Thirteen years pass between two verses of Scripture: Genesis 16:16, where Abraham is 86 years old, and Genesis 17:1, where Abraham is 99 years old.
Today’s article considers the reconfirmation of God’s covenant promises and an oath to Abraham.
Eleven years have elapsed since the first announcement of a covenant, and Sarai was sterile while the patriarch’s household was full of strife. He might have wondered if the covenant promises still held true.
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.
And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous” (Genesis 17:1-2).
The expression, walk before me, is parallel to “stand in front of.” It is chosen because it expresses the service or devotion of a servant who is faithful to his king.
Readers of the New Testament will recognize the sentiment of “walk before me” with Jesus’ frequent command to follow Him.
- He said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people” (Matthew 4:19).
- A hesitant prospective disciple heard these words: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:22).
- Matthew the tax collector responded to Jesus’ command. “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him (Matthew 9:9),
- Jesus told his disciples both then and now, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
The command to be blameless is not to be sinless. However, God’s people have always been called to represent His character.
- We are to be holy because He is holy. “For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45).
To be holy is to be separate from the practices of the culture that surrounds us. The way Jesus led His close followers is an example of what practical holiness looks like.
- We are to demonstrate righteousness and justice because we are to reflect God’s character. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you” (Psalm 89:14).
- We are to care for the poor and the vulnerable because God cares for them.
“You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry” (Exodus 22.21-23).
Abram’s New Name
As God renewed the covenant with Abram, He also gave him a new name, Abraham.
Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you” (Genesis 17:3-6).
While Abram means “exalted father,” Abraham signifies the “father of many nations” or “father of multitudes.”
Abraham is a key figure in the roll call of the faithful in Hebrews 11 because he trusted God.
- Following God direction, but “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).
- Living in tents while he “looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).
- Trusting God to provide a son through Sarah who was barren, “because he considered him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).
Promise of the Land
The personal commitment God made with Abraham to establish His covenant with him included the land of promise.
“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.
And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:7-8).
The land of Canaan is of major emphasis from the time of Abraham until today. Let’s not overlook God’s biggest gift of all.
He says, “I will . . . be God to you and to your offspring after you.” There is no greater gift from God to humans than to live in a personal relationship with Him – the Greatest Being of All.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 