Genesis 17-18
Chapter 17: THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION
There are two types of covenants. A covenant is not a contract. It is between two wildly different, uneven individuals.
The covenant that God makes with Abram is different than the one made with Noah. In the covenant made with Noah, God reached out to Noah, but nothing was required by Noah as a response.
In the covenant made with Abraham (as God said Abram hereafter would be called), Abram was required to do something in response. God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations for generations to come and Abraham and his descendants will worship God as their God (monotheism not widely accepted at this time). They will demonstrate their keeping of the covenant by circumcision of every male (including those born in his household or bought with his money from a foreigner) by age of eight days. Circumcision is a mark of the covenant. God also said that Sarai, Abraham’s wife, would henceforth be called Sarah and would be the mother of nations. God further promised that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, Isaac, with whom God would also establish a covenant. (Abraham and Sarah’s response was laughter that they would have a son in their old age.) By the naming of Abraham and Sarah and by the naming of Isaac, God demonstrated dominion over them. Naming is dominion.
God also spoke of Ishmael (son of Abram and Hagar, Egyptian maidservant of Sarai) and said that he would make him fruitful and he would become the father of 12 rulers and God would make him into a great nation. But, His covenant would be made with Isaac, “whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” That same day, Abraham (age 99) and Ishmael (age 13) were both circumcised, as well as every male in Abraham’s household thus fulfilling the covenant.
Chapter 18: THE THREE VISITORS
Abraham bowed low to the visitors, and beseeched them to let him wash their feet and to rest under his trees. He wanted to get them something to eat so they could be refreshed and then go on their way. He had Sarah make some bread, selected a choice tender calf which he gave to a servant to prepare, and he brought some curds and milk for the men as was the custom at that time for helping traveling guests. Hospitality was extremely important in those days; travelers depended upon it. (There were no restaurants, motel, highways etc. in that day)
As the men ate, they conversed with Abraham standing by his tent. They asked about his wife Sarah. Abraham said that Sarah was in the tent. The Lord reiterated that He would return about the same time the following year and that Abraham and Sarah would have a son by then. Sarah laughed to herself because of her old age and denied to the Lord that she was laughing. Although she laughed, she believed the promise. The Lord said again that He would return next year and Sarah would have a son. He asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
ABRAHAM PLEADS FOR SODOM
Abraham walked with the men as they walked toward Sodom. The Lord, talking to himself and in an anthropomorphic role (giving God a human figure,) wants to check out what is going on with these naughty kids. Abraham was quite a talker and continued with his questions. He realized that he was asking much of the Lord when he asked, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.” In a series of questions from Abraham concerning the number of righteous men left and whether God would destroy the city, he was assured by God that “even for the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” After the Lord finished speaking, Abraham returned home.
Submitted by Carolyn Nelson
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