Sermon: Genesis 17: The Covenant Of Circumcision

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 17

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.’ And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 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. 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.’ And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’ Then Abraham fell on his face 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?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before you!’ God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.’ When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 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. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.” (Genesis 17, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Galatians 5:1–15 

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:1–15, ESV)

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Introduction

Genesis 17 is all about the covenant that God made with Abram and his descendents which was sealed with the sign of circumcision. The word “covenant” appears 13 times in this chapter. Clearly, the purpose of this chapter is to communicate the terms of the relationship that God entered into with Abram and his offspring. 

It is important to  understand that when God enters into a covenantal relationship with people he does so in order to establish a kingdom. Covenants and kingdoms go together. Covenants clarify the boundaries of God’s kingdom and establish the terms for a blessed life within it. 

When God established his covenant with Adam in the garden it was to clarify the boundaries of the kingdom of creation. Adam was the head of that covenant. He was to function as king living under the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. He was to keep the garden and push out its boundaries. He was to fill the earth with his offspring and promote the worship of God. He  was to do this faithfully until he was permitted to eat of the tree of life. In the meantime, he was to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Clearly, a covenant was made with Adam — it was the Covenant of Works,  or the Covenant of Creation. The reward for keeping it was life eternal, the punishment for breaking it was death. Adam broke it, and now we live under its curse if we are not in Christ Jesus. The point I now making is this: the  covenant made with Adam clarified the boundaries and requirements for a blessed life in God’s kingdom. 

Here in  Genesis 17 something very similar is happening. A covenant is being established with Abram because a kingdom is being brought into existence through him. It is not the kingdom of creation. Instead, it is the kingdom of Israel. The covenant being established with Abram is not The Covenant of Works (or of Grace)m but it is the Abrahamic Covenant, which is the beginning of the Old Covenant.

Kingdoms and covenants go together. To have a kingdom there must be a king, citizens and land. And here in Genesis 17 we see that all three of these are being marked off in the covenant that God transacted with Abram. God is the supreme king over Abram and Israel, but notice that God also promised to both Sarai and Abram that kings would come from them. Concerning citizens, the offspring of Abram and Sarai would be as numerous as the dust of the earth and the stars of heaven. And concerning land, Canaan would belong to them. The covenant that God transacted with Abram made all of this clear — it marked off the boundaries of the kingdom. The people, land and kings were all identified.   Also this covenant established the terms for a blessed life within Canaan for the citizens of this kingdom. Abram and his offspring were obligated to “keep” this covenant. If they kept it they would be personally blessed in the land. If they broke it, they would be cut off from the land, just as Adam was. But nothing could undo the promises of God, for their fulfillment was contingent only upon his faithfulness, and not the faithfulness of Abram or his descendents. 

As we consider Genesis 17 we may do so in three parts. First, we should observe that the promises of God that were made previously to Abram are here restated, clarified and expanded. Secondly, we should observe that the law of circumcision was added to the promises previously made. And thirdly, we should recognize Abraham’s obedience.

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The Promises Of God Previously Made To Abram Restated, Clarified And Expanded

First, let us consider that the promises of God previously made to Abram are here restated, clarified and expanded. 

In other words, the covenant that is established here in Genesis 17 is not a brand new covenant, but it is a reiteration and expansion of the covenant that was already transacted with Abram as recorded in Genesis 15. Remember what we read in Genesis 15:18: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give this land…” (Genesis 15:18, ESV).  That covenant and this covenant are one and the same. And this covenant is built upon the promises that were made to Abram beginning in Genesis 12 concerning land, offspring, being blessed of God, and being a blessing to the nations of the earth. Genesis 12 through 17 all  hang together is what I am saying. The promises of Genesis 12 develop into a covenant, and when the Abrahamic covenant is fully developed, it is sealed with the sign of circumcision, as seen here in Genesis 17.  

In verse 1 we read, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly’” (Genesis 17:1–2, ESV). 

The Hebrew word translated as “make” in  verse 2 — “that I may make my covenant between me and you” — can be translated in a variety of ways. It is probably best to understand it to mean to constitute, or to establish by law. That seems to be most consistent with the context. The covenant that God made with Abram in Genesis 15 is here being further established with the giving of the law of circumcision. 

Note that Abram is here commanded to “walk before [the Lord], and be blameless.” Abram’s obedience was not the cause of the promises of God being made to him previously. But here we see that his obedience is commanded for the establishment of this covenant. More on that in a moment. 

It is interesting to note that thirteen years had passed between that episode where Sarai gave her servant to Abram as a wife and the establishment of the covenant of circumcision as recorded here in Genesis 17 (compare Genesis 12:4, 13:6, and 17:1). Thirteen years is a long time. For thirteen years Abram lived with Ishmael as his only son. Perhaps he assumed that Sarai’s plan was a good one in those days, despite the trouble it had caused? What happened during those thirteen years? The scriptures are silent!

Application: I think there is a point of application to be drawn from this little remark that Abram was 99 years old when the Lord appeared to him, and the fact that at least 13 years had passed since the Lord had last appeared to Abram. Do you see that the vast majority of the Christians life consist of very ordinary days, and it is faithfulness in the ordinary days and the ordinary, mundane moments of life that is most pleasing to God. 

Abram’s life was truly extraordinary, and yet  even for him the vast majority of his days were ordinary day. What did Abram do in those 13 years between when the covenant was cut and then confirmed? He probably changed diapers. He repaired fences. He cared for his sheep and goats. He managed his assets. He conversed with his wife. He instructed and disciplined his son. He regularly worshipped. And ordinarily when he worshipped at the alter he did not hear a voice or see a vision. For 13 years Abram faithfully sojourned in the land that was not his own, and his days were very ordinary. And yet he walked by faith. 

I draw attention to this because I fear it is common for the Christian to assume that unless they are engaged something extraordinary, then something is lacking in their walk with Lord. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Our God is the God of the ordinary. He is pleased when his people serve him faithfully in the mundane things of life. Sometimes Christians are poked and prodded by their leaders to something radical and extreme for Jesus. And I suppose that sometimes those exhortations are appropriate. But I’m here saying that a Christian is truly radical when he or she lives out their faith moment by moment, day by day, Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day, doing very ordinary and mundane things in faith, obediently, and to the glory of God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV).

13 years had passed, but Abram walked faithfully. And do you also see that God was very stubborn… in a good way. Perhaps a better word to use would be faithful. God was faithful to keep his promises for all that time. Abram and Sarai thought they knew new better than God, and so they took matters into their own hands — they made a mess of things. But this didn’t derail God. Not in the least! Where was he? He was sitting on his throne. He was waiting patiently to bring about his plans at just the right time. 

Notice that the Lord reiterated his promises to Abram concerning the land. 

Look with me at verse 8 where the Lord said, “And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.’” (Genesis 17:8, ESV)

Not only is this a restate of promises that had been previously made, it also is a clarification and expansion. 

Pay careful attention. The Lord spoke to Abram saying, “And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan…” God promised that Abram would possess the land, and not just his descendents. This is a problem. This is a big problem, because Abram never possessed the land. He  lived as a sojourner and he died as a sojourner. The same would be true of  Issac, Jacob, and indeed all of the offspring of Abram up until the days of Joshua.  Do you see the problem? The Lord said to Abram, “I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan…”, and yet Abram went to the grave not seeing the fulfillment of this. 

How then would Abram possess the land? More than that, how would the land be to him and to his offspring “an everlasting possession”?

The New Testament actually answers this question for us when, in  Hebrews 11:10 we read, “For he [Abram] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10, ESV). And again in verse 13 we read, “These [Abram, Sarai and their offspring] all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:13–16, ESV).

The writer to Hebrews answers the question we are asking. God promised that the land would belong to Abram, and yet he went to the grave having never possessed it. Is God a liar? No, for Abram knew what God was up to. The land would be his in the resurrection. Then it would be his as “an everlasting possession”. When Abram heard and believed the promises of God he was looking forward, not to the earth land, and not to an earthly, but to a heavenly one. He understood to some degree that God’s purpose was not just to give his people a small sliver of land in Palestine, but to through him usher in a new heavens and earth through one of his offspring. That was what Abram was really looking forward to. And that is what Abram will have at the resurrection.

Aren’t you glad that we studied the book of Revelation prior to studying Genesis? There we were provided with a clear picture of the finished product of God’s redemptive work — the fully formed flower, if you will. And now we re learning about the beginning of God’s work of redemption — of things in seed form, if you will. What the writer to the Hebrews explains is that when God made the promises to Abram he understood (to some degree) that God’s plan was to through him bring about what Revelation 21 describes — and new heavens and new earth, and the New Jerusalem which would one day descend from heaven. This is what Abram looked forward to. The land will be his as promised, in the resurrection. 

Notice  that the Lord also reiterated his promises to Abram concerning descendents.

Not only would Abram have a multitude of offspring but nations would come from him. In fact, kingdoms and kings would come from him. And the same was true of Sarai. Verses 15-21 make it clear that all of this would be accomplished through her. So much for their half-baked plan concerning Hagar and Ismael. Sarai would have a son. His name was to be Isaac. Through him the promises of God would be fulfilled. 

Abram fell on his face and laughed at the thought that he would have a son at the age of 100, and that Sarai, who had been barren for all those years, would conceive at the age of 90. He even put Ishmael before the Lord and said, are you sure, Lord? Maybe it would be better to do all of this through him? But the Lord insisted, saying, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him [offspring is in the singular — see Galatians 3:16]. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year” (Genesis 17:19–21, ESV).  Through Isaac the promises of God would be fulfilled. Through Isaac the nation of Israel would be born. Through him the Messiah would come. 

Along with restating, clarifying and expanding the promises previously made, the Lord also renamed Abram and Sarai. Verse 5: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations”. The name Abraham means, father of a multitude. Verse 15: “And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.” Sarah means princess. 

In what sense are Abraham and Sarah a  father and princess of a multitude? Well, they are to be considered in a variety of ways. Through Ishmael they would have many descendents. He would  father twelve princes. Through Issac the nation of Israel would be born.  But we must also remember the promise that in Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. The New Testament makes it very clear that it is those who have the faith of Abraham who are the true children of Abraham, from amongst the Jews and Gentiles. Do you want to see a picture of what it means for Abraham to be the father of a multitude?  Open to Revelation 7:9 and read! “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10, ESV). These are the true children of Abraham. They share in his faith. They are united with him because they have believed upon his offspring, the one who has come from  his loins, the Christ, the Lamb of God who taken away the sins of the world. 

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The Law Of Circumcision Added 

Secondly, we should observe that in this passage the law of circumcision was added to the promises previously made.

Look with me at verses 9-14: “And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 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. 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.’” (Genesis 17:9–14, ESV)

What shall we say about this? Five things for now:

One, I think you all understand what circumcision is. I will refrain from describing it in detail.

Two, whereas only promise were made by God earlier — promises concerning land, descendents, kings and kingdoms — now stipulations are laid upon Abraham and his offspring. “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.” How are we to understand this? Well, we know that the promises of the Abrahamic covenant would surely come to pass. How could they not, for it was God who promised. The accomplishment of the promises were in no way contingent upon the faithfulness of man, only God. But as it pertained to the individual — to Abraham and his offspring — their enjoyment of the blessing of God in the covenant and in the land did depend upon their obedience. They were to “keep” the covenant just as Adam was to “keep” the garden — it is the same word in the Hebrew. 

Three, a positive law was imposed upon Abraham and his offspring — the law of circumcision. What is a positive law? It is a law that is neutral morally speaking, one that God simply chooses to add. There is nothing immoral about eating fruit from a tree,  is there? And yet the Lord added that positive law when he spoke to Adam saying, do not eat of that tree. If you do you’ll die. And in the same way circumcision is nothing. As Paul says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19, ESV). Circumcision means nothing to us, for it is morally neutral. But it was something for Abraham, for his offspring and for Israel, because God made it something. God added that positive law, that “every male among [them] shall be circumcised.” For Abraham or his offspring to disobey this commandment would mean that they broke God’s covenant. Just as the foreskin was to be cut off, so the covenant breaker was to be cut off from the people. 

 Four, circumcision is called a “sign”. Verses 17: “You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” If it is a sign then circumcision must signify something, for that is what signs do! Most basically circumcision signifies that the individual to whom it applied had been set apart as one of God’s people. Circumcision marked off the people of God from the nations. Circumcision was also a reminder of the promises of God that through the Hebrew people the nations would be blessed. From them, through the process of procreation, the Christ would come. Circumcision was also a reminder of the covenant curse, that the covenant breakers would be cut off. Furthermore, throughout the Old Testament the prophets used circumcision to urge the Hebrew people to be circumcised of heart. There were many who descended from Abraham according to the flesh, who were truly in Abraham and under this convent externally, who did not have the faith of Abraham. They belonged to God in an earthly sense, but spiritually they were far from him. They were in Abraham, but not in Christ. They were circumcised in the flesh, but not in the heart.

Five, in the days of Moses many, many more positive laws would be added to the law of circumcision and imposed upon Israel as they were redeemed from Egypt. Like circumcision, they do not apply to us — the observation of the Passover and other feast days, ceremonial washings, dietary restrictions, and the like. Circumcision would remain the sign of the covenant under Moses, for the Abrahamic Covenant would give birth to the Mosaic. But many more laws would be imposed. Obedience to these laws could not bring about the forgiveness of sins, but if obeyed they would lead to blessings for the people of God as they lived in the land. To disobey would mean that the people would be cut off and taken into captivity. 

Application: It only seems right that I should at this point say something about the importance of keeping God’s law. 

There is a moral law that all should be exhorted to keep, especially the Christian. We are to keep God’s moral law, as it is summarized in the ten commandments, not because we can be saved by it, for we have all transgressed it. We are to keep it because it is right, and out of gratitude for the salvation that has been freely given to us sin Christ Jesus.  The Sabbath command belongs to moral law, for at it is core it has to do with the proper worship of God and was established at creation. The Sabbath pattern was revealed first to Adam, and not to Abraham or Moses. This is significant. 

It is also important to recognize that there are laws found on the Old Testament that no longer apply to the people of God, for they belonged to other covenants that have been fulfilled by Christ, and have thus passed away. I am  here referring to positive and ceremonial laws. You are not bound to keep those. Do not allow anyone to tell you that you are. You may eat pork and shellfish, brothers and sisters. You need not observe the seventh day, Jewish Sabbath along with the many festival days that were attached to it — our rest day is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, for he is risen. And if the Lord blesses you with a son, you do not have to circumcise him. It simply doesn’t matter anymore, for the Christ has come. He has already been born from Abram’s loin’s. The covenant people of God in this New Covenant era are no longer identified by their ethnicity. Who you father or grandfather is simply does not matter, for the Old Covenant has passed away, and the New has come. And how do we come to partake in the New Covenant which was ratified in Christ’s blood? Not by physical birth, but by a new birth, by which we have been enabled to believe and to confess that Jesus is Lord and Christ. 

But we do have positive laws of our own in this New Covenant era. And just as circumcision mattered greatly to Abraham and to his descendents, these positive laws should matter greatly to us. There are two for us — baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Let us be sure to observe them carefully, faithfully and with reverence. If you have faith in Christ I ask you, have you been baptized upon profession of faith? I suppose that some might say, what does it matters? It is just a ceremony. It is just a sign. And while I agree that being dipped under the water is, by itself, a morally neutral activity, baptism is of great importance to the Christian. For Christ has commanded that his disciples be baptized. By it the New Covenant people of God are marked off as his own in the world. And something similar might be said about the Lord’s Supper. Let us be careful, faithful and reverent when partaking of these signs which Christ, the  Lord of the church, has instituted.

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Abraham’s Obedience

Two things have been observed thus far: One, the promises of God previously made to Abram are here restated, clarified and expanded. And two, in this passage the law of circumcision was added to the promises previously made. The third and final observation is this — and this will be very brief — Abraham obeyed. 

Look at verses 22: “When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 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. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised.” (Genesis 17:22–26, ESV)

That must have been quite a day in Abraham’s household. Certainly there were hundreds of men — probably over 400 men — who where a part of his clan by this time who needed to be circumcised on that day. I wonder what they thought? It must have been quite aa scene. It was certainly a bloody scene (which I think is significant in an of itself). But the point is this: Abraham  believed and he obeyed, and so did those who were with him. 

Application: I wonder, are you prepared to live in obedience to God even when doing so seems strange to those looking in from the outside. Are you willing to obey when obedience to God is uncomfortable or unpopular? Abraham must of felt this pressure, and yet he obeyed. 

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Conclusion

Abraham obeyed because he believed. He believed in the promises of God. His faith was in God and the Christ who come from his loins. Abraham, by the grace of God, was able to look past the fleshly and the earth to see the heavenly, spiritual and eternal things they signified. He did not just see land, offspring and a bloody sign. He saw Christ. And he saw the new heavens and the new earth which would be purchased by him. “For he [Abram] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” May we have the faith of Abraham, and my that faith be accompanied by the obedience of Abraham as well.