The Joys Of Walking With God
Genesis 17
Today’s society thrives on big events, speed, noise, movement, and drama. But it is not hyperactivity that troubles us - it’s quietness.
Solitude is often considered boring, a waste of time.
Mistakenly, we suppose that walking with God is a quick, easily acquired discipline. And we fail to give ourselves permission for leisure and time alone with God.
Abram would not understand our shallow relationships with God.
His vigorous faith catapulted him into:
1) Arduous foreign travel (Genesis 12-14)
2) A military campaign (ch. 14)
3) A covenant with God (ch. 15)
4) He even struggles in understanding the promise of God (ch. 16).
5) But through it all he had close relationship with God.
I. We Must Learn To Wait On God (Genesis 17:1-2)
A. Silently - (v.1a)
Genesis 17:1-2 (NLT) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. (2) I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
Thirteen years of silence lie sandwiched between chapters 16-17.
Abram, like anybody who lives a life of trust in the Lord, experienced periods of waiting like this - sometimes long ones - between notably significant events.
But God was there. He was working. He was just quiet. God is at work in our lives too - even in silent times.
God re-affirms His commitments to Abram. His promises are still true. He wasn’t forgotten- even though the long silence may have, at times, led him to believe otherwise.
Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."
She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, "Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all." So he sat back down.
They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. "Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?" She said, "I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet."
Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, "In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?" And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, according to Paul Harvey, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
El = powerful
Shaddai – almighty
This is a double emphasis on how powerful and mighty God is.
Shaddai is translated ’almighty’, but the root of the word is actually ’breast!’ In the sense of nourishment and supply.
So the two words combine to mean God, mighty to nourish and supply
And the name is given in the context of
- Abram’s weakness, frailty! (99!).
- Exalted father (but father of none!)
- Abram and Sarai’s inability to conceive
And the one true God shows up and says ’I am God the almighty provider and nourisher! And your name is Abraham because you are going to father a multitude and this whole land will produce fruit for you!"
It is this revelation that changes his name and nature! From Abram to Abraham.
II. Walking with God (Genesis 17:3-27)
Genesis 17:3-8 (NLT) At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, (4) “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! (5) What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. (6) I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! (7) “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
God told Abram to "walk before me" - the same command He gives believers today. But what does it mean to walk before, or with God?
A. What it includes.
From this passage we learn at least four ingredient of walking with God.
1. Being quiet so God can speak (vv. 3-8).
When God speaks - through His Word, through our hearts -we need to listen.
When God appears to Abram, Abram closes his mouth and opens his ears.
God reassures him. God not only reaffirms His covenant, He also changes Abram’s name to Abraham and reminds his of a Promised Land for his descendants (vv. 2,5,8).
In the busy-ness of life – we need to stop and quiet our spirits.
We need quality and quantity time with God.
Abram is now changed to Abraham, meaning - "Exalted Father."
God is always taking insignificant people like you and me and uses us beyond our greatest expectations (Psalm 113:5-9, Ephesians 3:20).
Psalms 113:5-9 (NLT) Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? (6) He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. (7) He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. (8) He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! (9) He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!
Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
2. Listening for specific directions (Gen. 17:9-14)
Genesis 17:9-14 (NLT) Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. (10) This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. (11) You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. (12) From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased. (13) All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant. (14) Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant.”
Because Abraham listens closely to God, he learns how he and his children will receive a mark of distinction that will set them apart as God’s special people.
See vv. 10-11. Circumcision is the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham.
Like the Israelites, Christians also have an identifying mark. The Holy Spirit is given as a seal to all who trust Jesus as their personal Savior.
Ephesians 1:12-14 (NLT) God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. (13) And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. (14) The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
As a rancher brands his cattle to show ownership, so God seals us with the Holy Spirit to mark us as His own.
3. Wrestling for understanding (Genesis 17:15-21).
Genesis 17:15-21 (NLT) Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. (16) And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.” (17) Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” (18) So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!” (19) But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. (20) As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. (21) But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.”
Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense to us. It certainly didn’t to Abraham. Even though God had reiterated his promises over and over - the thought of his 99 year old wife puts him into stitches.
Thank God, that God is patient - he patiently repeats His promise - Abraham finally understands.
Notice that "Sarai" (my princess) now becomes "Sarah" (princess). She would not only be the wife of Abraham, but the princess of an entire nation. (v.15)
4. Obeying swiftly and thoroughly (vv. 22-27).
Genesis 17:22-27 (NLT) When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham. (23) On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him. (24) Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, (25) and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen. (26) Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day, (27) along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.
Walking with God is not a passive, dreamy experience. It requires praying listening, and sometimes wrestling for understanding.
B. How It Helps
Our walk with God matures when we heed wise counsel. Notice the following truths...
1. The discipline of silence increases our sensitivity to God.
Insensitivity to God is bred by a high-paced lifestyle. We live in a fast-paced, noisy world. In silence, we learn to change our thoughts by exposing them to God.
We need to cultivate quietness and put aside distracting thoughts.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT) We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. (4) We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. (5) We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
2. Understanding God’s heart decreases our anxiety.
3. Obeying submissively proves our humility. (James 4:6-10)
James 4:6-10 (NLT) But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” (7) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (9) Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
III. God’s Response To Our Walking With God
Walking with God leads to many pleasant surprises. Here are a couple...
A. God delights in our obedient response.
Hanani, the prophet of God, was sent to a Judean king, Asa, to rebuke him for making an alliance with a foreign king instead of relying on God for deliverance.
Hanani’s words help to understand about obedience.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…
Our obedience to him inspires his full support!
B. God relieves us of numerous disappointments.
Isaiah’s words to the captive Israelites reflect God’s desire to keep His people from regret –
Isaiah 48:17-18 (NLT) This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. (18) Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
Life’s torrential dilemmas are resolved into peaceful rivers when we obey God. He gives us His full support.
