The Covenant Between God and Abraham’s Descendants

Genesis 17:1-14

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” (Genesis 17:1-2)

Ten years after he came to Canaan, God had specifically promised that his natural born son would be the heir, and counted Abram‘s belief for righteousness, imposing no conditions. Fourteen years later, after Abram had sinned with Hagar in an attempt to make it happen, God offered to make a covenant or solemn agreement with Abram. The agreement was to based on Abram’s walk before God as the Almighty one. He starts out with what God is offering to do for Abram and his family.

“And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:3-8)

God had already made a covenant to give Abram’s descendants the land, but now he offers to make it a permanent possession. The covenant will not just be with Abram, but with his family as well if they will make God their God. Abram would no longer be known as a Father, but as Abraham, ‘a father of nations’. Various nations and kingdoms would result from Abram’s family. In exchange God required certain actions from Abram and his descendants.

“And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:9-14)

As an evidence or token of their acceptance of God's promise, each male was to be circumcised. Anyone who was not circumcised was to be separated from his people as having rejected God’s covenant.

Romans 3 stresses that Abram received his righteousness long before he was circumcised, showing that God’s promise is not dependent on circumcision, but making it clear that it was critical for taking part in the daily life of God’s people. Baptism in the New testament serves the same purpose. We can receive Salvation without being baptized but failure to be baptized separates us from the fellowship of the church. We are essentially cut off from our people. Circumcision is meaningless without belief, as Paul explains in Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Mark 16:16 makes it clear the same is true about baptism. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”