THE EVERLASTING COVENANT

Passage: Genesis 17:9-27

Key verse: 19

NIV

9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,(A) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.(B) 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.(C) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(D) and it will be the sign of the covenant(E) between me and you. 12 For the generations to come(F) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,(G) 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.(H) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.(I) 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised(J) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;(K) he has broken my covenant.(L)”

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

17 Abraham fell facedown;(Q) he laughed(R) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?(S) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”(T) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(U) might live under your blessing!”(V)

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,(W) and you will call him Isaac.[a](X) I will establish my covenant with him(Y) as an everlasting covenant(Z) 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.(AA) He will be the father of twelve rulers,(AB) and I will make him into a great nation.(AC) 21 But my covenant(AD) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you(AE) by this time next year.”(AF) 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.(AG)

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

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a (A)sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is (B)eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or (C)bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

Isaac's Birth Promised

15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah[a] shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will (D)give[b] you a son by her. I will bless her, and (E)she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham (F)fell on his face (G)and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but (H)Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name (I)Isaac.[c] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and (J)multiply him greatly. He (K)shall father twelve princes, and (L)I will make him into a great nation. 21 But (M)I will establish my covenant with Isaac, (N)whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

22 When he had finished talking with him, (O)God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old 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 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Genesis 17:15 Sarai and Sarah mean princess
  2. Genesis 17:16 Hebrew have given
  3. Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. The sign and seal of the covenant (9-14)

God told Abraham to undergo circumcision, and to circumcise every male in his household as a sign of the covenant. This covenant was established by God as an everlasting covenant. God is Spirit and he alone is everlasting, so this is essentially a spiritual covenant. The physical act was an act of obedience which symbolized spiritual reality (Dt 3

:6; Ro 2:28).

2. The promise of a son, Isaac (15-22)

The covenant son was a son of promise. He was the one through whom God would bless the world. Abraham loved Ishmael, but Ishmael, the fruit of impatience and unbelief, could not be the covenant son.

3. Abraham's obedience (23-27)

Abraham did not put off doing the hard thing. He obeyed that very day. He accepted the covenant promise and expressed his faith by his obedience.

Prayer: Lord, help me to express my faith in you and in your promises by obedience to your word. Thank you for the new covenant in Jesus' blood.

One Word: Believe the covenant promise