Genesis 17:1-27

Genesis 17: 1-27 (GNT)

Introduction

Genesis 17: 1-27: The LORD promises to give Abram many descendants, and
changes his name to Abraham. The name "Abraham" is a form of Abram that is
similar to a Hebrew word meaning "father of many." God also changes Sarai's
name to Sarah. Both "Sarai" and "Sarah" mean "princess." This name
emphasizes that Sarah would be the mother of Israel's rulers. God promises
that she will have a son.

Today's reading,

1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,
I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. 2I will make my
covenant with you and give you many descendants. 3Abram bowed down with his
face touching the ground, and God said, 4I make this covenant with you: I
promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5Your name will no
longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many
nations. 6I will give you many descendants, and some of them will be kings.
You will have so many descendants that they will become nations. 7I will
keep my promise to you and to your descendants in future generations as an
everlasting covenant. I will be your God and the God of your descendants.
8I will give to you and to your descendants this land in which you are now
a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan will belong to your descendants
forever, and I will be their God. 9God said to Abraham, You also must
agree to keep the covenant with me, both you and your descendants in
future generations. 10You and your descendants must all agree to
circumcise every male among you. 11-12From now on you must circumcise
every baby boy when he is eight days old, including slaves born in your
homes and slaves bought from foreigners. This will show that there is a
covenant between you and me. 13Each one must be circumcised, and this will
be a physical sign to show that my covenant with you is everlasting. 14Any
male who has not been circumcised will no longer be considered one of my
people, because he has not kept the covenant with me. 15God said to
Abraham, You must no longer call your wife Sarai; from now on her name is
Sarah. 16I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless
her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings
among her descendants. 17Abraham bowed down with his face touching the
ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, Can a man have a child when
he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety? 18He asked
God, Why not let Ishmael be my heir? 19But God said, No. Your wife Sarah
will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac. I will keep my covenant
with him and with his descendants forever. It is an everlasting covenant.
20I have heard your request about Ishmael, so I will bless him and give
him many children and many descendants. He will be the father of twelve
princes, and I will make a great nation of his descendants. 21But I will
keep my covenant with your son Isaac, who will be born to Sarah about this
time next year. 22When God finished speaking to Abraham, he left him. 23On
that same day Abraham obeyed God and circumcised his son Ishmael and all
the other males in his household, including the slaves born in his home
and those he had bought. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was
circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen. 26They were both
circumcised on the same day, 27together with all of Abraham's slaves.

God bless you.

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Prayer

Matthew 5:23-24