Genesis 17 Series

Genesis 17

Sunday Morning Bible Study

February 25, 2007

Introduction

Back in Genesis 15, after Abram had turned down the wealth of Sodom, God told Abram that He would be Abram’s reward. Abram reminded God that there was still a little problem about babies. Abram didn’t have a son, he didn’t have a proper heir. God promised Abram that he would have a child from his own body to be an heir.

In Genesis 16, we were reminded that God still hadn’t kept His promise to Abram. Sarai came up with a way to make things happen. She had an Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, and encouraged Abram to take Hagar as a second wife. Abram didn’t seem to have a problem with that arrangement. When Hagar got pregnant, she started getting cocky and began to give Sarai a difficult time. Sarai kicked Hagar out of the house and pregnant Hagar started to make her way back to Egypt when The Angel of the Lord stopped her and sent her back. The baby boy was born and named “Ishmael”.

:1-8 Renewed covenant, new name

:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,

It’s now been close to fifteen years since God last spoke to Abram.

:1 "I am Almighty God;

Almighty God – El Shaddai – this is the first time this name is used for God.

:1 walk before Me and be blameless.

walk before Me – literally, “walk before My face”, walk in His presence.

blameless – tamiym – (KJV – “perfect”) The word does not mean “sinless”. It means “single-hearted, wholly devoted to the Lord.” It describes what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact. We call this “integrity.

Lesson

Integrity

The Romans coined a word “sin-cere”, which literally meant “without wax”. When you walked into the market place and wanted to buy something from the merchant selling pottery or things carved out of stone, you would ask if it was “sin-cere”, “without wax”. Some unethical merchants would take damaged pottery or broken statues and repair them with wax. In the early morning light you couldn’t tell that the big clay pot had a large crack in it. You couldn’t tell that the statue had an arm that was previously broken. But if you took the pot home and let it sit in the hot afternoon sun, the wax would melt and your new pot didn’t hold water. Your statue’s arms might fall off.

Integrity, sincerity means that you aren’t phony. It means that what people see is what they get. It means that you are exactly like you pretend to be.

Jesus often warned about hypocrisy.

(Mat 15:7-8 NKJV) "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: {8} ’These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

The word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word used to describe an “actor”. It was someone who played a part, someone who pretended to be something they weren’t.

God doesn’t want to be represented by phonies.

(Rom 12:9 NKJV) Let love be without hypocrisy.

How do I stop being a phony?

Admit the truth of who you are. Ask God to change you. Be the real you.

:2 "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

:3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

Abram – ‘Abram – “exalted father”

Abraham – ‘Abraham – “father of a multitude”

:6 "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

:7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

:8 "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

The “covenant” with Abraham not only included children, but also the land. God promised that the land of Canaan would belong to Abraham.

:9-14 Sign of the covenant: Circumcision

: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;