As For You, Genesis 17:9-27

 

About five days ago the call came in; it was just before 10 p.m.

Can you come and pray with mom?

I’m on my way

I walked; it was less than a block.

We gathered round the bed. Jim next to Terri, his wife. Daughters, at her feet; Nicole in person, Courtney via video call.

I held her hand, we bowed our heads, and met with Him, who was ready and waiting to welcome Terri to her new Home; where there’s no more tears, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more dying.

The prayer was short and unassuming, and ended by placing her hand, in His.

“Terri, go with God, amen.”

And just like that, she did.

At 10:10 p.m. Terri stepped into her new Home, pain free and more alive than she’s ever been.

So, knowing she went to a better place, were there still tears? 

Yes, of course. 

Will there be more? 

Absolutely.

We weep because we were never created for this; for death, for sorrow, for goodbyes that seem to have no end.

Jim said this is by far the most hurt he’s ever felt.

So, yes, we break, we mourn, we weep.

But for those in Christ, we weep with Easter in our tears; because we know He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises, that this is not the end, but just the beginning. 2 Peter 1:4.

We know we have a resurrection to make, and a reservation to keep where we’ll all meet, at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and then, we’ll never have to say goodbye again, ever.

Oh, by the way, 10/10/81, just happens to be Jim and Terri’s anniversary.

They say the number ten represents, completeness. Today, Terri is completely, whole.

How comforting are His promises, and undeniable, His Divine Timing.

 

Speaking of promises.

God has been making exceedingly great and precious promises to Abraham and Sarah for some 25 years.

From way back when He called them…

Out of a pagan land into His Promise Land.

Out from their old life, old family, into His new life and new family.

Out from their old names, into His new names.

He called them out. He called them to.

He does the same, for me and you.

In the middle of our journey, on the way to our destiny, He keeps us going with those promises.

He is ever faithful to His Word, His covenant.

He promised to protect and provide for Abraham and Sarah, and He did over and over in abundance.

However, we like sheep are prone to wander. When it comes to following God’s lead, we have a terrible tendency to back out, battle, and blow it.

Abraham backed plumb out by heading to Egypt. He got embattled in family issues with his nephew, lotta-trouble-Lot. He totally blew it with that foolish get-the-maid-pregnant stunt.

Thankfully, God doesn’t give up so easily.

He is faithful.

He watches, and if we don’t pass the point of no return, He returns. He keeps showing up, He keeps knocking, and knocking, and knocking.

That’s what we see in chapter 17.

He returns after 13 years.

He restates His intentions. His wonderful wills and shalls ring like wedding bells, flow like wedding vows. In between the lines, He’s saying, I still love you. What I said back then, I still mean now. I haven’t forgotten you. I haven’t given up on you.

But then, all at once something changes.

Notice the change from Genesis 17:4, “As for Me…” to Genesis 17:9, “As for you…”

This is like the words of the wedding vows we’d rather cut out:  for Worse, for Poorer, in Sickness… ‘til death do us part.

We don’t like that part.

So, we ignore it. Like the small print—we don’t read it.

Some preachers do it with this part of the Bible.

 But you don’t know someone by their glamour shots.

Philippians 3:10, encourages us to, know Him, the power of His resurrection, AND the fellowship of His suffering.

To be who we’re called to be, reach who we’re called to reach, go where we’re called to go, we must read the small print; embrace the hard to.

What’s that look like?

Circumcision.

 

Genesis 17:9
 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Notice, this is a continuous flow, like a river, from the wonderful wills and shalls above it. We ought not place a period, where God doesn’t have one.

God is talking to Abraham.

You shall keep; this is not a discussion, it’s not up for debate.

And your descendants—throughout their generations. You shall teach your children, and they shall teach their children, generation after generation.

A strong nation is built on strong families.

Destroy families, destroy a nation. Look in the mirror America.  

 

¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be…

Every (no exclusions) male child shall be (not up for debate) …

Now, remember, Abraham is hearing this for the first time. He doesn’t know what’s coming. For the last twenty-five years all he’s heard is that his name will be great, he will be the father of nations, that through him all the earth will be blessed.

So, when God says, “Every male child among you shall be…” Abe may be thinking: Every male child shall be, a prince… a knight… kings and rulers… strong and courageous… mighty warriors…  

Imagine his surprise to hear—

circumcised;

Huh?

Ol’ Abe didn’t see that coming.

The word circumcise literally means, “to cut around.”

God cuts right to the chase, without explanation.

However, notice the timing.

Chapter 17 is between 16 and 18 (that’s good Doug, you can count).

Look deeper.

Circumcision is between adultery and sodomy.

Chapter 16 is adultery; chapter 18 is sodomy.

God cuts to the chase right smack dab in the middle.

Chapter 16 makes alternate plans. Doing God’s way, your way (Hagar) is Spiritual adultery.

 Chapter 18 abandons God’s way all together and yields entirely to the lust of the flesh, the way of demons.

To conceive and give birth to the promises of God we must be circumcised of heart—cut off the lusts of the flesh.

Lord, we pause and pray, asking You to circumcise any area of our lives not pleasing to You.

 

Okay so, at the time, Abraham wasn’t thinking about this so deeply; he just heard, every male child among you shall be circumcised.

Poor kids.

Wait Abe—there’s more.

¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

You too Abe. You’re not cut out of all the fun.

Note:

This is a sign. This is not the covenant, but a sign of the covenant. The ring, is a sign. Like a wedding ring, is a sign.

¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

Eight days old.

This is one more evidence of the inerrancy of God’s Divinely inspired Word.

Only God knew that medically the eighth day is the best day for circumcision. On that day, vitamin K is at its peak. Which aids in blood clotting.

God always knows best.

Medicine, eventually catches up with the Bible.

Science, eventually catches up with the Bible.

Archeology, eventually catches up with the Bible.

Geography, eventually catches up with the Bible.

Today’s news, is catching up with the Bible.

Stick with the Bible, and you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

Modern medicine caught up with the Bible, and discovered the power of the special K on the eighth day, and so, today they give the baby injections of vitamin K, and perform circumcision early.

Most circumcisions today are for health and hygiene purposes rather than religious rites.

  

¹³ He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

My covenant shall be in your flesh…

This cuts deeper than flesh, it goes all the way to the heart.

 

Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. Deuteronomy 10:16.

 

Christians have never been under, Old Testament Law, thus circumcision has never been required—even though some debated the issue.

 

However, there is an everlasting application for Christians. We are in a covenant relationship with God. We are the bride of Christ.

 

Therefore, we must carry in our flesh the sign of Christ.

 

Here’s the goal:

Never say, “I’m a Christian.” Be a Christian. Always show I’m a Christian.

 

Let your Light so shine before men that they see your Good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven; Matthew 5:16.

 

We must cut off the flesh of this world.

 

My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

 

We must honor the Lord with our flesh, our bodies; in eat and drink and whatsoever things we do.

 

We are bought with a price, our body, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, it is not ours to use and abuse. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.

 

When the world looks at you do they see the marks, the ring, the sign, of Christ?

 

Deuteronomy 30:6
 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

 

 

¹⁴ And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

This is serious.

How serious?

Check out, Exodus 4:22-26.

Moses was on the way to Egypt, to do what God told him to do.

Then, God met him and sought to kill him.

Zipporah, (Moses’ wife) circumcised their son and threw the bloody flesh at Moses.

God let Moses go.

Wow. What?

Moses broke God’s covenant and failed in his responsibility to his own family by not circumcising his son.

God’s plan was for Moses to become the Law Giver, so, how could the law giver, be a law breaker?  

This is an entire message in itself, but we’ll just pull out a point or two.

1.      Surely your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23.

Galatians 6:7, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

2.     God’s calling never cancels responsibility to family

 

Lord, we pray for our families. Not just those of our blood but all those You’ve given us. We pray that we will be to them, who You’ve called us to be. Godly husbands, fathers, brothers, wives, mothers, sisters, children. Examples of Your Love, character and responsibility. So, they will be, who You’ve called them to be. That none of our family are lost.

 

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

See the importance God puts on family.

God is planning and building a nation, and what’s He talk about?

Military? Government? Legislation? Taxation?

Not!

He talks about, Abe’s wife and kids.

Abraham, instead of calling your wife, Sarai, (my princess) from now on call her, Sarah (the princess).

Big difference. She’s not a possession. She’s priceless, packed with potential and has a powerful position—mother of nations.

Remember, God is talking about a 90-year-old barren woman. You know what that means?

It’s not too late, you’re not too old, for God to birth something new through you.

 

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Notice God does not rebuke Abraham for unbelief.

We’re told in Romans that Abraham believed.

It was a laughter of joy, not unbelief.

Romans 4:19-21
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

Abraham loves his son.

He’s already been told that Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man, constantly at war with everyone around him (Genesis 16:12).

So, Abraham prays like any good dad, for his son to be saved. Literally he prays that Ishmael may live before Your face.
 

¹⁹ Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

Many of the English translations add a word. The original text does not say “No” or “Yes” it simply says:

Your wife Sarah will bear a son, call him Laughter (Isaac)…

²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.  

Today, descended from Abraham, there are about 436 million Arabs; 22 nations.

²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

Set time next year. Nice to know, God knows the future.

Did you notice the simple process?

1.      Cut off the world (circumcise).

2.     Speak the Word (new names)

Birth happens.

²² Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

Did Abraham see this? Wonder if it was like when Jesus ascended? Acts 1:9-11.

²³ So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.

That very same day. Obey right away.

Delayed obedience, is disobedience.

²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Ouch.

²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

Must’ve been a miracle.

Why?

A wild donkey of a teenager agreed to this?

The Jews circumcise at 8 days old according to God’s command.

In Islam they circumcise at 13 years old, because of Ishmael.

²⁶ That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; ²⁷ and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

This is the integrity God saw and stated in Genesis 18:18-19.

That Abraham would walk with God, in faith, and raise his children to keep the ways of the Lord.

Lord, help us do the same.

 

Galatians 5:16

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

 

 

Let’s pray.

Lord, this is hard. Circumcising the flesh; changing names we’ve used for years, giving birth when we’re so old.

We know, You know, we’re not perfect. We’ll bail out, battle and blow it. So, today we simply ask You help us from this moment forward, to make a perfect effort, to walk with You, every inch, every breath, every word, every deed.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

 

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