God’s Power, Honor and Wisdom
Genesis 17
Preached by L. Going at WACC May 21, 2000
Living by faith is a journey, a pilgrimage. But not so much a journey from one geographic point to another. Rather it is a journey in a relationship, a relationship between you and the Lord. You enter into that relationship with Him when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And you journey with Him and He with you as you continue to trust Him by exercising faith in Him and His word.
Such exercise of your faith leads to growth in faith. That is you learn to trust Him more and more, as well as learn more of Him. Abram had been walking by faith for 25 years. His journey like yours consisted in ups and downs, in disappointments and successes, in failure and obedience. Yet he clung in faith to the Lord and to the promises the Lord had made, which were pledged to him in the Covenant the Lord had made or cut with Abram (see Genesis 15).
In chapter 17 of Genesis Moses gives us the account of when the Lord began to fulfill His covenant promises to Abram. Even here Abram learns more about God’s nature and glory and more about what it means to trust Him- to live by faith in God’s Word. What he learns is timeless and applies to us today.
- Living by faith means that you come to know and trust in the power of God.
El Shaddai is the name by which the Lord revealed himself to the Patriarchs. Most English version translates the name as God Almighty. The word shaddai denotes omnipotence, power, or resourcefulness. The Lord reveals this attribute of his glory to particularly underscore the fact that He alone has the sufficient resources to fulfill what he promises, even when our situation or circumstances seem to make the fulfillment of his covenant promises impossible.
You like Abram are in covenant with God in Christ. In Jesus Christ, El Shaddai is your God. The essence of the Covenant of Grace is the relationship we have with God. “I will be your God and you will be my people.” God has graciously opened that relationship to you. You did not deserve it. Neither could you earn it. As you trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins you were given covenant status and standing with God. With that Covenant relationship God has made promises to you. The promises are found in Scripture. The Bible is the document of the covenant. You have the privilege to claim and hold on to these promises. They are not insignificant. They are in fact amazing and wonderful. They are quite simply supernatural. They include such promises as God’s presence to sustain you during difficult times, promise of grace to enable you to persevere and the promise of eternal life.
These promises God has covenanted to keep on your behalf. He intends to honor them and keep His Word. He is Yahweh, the God who is faithful and keeps covenant. But the question arises, is he able, what about his power and strength? Can God deliver the goods?
The text before us gives a resounding yes! For the God who has promised is Yahweh who has made not only His covenant with Abram but has brought that covenant to fulfillment for your sake in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is El Shaddai. God Almighty
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”
El Shaddai describes the Lord’s power to keep his word and to fulfill His promises even in the face of obstacles. He is getting ready to do just that with Abram.
“I will confirm my covenant between me and you.” Genesis 17:2
He is not making the covenant. That was already done in Genesis 15. He is now about to confirm it by giving to Abram a son. The only thing the Lord says to Abram at this point is “I will multiply you exceedingly.” The Lord is about to fulfill his covenant promise. At this point Abram still does not know the details. Nevertheless upon hearing this Abram falls down on his face in worship and the Lord then reiterates the promises.
“As for me,” says the Lord this is what I will do.
- Abram would be a father of a multitude. The Lord changes his name as a pledge that this will be so. He is now Abraham, the father of multitudes. This is ultimately fulfilled through the descendants of Abraham who evidence the faith of Abraham.
- He would be the God of Abraham’s descendants. The covenant will be extended to them. All who have faith in Jesus Christ are the people of God.
- He would give the Abraham to whole land of Canaan. Ultimately this is fulfilled in the heavens and the earth made new.
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Romans 4:13
Do you really believe that God is able to confirm what he promises?
Again El shaddai signifies that God is all mighty to confirm what he has promised. A caller to a Christian radio talk show was having problems. The speaker told the caller, “Our God is the God of the impossible, trust Him.” Well our faith and comfort in times of trouble does not rest on the God of the impossible or on what God’s secret will is. Our faith is in El Shaddai, the God who has the power to keep His word despite the obstacles we perceive. Look first to the clear promises of God, then to the All Mighty God who stands behind them.
This is what Paul meant in Romans 8. Living by faith involves trusting in the power of God or more correctly the God of all power who graciously is able to confirm his promises.
- Living by faith also means that we come to honor God Almighty by the obedience of faith.
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. 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 circumcised; 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. 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. 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. 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."
Not only does God’s covenant include promises but also commands, standards and terms by which we are to live. This covenant was given to Abraham by God’s grace. He entered it through faith and now that faith was to be evidenced by obedience.
“As for you.” Jesus who is El Shaddai is not only your Savior; he is also your Lord. You are not only saved by the covenant ratified in his blood; you are brought out of one kingdom into another.
The physical act of circumcision has no significance for us today. But the “as for you” does. There are obligations arising from your relationship with Christ. You are saved by faith alone. Yet genuine faith never remains alone but seeks to honor God by obedience.
Circumcision was a sign - a physical marking of the covenant. It signified and called to mind the promises of God. God’s mark on Abraham meant that he belonged to God and there was to be evidence of this in his life. God said to him “walk before me and be blameless.” This really was a call to a new life of holiness; a life committed to God. It was a reminder that Abraham was expected to keep the terms of the covenant by imitating the Lord in a life of holiness.
All the males in Abraham’s household were to bear this mark. This was required under the Old Covenant but even then the mark had no significance apart form faith and obedience. In fact physical circumcision pointed to a greater need for spiritual circumcision.
Deuteronomy 10:16 "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings."
This other kind of circumcision was the cutting away of the old life. Outer circumcision would call to mind the need for an inner circumcision. This need pointed to the promise of the New Covenant in which the Lord himself would by sovereign grace circumcise the heart by taking away a heart of stone and giving to us a heart of flesh on which he would inscribe his laws. He would give to us a transformed and willing heart.
Paul also taught that Abraham’s circumcision was a seal or confirmation of the righteousness he had by faith. The seal today under the new covenant is the Holy Spirit.
Living by faith means that you will endeavor to honor God by submitting to his commands. You do this not to earn a place in the covenant but you do this because you have by grace been given a place in the covenant.
- Living by faith also means that that you accept and glory in the wisdom of God.
Abraham is no doubt accepting all this with the idea that Ishmael will be the son of promise. God could do this but what Abraham is about to learn is “Not only is God’s weakness stronger that man’s strength, His foolishness is wiser that man’s wisdom.” 1 Corinthians 1:25
Genesis 17:15 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." 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?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"
Abraham’s reaction to this news was laughter. He is completely blown away by this further revelation to him of how the Lord was to actually confirm the promise of the covenant. His laughter comes from his astonishment. He does not laugh because he doubts God’s power. Rather he laughs in astonishment over the wisdom of God. He laughs with surprise over his and Sarah’s ages and physical incapacity.
His last question or request, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing,” indicates that he had some question. This was more that a simple request for God’s favor to rest on Ishmael but a request that he might be the heir, the son of Promise.
But El Shaddai is not only mighty in power but in wisdom as well. Abraham would just as soon settle for Ishmael. But living by faith means that your desires, plans and dreams must be brought in line with God’s.
Nothing is wrong with asking why (Why does He do it this way, when it would be simpler to do it another way?) as long as you humbly accept His way. For the ways of the Lord are not your ways and His thoughts are not your thoughts. Even His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom. You may laugh at his ways but you must go along with Him. Faith requires it. Isaac (he laughs) would be a constant reminder to Abraham of the wise foolishness and power El Shaddai.
Now we can see how God’s power is further set over against human weakness. Not only is Abraham almost 100, Sarah is 90 and has been barren all her life. Now in order to underscore that the fulfillment of the promise of a son was to be in no way connected with nature or human ability, God requires that Abraham undergo circumcision. From a sheer human/medical perspective such an operation might have left Abraham really incapacitated. Even viagra might not have been able to help him.
The mark of circumcision reminded the Jews that their very existence as a people was the result of God’s miraculous power. Isaiah 51:1-12
One commentator states. “They were to regard their very extraction from Abraham as being truly miraculous under the circumstances with which it occurred – as if they had been excavated or quarried out of solid rock.” See Matthew 3:9
God’s wise and gracious power is displayed to Abraham and Sarah in giving them the ability to have a son. But there is more. This fact serves as a picture of the power of God that is available to you. The real life of the covenant of grace is in the promise “I will be your God.” God can really promise no more that that He will be God to us.
The ultimate fulfillment of this promise is not in the birth of Isaac but in the birth of the greater Isaac, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him Abraham and Sarah become the father and mother of the nations.
In the Gospel we see the wise and gracious power of God displayed. For the Gospel is the power of God for your salvation. This is by grace. It is not by human works or strength. The only response you can have to the offer of the Covenant of grace is faith in Christ. Faith magnifies God wise and gracious power, because it is our total dependence upon El Shaddai.
God’s covenant grace is not just his favor toward you. It is His power at work in you. The redeeming work of God is always set over against human power and wisdom. S.G. De Graaf “The work of redemption runs counter to all human expectations. The Lord uses it to show that He is indeed God Almighty. Do we believe in that miracle (the Work of Christ) God chose to perform in order to redeem the world? If so, God will also perform the miracle of turning your death into life. The life we received at birth is death before God, for we do not want God’s love. But he plants another life within us, a life that drives us to seek Him.” Now that is power – gracious power.
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Sermon Series
Living in the Power of the Promise
(A study of the Life of Abraham)