A New Name

A New Name

Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22

Genesis 17:1-8:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 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. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Getting a new name often brings excitement. Many a bride cherishes taking her new husband's last name as they begin the journey of life together. More new names arise as babies are born into the family. With newborn babies come new realities. Sometimes the particular name given to a newborn child creates excitement or even controversy.

For example, a recent news story told of new mother who chose to give her newborn son the first name Messiah. Later, during a paternity hearing at which the boy's father asked that the child carry his last name, the magistrate ordered the mother to change her son's first name. The judge ruled that Messiah was a title, not a name. Still later, an appeals court judge overturned the first ruling, allowing the mother to give her son the first name Messiah and granting the father's wish of giving the boy his last name. Only time will tell what new realities await the young child as he grows up.

This week we will examine one of the first occasions in Scripture when a name change signaled a new reality. God would change Abram's name to Abraham, but He would also change the aging and childless father into a great nation. With the name change came a great change in status.

I. Understanding the Context

Two tensions developed and intensified in Abram's life. On the one hand, he knew the Lord was trustworthy and would provide him an heir. On the other hand, his aging body and that of Sarai his wife served as daily reminders that bearing a child was becoming more improbable each year. Genesis 16:1 is important for understanding the impact of these tensions on Abram and Sarai. We are told Sarai had not borne any children for him. Had Abram blamed her? Maybe. Perhaps she blamed herself. In any case, we are introduced to her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. Sarai proposed that Abram have children by her. The subsequent conception resulted in difficult relations not only between Sarai and Hagar (Gen. 16:4, 6b-9) but also between Sarai and Abram (16:5-6a). Meanwhile, Hagar received God's promise of a son and offspring in terms reminiscent of the promise to Abram (16:10).

Two passages in this section of Genesis (16:1-18:15) deal with circumcision. In 17:9-14, the Lord prescribed circumcision for all males of the covenant community. Newborn males were to be circumcised on their eighth day of life (Gen. 17:12; see Luke 2:21). Six times in these six verses (17:9-14) the covenant is mentioned; circumcision is mentioned five times. The second passage, 17:23-27, reveals Abraham's full obedience. He, his son Ishmael, and every male associated with his household were circumcised (17:26-27). Abraham was 99 and Ishmael was 13 (Gen. 17:24-25).

Three messengers came to Abram to declare to him that the long wait for an heir would be rewarded fully (Gen. 18:1-15). The three were emissaries of God. One of them was the Lord Himself (18:1). In the context of Abraham's hospitality (18:1-8), the Lord declared Abraham and Sarah would have a son in about a year's time (18:10). Sarah's skepticism and derisive laugh (18:12) invoked a rebuke from the Lord in the form of a rhetorical question. The Lord asked, “Is anything impossible for the LORD?” He then restated the promise of a son (18:13-14). Abraham, like Sarah, also had laughed (17:17), but the Lord in time would turn their derisive laughs into joyous laughter (21:6).

II. Explore the Text (Gen. 17:1-8)

In verse 1 the notice that Abram was 99 years old reminds us that 13 more years had passed since Ishmael's birth. We can infer that Abram's patience and faith were sorely tested. Thus, when the Lord appeared to him, Abram was no doubt in need of a fresh encounter.

The Lord gave five brief speeches to Abram in 17:1b-22. He began by declaring His name: “I am God Almighty,” or El Shaddai in Hebrew. God later declared this name to Jacob at Bethel, restating His promise of many descendants (Gen. 35:11). In turn Jacob told his son Joseph of the Bethel encounter and of El Shaddai. The name conveys power and authority.

God prescribed to Abram a plan based on His powerful name. “Live in My presence.” Staying close to God would enable Abram to benefit directly from His power. We would do well to remember this truth too. God's command utilized a verb meaning “to walk around.” As Abram went through life, he was to walk around in God's presence. We should too (3 John 1:4).

The second aspect of God's prescription, “be blameless,” was a command instructing Abram about how to stay in His presence. The term “blameless” occurs nearly one hundred times in the Old Testament. Noah (Gen. 6:9), David (2 Sam. 22:24), and Job (Job 9:21) are examples of people characterized as blameless. One wonders if God was telling Abram to be like Noah, since the term appears first in Scripture as a description of the ark-builder and not again until it occurs in the Lord's command to Abram (Gen. 17:1).

In verse 2 the Lord emphasized again His covenant with Abram. The phrase “My covenant” appears nine times in Genesis 17. A covenant was an agreement between two people or parties. In this case, God initiated and guaranteed the covenant so long as Abram and his descendants were compliant with His stipulations. God's covenant is everlasting, though any given individual or generation might forfeit the claims to covenant blessings because of misconduct. Any defect is in human conduct, not in God or His covenant.

The personal nature of the covenant is seen in God's statement, “I will establish my covenant between Me and you.” What eventually would become a long history between the Lord and His people started as an agreement between Him and Abram. The result of this agreement was the promise God would greatly multiply Abram's descendants. The timing and specificity of this statement might indicate that Abram's advancing years were once again gnawing away at his belief he would father a child by Sarai.

Applying the Scripture:

What connection is there between our fellowship with God and our obedience to Him? How does one affect the other?