FLIP SIDE OF COVENANT
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Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, whatever this day holds for me, thank you that I am your handiwork. Use your Word to encourage me in going the good works you have prepared for me.
Read GENESIS 17:1–16
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty[a]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram[b]; your name will be Abraham,[c] for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 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. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, 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. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
- Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Where do you see God’s faithfulness to his promises, even in the face of mankind’s unfaithfulness?When God made his covenant with Abram in chapter 15, Abram was passive. As the covenant was ritually sealed, Abram was in a deep sleep and covered with ‘a thick and dreadful darkness.’ The covenant was entirely God’s initiative.
However, a covenant is between two parties and here we see Abram’s side. This involved the rite of circumcision for Abram and a change of name for him (v. 5) and Sarai (v. 15). Many societies practice circumcision as a transition into manhood. Abram’s circumcision does not say, ‘I have arrived.’ It was a sign of the everlasting covenant God had made with him (v. 11).
Through Jesus, we have a ‘new covenant’ with God (Luke 22:20). Again, this is entirely God’s initiative (e.g., Ephesians 2:1–5). The Old and New Testaments are consistent: in mercy, kindness, and unmerited grace, God takes the initiative. However, there is a human side to the covenant, which is faith. The New Testament emphasizes that God always engages with humanity in this way (see Romans 4). As Christians we can be ‘ministers of the new covenant’ (2 Corinthians 3:6), having a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), sharing God’s initiative, and inviting others into a covenant relationship with him.
Apply
Where do you see God leading you in ministry? Do you need to ask him for new directions and opportunities?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Lord God, that because of your great love, when I was dead in my trespasses, you extended mercy and grace; you made me alive with Christ.
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