Genesis 17:1-13

Ge 17:1

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.

Thirteen years have now passed from the birth of Ishmael.  Abram is now 99 years old when the LORD appears to him.  Here God refers to himself as “the Almighty God” which is another name for God showing his characteristics.  We know it as “El Shaddai.”  It shows his power to judge, create, bless and guide every circumstance without the least challenge to his power.  Abram was to walk in total trust and dependence upon the LORD and to eschew evil as Job did.  Perfect does not mean Abram would never sin but means that he was to walk in concert with the LORD, in other words he was to be blameless in his life in sincerity and integrity as a Christian should walk. 

Ge 17:2

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Notice that this covenant will be all of the LORD and it is the LORD who will implement the tenets of that covenant.  The covenant in view is the covenant of grace which will be between God and Abram and this will include the Lord Jesus Christ who will fulfill the demands of the law for all the Elect of God.  God promises to multiply the seed of Abram exceedingly and this is further information on the covenant which God mentioned in Genesis 13:16 where he promises the descendants of Abram to be as numerous as the dust of the earth.

Ge 17:3

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

Then Abram fell on his face in a position of worship and adoration of the LORD and the LORD responded to Abram’s humility and spoke with him.

Ge 17:4

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Then the LORD once again tells Abram that he himself is the originator of the covenant of grace and not only would Abram be a father of the nation of Israel, he would also be the father of many nations which would include all the Arab nations coming into existence through the descendants of Ishmael.  Now the spiritual aspects of this is that Abram will also be the father of many nations in that the true gospel will go throughout the world and every nation on earth would have true children of God by means of the covenant of grace.  The word “nations” is the Hebrew word “gôyim” which means “Gentiles or nations.”

Ge 17:5

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.

Then in light of this new information that God is going to make Abram a father of many nations, he changes his name to Abraham which means “father of many nations.”  The LORD himself tells Abraham that it is he that made him the father of many nations going back to the principle found in Genesis 15:1.

Ge 17:6

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Through the covenant which God makes with Abraham, he will make him exceedingly fruitful meaning he will be the head of many nations not only through Isaac but he had six sons through Keturah whom he married after the death of Sarah.  Those six sons became heads of nations.  They were the nations of Israel and Judah, of the Midianites and Edomites, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks.  Then kings are also promised to be in the line of Abraham.  The twelve princes of Ishmael, the kings of Edom and Midian, of the Arabs, Saracens, and Turks, and of Israel and Judah.  Then of course the ultimate king was the Lord Jesus Christ.  In reference to kings, not only physical kings would be born of Abraham but the true believers in Christ are called kings.

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10)

Ge 17:7

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.

Here we have the perpetuating of the covenant of grace in Christ.  God states that his covenant will be between him and Abraham plus the covenant will extend to all the true believers named from the foundation of the world in their generations.  This means that the covenant of God with Abraham was as solid in the 1600’s as it is in 2022.  God will be a God to all those he has chosen from the foundation of the world to be in Christ till the last one becomes saved.  Whenever we see a covenant in scripture tied to the word “everlasting” it is speaking of the covenant of grace which is everlasting life and is not to be confused by the covenant of Sinai in which Israel was granted the land if they remained obedient.  It was a two-way covenant but the covenant of grace is all of the LORD and all we do is receive it and once we are saved, it means we are in the eternal covenant which God made with Abraham. 

Ge 17:8

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.

Here we have a double promise concerning the everlasting covenant with Abraham.  Abraham had left Ur of the Chaldees and now sojourned in Canaan.  God is confirming the fact that Abraham’s descendants will dwell in the land of Canaan which came to fulfillment in the time of Joshua.  They were considered strangers because they worshipped the true God and were in the midst of many pagan groups like the Amorites.  Then God introduces the term “everlasting possession” which means that there will be no end to their dwelling place.  However, we must place that in perspective.  The earth will eventually be destroyed and then God will remake it in righteousness.  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)  The new earth will be the dwelling place of all the Christians for eternity therefore the land of Canaan in view in this verse is speaking of the new heavens and new earth where only the true saved descendants of Abraham will dwell forever.

Ge 17:9

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Abraham was to keep the covenant of God.  The word “keep” means “to guard or protect.”  Then God gives the particulars about the covenant which his physical descendants were to keep and guard.  These were to be done in all the future generations until the Messiah comes and then the ceremonial law would be done away with.

Ge 17:10

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.

Every male child was to be circumcised which included the future generations which was a sign of the covenant.  This also means that Abraham and all the males in his household had to be immediately circumcised.  This was part of the ceremonial law which would be done away with after the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and the veil in the temple was torn in two signifying the end of the Mosaic ceremonial law.  Those in Christ are also circumcised but they are circumcised in a different way as the three verses below indicate:

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 2:29)

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)

It is called spiritual circumcision and only those in Christ will have it.  Men like Moses or Joshua were physically circumcised as a sign of the covenant while possessing the spiritual circumcision of the heart, but once Christ came on the scene it was spiritual circumcision of the heart only which meant that people could see we are the recipients of the covenant of grace by our changed lives. 

Ge 17:11

And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

The circumcision took place on the male reproductive organ which symbolized the shedding of blood and the removal of sin from the seed.  This also prefigures what Christ did for us as he has separated the seed of Abraham from sin by removing all sin from our souls and thus creating a clean soul readied for Heaven at the moment of salvation.  The physical circumcision was a sign of the covenant.  It prefigured spiritual circumcision.  Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. (Deuteronomy 10:16)  It was a physical picture of what Christ did for us on the cross and how deeply it affected our souls by cleansing them thoroughly.

Ge 17:12

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.

The requirement was that all males eight days old shall be circumcised.  It is interesting to note that it was on the eighth day that a male was to be circumcised because the clotting factor in the blood appears on the eighth day.  If they were circumcised on the seventh day, the baby would bleed to death because of no clotting factor.  The number eight is also important because in the Bible it is the number of new beginnings.  There were eight in Noah’s ark.  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Peter 3:20)  Not only were the natural born to be circumcised but also those whom they bought such as house servants who were not of the seed of Israel.  This was something which had to be done for all the generations to come until Messiah.  The Apostle Paul stated that he too was circumcised on the eighth day.

⁴ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: ⁵ Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; (Philippians 3:4-5)

Ge 17:13

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.

The children that are born to Abraham and also those who are born to the servants and any other servants which were purchased that have children must be circumcised  according to the covenant.  The covenant of circumcision was to be continually practiced by Abraham and succeeding generations which would come through the twelve patriarchs from the loins of Jacob.  This was to be done till the Messiah comes and after that circumcision will no longer be required since it is under the ceremonial law.  The word “everlasting” is the Hebrew word “ôlâwm” which may be translated “eternal, everlasting or perpetual” but must be translated according to context of the passage.  We know Abraham would only live to be 175 years old so that means his body is not eternal so here the word would be understood as a perpetual observance.

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