WIDE MERCY
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Opening Prayer
Gracious God, as I meditate on your Word today, speak not only to my mind, but to my heart. Show me truth in ways that change me and cause me to serve you more wholeheartedly.
Read GENESIS 17:17–27
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[a] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
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
Use Ephesians 2:4–10 to thank God for his kindness to you.Abraham might well laugh (v. 17). At the age of 99 he is ‘as good as dead’ (Hebrews 11:12). But God has not finished with him—his promise is yet to be fulfilled through a son to be born to Sarah. Can’t God see that he has a perfectly good heir in Ishmael? God seems to be driving intentionally toward the brink of impossibility. If Abraham is to be the father of faith, he must reach a point where it is ‘God or bust.’
However, in the words of the hymnwriter FW Faber, ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy’ (1854). Although God insists that his covenant will continue through Sarah’s son (v. 21), his grace and kindness can reach to Ishmael. As if not to miss this extraordinary opportunity, Abraham wastes no time in getting Ishmael circumcised, along with himself and the rest of his household, even those who came as slaves from foreigners. He wants as many as possible to be included in the covenant.
I wonder if I share God’s (and Abraham’s) instinct for generosity. Sometimes, I fear that I am like Jonah who, when he finally goes to the people of Nineveh, says resentfully, ‘I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love…’ (Jonah 4:2). He’s actually disappointed that God has been so kind!
Apply
Are there people you secretly hope will be excluded from the scope of God’s kindness? Ask God to soften your heart.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to love others, even those I may not like, with your love. Keep me ever mindful that you did not call me to yourself for any reason other than that, out of your great love, you chose to.
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