God Spoke To Him
Opening Prayer
Ask God to enable you to feel his presence with you and speak to you from his Word.
Read Genesis 17:1-14
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[1] When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; 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; your name will be Abraham, 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.” Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What great promises did the Lord make to Abraham?Our Creator is well beyond the reach of our human ability to imagine or describe. His thoughts, actions and purposes are mysterious, awesome and complex beyond belief. And yet he deals with us on our own level. The grand story of creation, fall, redemption and new creation all happens in the dirt of the earth, on our scale, in our reality. So here we have the initiation of a rescue plan that involves a conversation between God and an elderly man. As the man begins the interaction he is called Abram (“exalted father”); he ends it with a new name, Abraham (“father of many”; v. 5). God wishes to make an agreement, a covenant that will bind him to his people–and them to him–forever (7). Its sign will be male circumcision (10). As followers of Christ, we are descendants of Abraham in fulfillment of this promise (7). God Almighty, El Shaddai, is our God. He takes our humanity so seriously, in fact, that he still meets us right where we are and talks to us by name. What is our role in this story?
Apply
Pray that the Lord will show you what it means to walk faithfully and blamelessly–and help you do it.
Closing prayer
Lord God, I thank You that You know my name and want me to walk in fellowship with You today.
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