His new name is Abraham, with an added shade of meaning. Most Bible scholars suggest Abraham means "father of multitudes." Sarai also got a new name that day, but there's not a clear distinction of meaning between Sarai and Sarah. Some scholars think both names are different forms of the word for "princess."
God also revealed some new details about the promised son who was to be born to Abraham and Sarah. A year before the birth, God announced the baby's due date, that Sarah would indeed be his mother, and that his name would be Isaac. Isaac means "Laughter." Abraham laughed that day when God told him these things. It must have been more a laugh of incredulity than joy as he pondered the likelihood of a 100-year-old man and a 90-year-old woman having a baby. Sarah would have the same reaction when she heard the same news from the mysterious visitor who would come to see them soon. Now they knew some details about the fulfillment of the promise. They couldn't imagine how it would be, but they got some new clarity about God's old promise.
God announced something else new to Abraham that day, a new physical sign of the covenant between himself and Abraham. The sign was circumcision, and was supposed to be done to every male on the eighth day of his life. It was for Abraham, his son who would be born, and all his servants who had been born in his home or bought with money. God chose this distinctive mark in the flesh of Abraham and his male heirs as the covenant sign between them and Abraham's God.
This last new thing and Abraham's reaction to it gives us an excellent example of how trusting faith obeys God. Abraham obeyed the command to be circumcised the very day he received the command from God. The old man's immediate obedience stands in sharp contrast to many professing believers who procrastinate about doing what God said. It's not uncommon to hear (or maybe say), "I know what God's will is, and I intend to obey him sometime. Maybe I'll do that soon, but not today. I intend to, but I'm not ready yet." If we really believe God and respect what he says, we will be more like Father Abraham about obeying God, even if it's not an easy thing to do, right away.
I don't know if the old saying is true about dogs or not. But let's never be too old to learn and do more of God’s will for our lives, even if it means making some uncomfortable changes to obey him.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—November 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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