Welcome back to PvBibleAlive. I am your host, Bruce Hays. I am the pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Wichita, Kansas. We continue today with our study in the book of Genesis, chapter 17 and 18. If you want to hear our previous studies in Genesis, or our other studies, go to PvBibleAlive.com.
Have you ever had a surprise in your life? I think most people would answer yes to that question. Some of us have had family throw us a surprise party, or we may have gotten some unexpected money or a rebate in the mail.
Surprises can be unpleasant as well. You can get laid off from your job, have a house or car repair you weren’t prepared for, or some people even have a kid show up on their doorstep who says “you’re my Daddy.” Not me personally, but it does happen.
And there are also surprises that are a mixed blessings. Finding out your wife is pregnant when you didn’t expect it may be both good and bad news. Getting a new job in another state may be a mixed blessing; it’s a new opportunity with more pay, but you have to uproot your family.
Well as I read these two chapters from Abram’s life, I couldn’t help but think about all the surprises Abram had that year. The promise that Isaac would be born to Sarai. The visit from God and two angels. The covenant act of circumcision, and the word that God would rain fire and brimstone down and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
Life was going along great, then God stepped in to stir the pot. Have you ever felt like that? Well that’s a part of faith as well. Job said, the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. So let’s begin.
17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Now let me set this up a little bit. According to the Biblical record, the last verse of chapter 16, Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born. Now I want us to try and think like Abram may have thought for a moment. At the beginning of chapter 15, Abram is 85, and God promises him that he will have a son of his own that will be his heir, and that his children will be as numerous as the stars of heaven. Then in chapter 16, Sarai gives Abram her handmaid Hagar, to be his wife, and to bear him a child. Which she does; Ishmael. And listen to what God tells Hagar about Ishmael.
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
Now the promise about Ishmael sounds very similar to the promise to Abram to multiply his seed. And remember, up until now, God hasn’t told Abram that it was going to be Sarai who would bear Abram’s promised son.
That’s the end of chapter 16. Remember Abram is 86.
But chapter 17 starts by telling us that Abram is now 99 years old. It has been 13 years with no word from God. And I think it’s quite possible that Abram and his family have settled into an “it is what it is” attitude. Abram had a son. Abram was living in Canaan. Sarai is 89 and an old barren lady. Hagar has her own tent. Sarai and Hagar have at least a working relationship. There’s nothing else to hear from God. Life has hit a pleasant groove. And it looks like Abram and Sarai will follow that groove until they die. And then Ishmael will carry on the family name, and inherit the blessing from God.
But one thing I’ve learned about God is, about the time you think that life is stable, and there will be no more surprises, He surprises you. And it may be a good, bad, or mixed blessing surprise. But you can never count on everything staying the same.
I don’t know how many people I’ve known who had all their lives mapped out, then in came the monkey wrench. A spouse or child dies. An opportunity of ministry presents itself. A business burns down. Or an inheritance comes in. We never know what’s around the corner, and so Abram’s example of faith is beneficial in surprising times as well.
So back to Abram’s surprises. He’s 99, and it’s been 13 years since he’s heard from God. But he’s about to hear from Him again. Now Abram has heard from God by a voice, by an appearance, and by a vision. Here the Lord appears to him. And God uses a unique title for Himself; Almighty God. El Shaddai
Now He also tells him to walk before me, and be thou perfect.
It’s no wonder that Abram falls on his face before God. It’s been 13 years, and then suddenly Almighty God appears to him and commands him to be perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Now at this point, God’s words begin to sound familiar. I am making a covenant with you, and I will multiply you. But here He says more, He says, I will make you the father of many nations. The promise is expanding.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Now the name Abram means “high father.” But now God is changing his name to “father of a multitude.”
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Now up to this point, this just sounds like God reiterating the same promises he had made before; you are going to be the father of a great nation, they will be blessed, and they will inherit this land. But God also says that He will make an everlasting covenant, and the land of Canaan will be an everlasting possession. It is not just a temporary relationship with God, or a temporary possession, it is everlasting. Scripture actually says that when Jesus Christ returns, the Jewish people will turn to Christ, and Christ will reign as their king in Israel, for 1000 years. And then history ends. So God intends for the Jews to be His people, and Israel to be their land, forever.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Now this is another surprise. Up until now, the covenant with Abram was one-sided, God promised to do certain things for Abram. But Abram had no part to play. God didn’t say, if you obey I will bless you. He just said He would bless Abram. But now God is adding circumcision as the sign of the covenant between God and Israel.
Now it has always been my aim to anticipate and answer questions that might come up during each study that we do. And I imagine that there might be more than one question that arises out of this passage. One question might be, “Why circumcision?” and a second could be, “Why circumcise eight days from birth?”
So Why Circumcision?
In other words, to be kind of graphic, why remove a piece of skin as a sign of the covenant between God and Abram?
Well Scripture does not clearly answer that question. You can find a partial answer in this first institution of circumcision. Abraham and all of the males in his household were circumcised at the same time. Some days after that, Abraham went in to Sarah, and she, miraculously became pregnant at 89 years of age. Isaac was born and circumcised, and so was every successive generation. And every time a Jewish man approached a Jewish woman to have sexual relations with her, the circumcision was a sign that their very existence came out of the miraculous birth of Isaac. He would be the father of every Jew. So the sign was directly linked to the miraculous conception of Isaac.
And there is another possible interpretation of the meaning of circumcision.
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Jeremiah is here calling on the Jewish people to “circumcise their hearts.” He is not telling them to get a physical operation, but a spiritual one. They need to repent of their sins. They need to turn from transgressions. So, he is saying, cut away the sins in your hearts.
So circumcision could be a physical sign of what you have done in the heart. Just like baptism in the church is an outward sign of the repentance that has already happened in the heart.
Now, why circumcise 8 days after birth? Well God commanded it. But it’s interesting that on the 8th day after birth the level of vitamin K is at its highest. Vitamin K is key in the process of blood coagulation. So God knew something that Abraham didn’t.
Jewish tradition has postulated other reasons for circumcision on the eighth day. I’m not going to go into all of them because they are not based in Scripture. But I thought one was interesting. The idea was that if you circumcise on the 8th day, you insure that the child will experience at least one Sabbath day before he is circumcised. The Sabbath day is a day of rest and worship, and this tradition said that it was important that every child be a part of at least one day of rest and worship before the pain, and the covenant of circumcision.
Well let’s continue,
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Sarai means “my princess” whereas Sarah just means princess. She will no longer just be Abram’s treasure, but she becomes the mother of the nation of Israel, and thus a princess to them all.
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Now, up to this point, God had not specified that Sarai would be the mother of the promised offspring. I personally think that this was a huge surprise to Abram. He has already invested his heart into Ishmael as his heir. I think everyone in this story had settled into their roles, thinking that everything was settled. Abram was the father of Ishmael his heir apparent. Hagar had a degree of exaltation because she was Ishmael’s mother. And Sarai was almost a side issue. She was old. Abram cared for her and insured that she was respected and obeyed. But she elicited more pity from those around her than respect. But now, surprise Abraham, God is not done with Sarai, she will bear the offspring who will inherit the promises made to you. So look at what it says Abraham did.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
He can’t believe it. And he says to God,
18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Come on God, let’s get real. 90 year old Sarai have a baby!? Ishmael is my heir, bless him Lord!
But God is not a man that He should change His mind. This has been the plan of God all along. It was never a surprise to God. He didn’t just think it up at the last minute and spring it on Abraham.
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac:
By the way, this is poetic irony. The name Isaac means “laughter.” And it has got to be the most appropriate name for any man out of all of Scripture, save Jesus the Savior. Because Abraham laughed here when God told him that Sarai would have a son. Later, when Sarah overhears the same announcement, she laughs. And I think that after Isaac is born, there was continual laughter in their tent. You can’t help but laugh thinking about a 100 year old man, and a 90 year old woman running around after a toddler, changing diapers, burping a baby, singing Isaac to sleep. God brought laughter into their tent. And God continues,
and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God promises that the same covenant that He made with Abraham, he would continue with Isaac. Isaac and his descendants would inherit Canaan land. God would make him a great nation with descendants innumerable. God would bless him. But God heard Abraham’s plea for Ishmael.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
And God fulfilled that promise in very short order. In fact, you could say that God fulfilled the promise about Ishmael before he fulfilled the one to Isaac. But the one to Isaac had an eternal element, Ishmael’s was an earthly covenant. He continues,
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Whoa, now God is putting a timetable on the birth. This child will be coming next year.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
This had to be one of the most shocking announcements God made to Abraham. I want you and all the males in your household, (over 300) to be circumcised and your 90 year old wife will become pregnant with your baby and be born next year. I think Abraham would have been flabbergasted. I mean, it’s one thing to believe what God tells you, it’s another to act on it. God had previously called him to leave His country, and he responded with action. He packed up and started the pilgrimage west from Ur of the Chaldees. But look at what faith will mean for him now.
1. He has to tell everyone that his name is changed from “father” to “exalted father” despite the fact that he only has one child and he is 100 years old.
2. He has to tell everyone that his wife “my princess” is now to be called “princess” despite the fact that she has no children.
3. He has to gather his son Ishmael, and his 300 male servants, and have them all circumcised.
4. He has to be circumcised himself.
5. And, if he has faith, there’s no other way to put this, he will go have sex with Sarah his wife. He’s 100, and she’s 90. Now I’m not saying that they were no longer intimate. But generally libido and desire for sexual relations diminishes during the oldest years of our lives. So let me say it again, if he really believes God, that he will have a son, by Sarah, in one years’ time, she will have to conceive in a matter of 2 to 3 months.
Now when we read that Abraham laughed at God’s announcement, it would have been easy to flippantly say, “So where’s your faith now Abraham?” But we can’t say that, because despite the fact that he laughed, the very next thing he does after God leaves him is,
23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
He immediately took action to obey God’s command. This is a real testimony to his faith. He thinks he has life figured out, then God drops in with a bombshell, and he just acts in faith and obedience. But the surprises aren’t over yet.
18 And the Lord appeared unto him (Abraham) in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Abraham is a nomadic tent-dwelling shepherd. And so he moves from place to place to provide for the needs of the sheep. So on this particular day, during the hottest part of the day, Abraham is sitting in the shade of his tent.
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
So, the way this reads, it almost seems that these men appeared out of thin air, in any case, Abraham didn’t notice them until they were close by his tent. So he runs out to greet them with a customary middle eastern hospitality.
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
Now this is the part my mother always drew attention to in this passage.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
So Abraham says, let me get you something to eat, they say yes. Then he goes and tells Sarah to basically make bread from scratch, he runs to get a cow, and butcher it, prepare it, and roast it. He gets everything ready. Now my friends, Abraham had no Ginsu knives, no electric or microwave ovens. This meal would have taken at least a couple of hours to prepare. Again, this tells you how hospitable a man Abraham was. He sees some strangers, invites them to stay for supper, has it prepared. But these are no ordinary men.
9 And they (they) said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he (the lead man) said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Now these men, we will learn, were actually two angels, and God Himself appearing as men. We don’t know when this dawned on Abraham, but we know he figures it out eventually because of a conversation he has with God later. But what one man, God, has just repeated what He told him in chapter 17, that Sarah will have a son within the year. So I would guess that this meeting took place very shortly after all the male circumcision in their camp.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. (She had already been through menopause, probably many years earlier.)
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
The idea that she would have pleasure, maybe referring to the pleasure of intercourse, but especially in having a child, was a laughable notion.
Notice that it says that she laughed within herself. I take that to mean that if you were looking at her at the time, you wouldn’t have even noticed a smile when she overheard what they said. Her laughter was in her head.
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? I’ve mentioned how these two chapters are full of surprises. And I think Sarah was just like we are. She had it all figured out. This is how life goes. My time is over. The physical constraints of age and biology will no longer allow her to have a child. No matter how many times Abraham changes his name or hers. We just need to be realistic. And I wouldn’t be surprised if when Abraham told her what God said earlier, that she poo-pooed it. Abraham was a silly old man.
And intellectually we may understand that God can do anything. But we’ve never seen any miracles.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
Now I’ve often asked the question, why did Sarah get scolded for laughing, but Abraham didn’t? Well, we can’t know a complete answer to that question because we haven’t been privy to Sarah’s thoughts up to now. All we know is that she was the one who originally proposed that Abram sleep with Hagar in order to produce an heir. So we can’t say much for her faith. So maybe the reason God scolded Sarah was because her faith remained very weak. Whereas Abram’s despite his laughter, rebounded to strength. But we don’t know.
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
So the meal and the conversation is over, and as was customary, Abraham walks with the men as they proceed to their next stop. And their next stop is going to be Sodom, and the cities of the plain. Now Mamre, where Abraham was, was up in a higher elevation, to the west of the Dead Sea. Sodom was located in the plain, down by what is now the Dead Sea. So they could have looked down toward the east and probably seen the valley and cities below.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
Now the previous conversation is really mainly the Lord speaking with Himself. He is determining how much of the judgment of Sodom to reveal to Abraham. The two angels may have heard the speaking aloud, but they are only there for one main purpose, to recover Lot from Sodom. So God determines that He will tell Abraham what is going to happen. It seems a little confusing that it says that God is going to go down and see if it is as bad as He’s heard. It’s confusing because God is all knowing. He doesn’t need to go down and see anything, He already knows. It’s best to remember here that God, in His communications with us, expresses things in a way that we will understand. He’s telling Abraham what He is going to do, with human terms.
But it’s also confusing because God says that He’s going to go down, then the two angels leave and go down to Sodom. God stays and talks to Abraham. It doesn’t say that God goes down. So did God go down or not? In the next chapter we see two angels enter Sodom, but no account of God in human form. So did God go down?
Well I think that after God spoke with Abraham, He did go down. Why do I believe that? Because He said He would. And I see no reason to not take it literally. He just wasn’t with the angels any longer. In fact, He may have beat them there, went through the cities of the plain invisibly, and left before the angels even arrived. But anyway, the two angels leave, and God stays to have a conversation with Abraham.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Now this is another surprise in the life of Abraham. He still has a role to play. Abraham here becomes an intercessor for his nephew Lot, and even for the wicked cities of the Plain. This is Abraham pouring out his heart in prayer. And I like this, because Abraham is 100 years old. You know how many times I’ve heard older adults ask the question, “Why am I still here?” They have raised their kids, they’re grandkids are raised. They’ve lost a spouse. They are physically unable to do much work. So they sit around and ponder their existence. “Why am I still here?” Well if these two chapters teach us anything, it is that you are not done until God is done with you. Abraham still had a child to raise, and here he has some praying to do. Now listen to him, he says “God, do you look at the righteous people in these cities as collateral damage? Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? He appeals to God’s righteous character. Then he does something bold. He haggles with God. Listen to him
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
He reasons with God from saving the city for the sake of 50 all the way down to saving it for 10’s sake. Now here’s the question to noodle around with in your brain. Did Abraham actually move the mind of God? I don’t believe he did. Because God hadn’t yet revealed His plan of judgment for the cities. We don’t know how many righteous, in God’s mind, it would have taken to save the cities, because He hadn’t revealed that. But we do get a glimpse into the heart of Abraham. He easily could have said, “You know what, I’m an old man, the world has gone to pot. It’s doomed. I might as well sit on this hill and watch the conflagration. What can I do?” But Abraham chooses to pray. And I’ll bet he didn’t stop praying for Lot, even after the cities were destroyed.
33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Well that’s the end of the surprises in these two chapters. Next time we’ll look at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s pray