Faith in God – Genesis 17-18

“When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God. Walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 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. 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.’” Genesis 17:1-8

99 years old! The Lord appears to him! Gives him a new name! “You shall be a father of many nations.” “Kings shall come from you.” God shall make him exceedingly fruitful. God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants to be their God.

Someone in the human race had to be the recipient of Messiah’s family line. God had told Eve that her Seed, meaning one of her descendants, would crush the serpent’s head. God chose Abram’s family line. This choosing had to do with God’s grace and not Abram’s achievements or resume. God wanted to bring people from all languages, tribes and nations to His heavenly kingdom. Abram’s life and the life of his descendants would be a part of Messiah’s story leading up to His birth.

In Deuteronomy 7:7, the Lord spoke to Israel through His servant Moses, saying, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples.” The Lord gave to Abram and his descendants the privilege to know Him, hear His voice, and to be the people through whom His Word is revealed and demonstrated.

Abram means, “father of people.” Abraham means, “father of many people.” Abraham eventually had eight biological sons. He had one son by Hagar, one son by Sarah, and six sons by Keturah. See Genesis 16:1–4; 21:1–3; 25:1, 6, for the details. But in the New Testament we learn that the many people are connected to one very special Son Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:7 states that “those who have faith are children of Abraham.” All who trust in Christ, as Zacchaeus did in Luke 19:9, become true sons of Abraham. Romans 4:16, “The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring . . . to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.”

It is in Christ that we have an everlasting covenant with God that shall not be broken. Christ’s covenant is everlasting because it is based on His perfect righteousness not our righteousness which is like filthy rags. In Matthew 26:26-28, on the night in which He was betrayed, “Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

It is through Abraham’s one descendant, Jesus Christ, that all people have the opportunity to know and walk with God. It is in Christ that God blesses and makes us fruitful. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” It is in Christ that the meek inherit the earth.

“And God said to Abraham: ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you, and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 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; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 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. 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. 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.’” Genesis 17:9-14

Circumcision was a symbol of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. It was the outward sign of the inward transformation that needed to take place within each man’s heart. For example, Jeremiah 4:4 says, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts.” Paul wrote in Romans 2:29, “He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” The physical act of circumcision had no merit unless it was followed up by the spiritual circumcision of the heart, that is, submission of one’s will to the will of God by His Spirit.

In the New Covenant that Jesus made with His disciples, He did not mention circumcision. He called them to baptize converts in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus, baptism becomes the symbolic parallel of circumcision, representing the same truth: the need for God to remove one’s sin and to give the believer a new heart that loves God and his/her neighbor.

“Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 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.’ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old? And shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘O, that Ishmael might live before You!’” Genesis 17:15-18

Sarai means “my princess” or “my lady” as to one person. Sarah means “princess” or “noblewoman” signifying her new role as mother of nations.

Abraham falls on his face and laughs at the idea of a 100 year old man having a baby with a 90 year old wife. He suggests that God just bring the promise about through Hagar’s son Ishmael. Abraham’s reaction to God’s prophetic word is the kind of human reaction that happens when we wrongly believe that the responsibility is on us to make God’s promise come to pass. Our part is not to be God or help God. Our part is to trust God.

In Galatians 4:22-31, Paul speaks of Hagar as a slave and Sarah as a freewoman. He says that Hagar’s son was born of the flesh, but Sarah’s by the promise. In other words, Ishmael is the offspring of a work of humanity trying to fulfill God’s promise apart from him. Isaac is the offspring of a work of God that was miraculous and that only God could do in Sarah by His grace.

Paul also relates Hagar to Mount Sinai where the Law was given. The Jews tried to reach God by the works of the Law but could not due to imperfect obedience. They were in bondage to sin. Paul relates Sarah to Jerusalem from above. It is impossible for Sarah to have a baby. She needs a miracle from God above to fulfill God’s commission. Thus, Sarah’s good work originates with God and is achieved by God’s power despite the deadness of her womb. In a sense, her birthing of Isaac foreshadows Resurrection Day, when a living Son, Christ, came forth from a tomb.

“Then God said: ‘No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget 12 princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.’ Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.” Genesis 17:19-22

The name Isaac means “laughter.” God had the last laugh. He did what was impossible. He brought forth a living son from a dead womb. In John 11:25, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” Think of this! When we die, we cannot resurrect ourselves. Only God can do that! May God graciously grant us faith to always believe in His great power to do what is impossible for us.

“So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.” Genesis 17:23-27

Abraham’s faith in God moved him to do what God asked him to do.

Martin Luther described faith, saying, “Faith is God’s work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn’t stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing.” [1]

“Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, ‘My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.’ They said, ‘Do as you have said.’” Genesis 18:1-5

Here, Abraham is resting under the shade of a tree during the heat of the day. The Lord appears to him in the form of three men. Abraham addresses this threesome as “My Lord.” He asks for grace to be able to serve them including providing water for them to wash their feet, providing for them a place to rest as well as feeding them. The Lord grants his request.

“So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, ‘Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.’ And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.” Genesis 18:6-8

Genesis 14:14 says that Abraham had 318 servants born in his household. Yet, he sprung up from his resting position, asked Sarah to make cakes (more like bread than cakes). He personally selected a calf from his herd and ordered it to be prepared for his guests. He adds butter and milk to the mix. He stands by them like a servant while they eat.

“Then they said to him, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ So, he said, ‘Here, in the tent.’ And He said, ‘I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.’ (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ But Sarah denied it, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ for she was afraid. And He said, ‘No, but you did laugh!’” Genesis 18:9-15

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” When we believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord, everything changes. Suddenly, all kinds of possibilities open up to us. In the Bible, the Lord rained down bread from heaven and multiplied a few loaves of bread into enough bread to feed thousands. He brought money out of the mouth of a fish to pay His and Peter’s taxes. He stopped a killer storm with a word. He healed diseases instantaneously. Faith in the Lord makes way for mobility and great exploits to be accomplished.

Sarah did not believe the Lord but because this miracle originated with God’s plan to bring Messiah through her family line, He still brought it about. I am thankful for the many times God has brought about His plans for my life despite my weak faith in Him. God is love.

Abraham is a type of Israel in that he waited a long time for the child of promise to be born. His child Isaac was the outcome of a long-awaited miraculous birth. Many prophets foretold the birth of a Savior, but thousands of years passed before He (Jesus) was born. Jesus was the outcome of a miraculous birth. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary.

“Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.’ And the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’” Genesis 18:16-21

After a bit of internal consideration, God elected to give Abraham a prophetic word about Sodom’s future. It is a weighty matter to be entrusted with a word from God about the destruction of a city and a people. God doesn’t carelessly share such info with just anyone.

The Lord said that He had known Abraham so that Abraham would command his children and household to keep the Lord’s ways. Abraham taught them what was right and how to act justly because he knew the Lord. Abraham discipled his children and his servants. God gave blessings and revelations to Abraham. Thus, Abraham understood that God was going to destroy both Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the 50 righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ So the Lord said, ‘If I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.’ Then Abraham answered and said, ‘Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the 50 righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?’ So, He said, ‘If I find there 45, I will not destroy it.’ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, ‘Suppose there should be 40 found there?’ So, He said, ‘I will not do it for the sake of 40.’ Then he said, ‘Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose 30 should be found there?’ So, He said, ‘I will not do it if I find 30 there.’ And he said, ‘Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose 20 should be found there?’ So, He said, ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of 20.’ Then he said, ‘Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose 10 should be found there?’ And He said, ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of 10.’ So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.” Genesis 18:22-33

After receiving the promise of a long-awaited child, we find Abraham interceding for righteous people that they would not perish with the wicked. The Lord was about to destroy the city of Sodom because of their wickedness. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived there. So, Abraham interceded for Sodom. Oh, that we all would pray so fervently for the souls of others.

God helped Abraham to forgive Lot. Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom. Lot’s workers had previously strove with Abraham’s workers. Even so, Abraham asked the Lord to spare Sodom even if only ten righteous people lived there. Surely, Lot, his family and his servants were more than ten people. Sadly, Lot’s servants are not mentioned after their city’s destruction. What happened to them?

Lot chose the “best” land and left his uncle with the “lesser” property. Now, Abraham has 318 servants. Lot has none. Abraham chose love over possessions and ended up with both.

Though there were not ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord did send angels to get Lot’s family out before the fire fell. This was God’s answer to Abraham’s prayer.

Faith is powerful even in our old age. Faith depends on God Almighty’s unlimited power. When Abraham chose faith in God over the best land, he made the best choice.



[1] An excerpt from “An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” Luther’s German Bible of 1522 by Martin Luther, 1483-1546