Genesis 17 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Genesis 17:1-8

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; [Hebrew El-Shaddai] walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’

3 Abram fell face down, and God said to him, 4 ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram [Abram means exalted father] your name will be Abraham, [Abraham probably means father of many] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’

A. Find Out:

1.  How old was Abram now? v.1
2. What did the Lord promise? v.2
3. How did Abram respond to God’s promise? v.3
4. To what does the Lord change Abram’s name? v.5
5. What did the Lord covenant? v.7
6. For how long did He promise to give them Canaan? v.8

B. Think:

1. Look back to 12:4 How many years had passed since God first spoke to Abram about making him into a nation?
2. How many times does the mention of “covenant” and promise to be father of nations come in this passage?
3. Why do you think the Lord repeated His promises so many times?

C. Comment:

Note first, that twenty-four years have passed since God first spoke to Abraham about having many descendants, and he still hasn’t got his first one!!! Sometimes the Lord appears to be waiting and waiting and waiting before He moves.

For us that waiting seems to strain our believing almost to breaking point, but the Lord keeps on encouraging us to believe. What He says WILL happen – in His timing! Faith is believing the Lord when He has spoken – however long it takes! The reason why we sometimes have to wait and wait is normally not made clear at the time. Sometimes it is enemy opposition (see Daniel 10:12-14), sometimes the Lord is just maturing our faith, and at other times the Lord is waiting for various other things to happen.     

Ishmael is now 13 years old, a young man, and God speaks to Abram (meaning exalted father) and changes his name (v.5) to Abraham (meaning father of many). By this means and by constant reference to His covenant and promise of being a father of nations, God seeks to encourage Abraham to keep on believing. 

D. Application?

1. God’s timing is perfect. Re-affirm today that you WILL be patient and wait on Him for His timing.
2. The Lord understands our weakness and brings many reassurances.

Passage: Genesis 17:9-16

9 Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner – those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.’

15 God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’

A. Find Out:

1. What does God want Abraham to do as part of the covenant? v.10
2. What is it to be? v.11
3. When was it to happen? v.12
4. Who was it to include ? v.12,13
5. To what does the Lord change Sarai’s name? v.15
6. What does the Lord promise about Sarah? v.16a

B. Think:

1. What, according to the Lord, was to be the point of circumcision?
2. What does the Lord know about us that He gives us these things?
3. What reminder of His covenant has the Lord given Christians today?(See 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

C. Comment:

Circumcision would act as a constant reminder to every Hebrew male of the covenant he had from God. As God said, it would be a sign or reminder that it was there with every Hebrew male from eight days after birth for the rest of their lives (v.12). It was to include every male who was part of the community of God’s people whether they were born into it or bought into it (v.13).

The way the Lord speaks to Abram about it, is yet another way of convincing Abraham or reassuring Abraham, that he IS going to have children. These instructions are so sure and certain that Abraham can be left in no doubt that the Lord means it! We see here the Lord who knows our tendency to forget who we are, so He gives a means of constant reminder.

For us, Communion or the “Lord’s Supper” is supposed to be the same sort of thing. The Lord knows we need to DO something as a positive reminder of who we are and the relationship we have with the Lord. Forgetfulness is a trait of every person, redeemed or not, and so the Lord who constantly helps us, provides a means.

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord that He understands us and has given us means of being reminded who we are.
2. Circumcision was a sign of being set apart to God. Do I consider that I am set apart to God?

Passage: Genesis 17:16-27

16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’

17 Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’ 18 And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!’

19 Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[ Isaac means he laughs] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.’ 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

A. Find Out:

1. What did the Lord promise Sarah? v.16
2. What did Abraham ask the Lord? v.18
3. What name were they to give Sarah’s son? v.19
4. What did the Lord say about that son? v.19,21
5. What did the Lord say He would do for Ishmael? v.20
6. How was Abraham obedient to God? v.23-27

B. Think:

1. Why did Abraham ask the Lord to bless Ishmael?
2. How does the Lord clearly show Abraham that the scheming of he and Sarah to have a family was pointless?
3. What does this say about the Lord?

C. Comment:

First, in this passage, the Lord reiterates that Sarah will have a son (v.16). Abraham struggles with this thought (v.17) and asks God just to bless Ishmael (v.18). The Lord perseveres with His slow-to-believe son and so yet again says twice more that she will bear a son, which means that at least TEN times so far God has spoken about Abraham’s offspring, over a period of twenty four years!

If we ever had any ideas about Abraham being a super spiritual giant we should bury them now. He is a very ordinary man who waited and waited and struggled and struggled with the revelation of God. What IS amazing is the patience and persistence of God who puts up with all of Abraham’s faltering doubts. Along the way let’s remember that the Lord who put up with Abraham is the same God who will put up with us today.

However, we shouldn’t forget that it is the Lord who is making Abraham wait all this time, and along the way we keep seeing little signs of Abraham’s faith coming out in the midst of his doubts as the Lord guides, directs and trains him. Abraham in a further act of obedience and faith, circumcises all the males.

D. Application?

1. Will I hold steady to God’s promises and wait His purposes?
2. Thank and praise the Lord for the way it is becoming clear that He had irrevocable purposes for Abraham that would need time.