Genesis Lesson 10
YOU WILL BE THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS
Genesis 16:1-17:27
Key verse 17:4
What reasonable solution did Sarai suggest to the heir problem (1-3)? What was the issue? What problem did Hagar’s pregnancy create for Abram’s family (4)? How did Abram and Sarai deal with it (5-6)?
How did God resolve the issue between Sarai and Hagar (7-9)? What did God promise Hagar (10-12)? Through this what did Hagar realize about God (13-14)? Think about God who watches over us. When was Ishmael born to Abram (15-16)?
When did God appear to Abram (1a)? What was Abram’s life like at this point (17-18)? How did God rebuke Abram (1b)? Why did God reveal himself as God Almighty? What did God’s words mean, ‘Walk before me and be blameless’ (Ge 15:6)?
What did God’s covenant with Abram promise (2-4,6,8a)? What was the purpose of it (7-8)? What did it mean for God to give Abram the new name Abraham? And about what God wanted for Abraham?
What was the sign of the covenant that Abraham and his descendants had to keep (9-12)? What did it mean to be circumcised (13-14)? Think about the spiritual meaning of circumcision (Ro 2:28-29; Dt 30:6).
Why did God change Sarai’s name to Sarah (15-16)? Why did Abraham laugh at this (17-18)? What specific promise did God give Abraham (19-22)? When was Abraham circumcised (23-27)? What does this act say about Abraham’s faith?
Genesis Lesson 10
YOU WILL BE THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS
Genesis 16:1-17:27
Key Verse 17:4,5
"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of
many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will
be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
In the previous lesson we learned the nature of faith. Faith is establishing a right relationship with God; trusting and relying on God completely. Faith is believing that God can do what is impossible. It is believing that I cannot do it but God can. Against all hope, Abraham, in hope, believed. When he was in despair, the revelation of the gospel came to him, and he opened his spiritual eyes and learned the secret of the gospel. Then God credited his faith as righteousness. Abraham did not do anything in his deeds to become righteous; he became righteous through his faith. However, his inner person did not change, even after he had gained righteousness through faith. He was still self-centered and he still lived for his own dream. Abraham made a critical mistake in chapter 16, even after his faith had been credited as righteousness before God. Despite his mistake and his weakness, God established a covenant with him and revealed God’s great vision for him. Through today’s passage we pray to learn about the great vision God has.
God is the One who Sees (16:1-16)
In Chapter 15, Abram is described as a believing person. But in Chapter 16 he is called an unbelieving person. In Chapter 15, Abram believes God in an impossible situation, but in Chapter 16 he sees the impossibility of the situation rather than God and listens to his wife rather than to God. In Chapter 15, Abram follows the Spirit, but in Chapter 16, he follows his own sinful desires. In Chapter 15, Abram encounters problems, but in Chapter 16 it is Sarai who does. Ten years had already passed since God had promised Abram a son, and there was still no hint of fulfillment of God’s promise (3b). Sarai became impatient. She became weak in faith and could not persevere. She thought that not to have a baby was a very disgraceful thing. Then she made a very difficult decision. She followed the general custom of her time and gave her maid Hagar to Abram as a concubine. She thought that this would not cause any problems, since Hagar legally belonged to her. Her suggestion seemed acceptable to Abram because it was not contrary to God’s promise in Genesis 15:4, which reads, “But a son coming from your own body will be your heir." This suggestion, however, did not come from God but from a human being. We reap what we sow. If we sow to please our sinful nature, from that nature we reap destruction (Gal 6:7-8). Abram no doubt listened to his wife because he also was tired of waiting. Adam made a critical mistake by listening to his wife (Ge 3:17); so, also, did Abram make a critical mistake by listening to his wife. Spiritually speaking, a wife can make a mistake by failing to function as a suitable helper. A husband also can be mistaken if he listens to his wife thoughtlessly. A wife can be a precious helper to her husband, but at the same time she can be a terrible disaster for him.
The problem of Abram and Sarai is that they could not wait long enough. Since they began with faith, they should have been patient to the end, waiting for God’s time. Instead, rather than continuing to believe in God’s promise, they resorted to human methods. Lack of patience produces unbelief. In our spiritual life, patience is very important. When we do not persevere, our problems multiply. Hebrews 10:36 reads, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Abram must have thought that he had waited enough, but God’s time had not yet come. God wanted Abram to wait to the end. Abram should have looked at God rather than at God’s promise. We need to learn how to see God through God’s promise. Abram waited on the Lord for 10 years, at which point, since God’s promise had still not been fulfilled, Abram decided to act on his own. Our eyes should be fixed on God in all circumstances. We should learn that God, who gave us his promises, is a great God. God cannot tell a lie (Nu 23:19), and he is not limited by time in fulfilling his promise. If we keep in mind how great God is, we can trust him to the end without doubting. God delays the fulfillment of his promise because he wants us to come to know him better. If we are not disciplined in our faith, we may easily seek our own glory or easily fall into doubt.
What was the result of their impatience and human approach to their problem? When Hagar became pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Perhaps she did not wash the dishes or clean the house, but just sat around eating delicious food and being lazy and listening to classical music for the baby. She was flaunting her big belly in front of Sarai. As her belly grew bigger, so did her pride. In this way, order in the family was disrupted; Abram’s family was in trouble. Once, the family had been peaceful and joyful, but now it was in turmoil. Sarai was sorrowful because she could not have a child. When she was despised by her own maid, she became even more sorrowful. Sarai thought that Abram was responsible for Hagar’s pride because she believed that her pride came from Abram’s excessive love (5). If Abram had taken Hagar’s side, the situation could have become worse. But Abram was wise enough to confirm a hierarchy between Sarai and Hagar, saying, "Your servant is in your hands. Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar and Hagar ran away. At that point, Abram’s family sank into complicated relationship problems. Because Abram and Sarai had not been able to wait for God, but rather had followed their human path, peace and joy in the family had vanished. Their family life was full of mistreatment, harassment, jealousy, conflicts, dispute, and sorrow. It produced not only conflicts in Abram’s family but, later on, conflicts among the Israelites and the Arabs. It became a source of international conflict.
How did God help Abram in this situation? God did not rebuke Abram but covered all of his weaknesses and mistakes. The Lord did not treat him according to the letter of the law, but with deep understanding and love. The love of God covered over the multitude of his sins (1Pe 4:8). Abram was restored through the love of God. And how did God help Hagar? The angel of the Lord appeared to her and asked, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" This was a question about Hagar’s identity. God knew that her problem was her pride. Therefore, he asked her to return to her mistress and submit to her. In this way God helped Abram and Sarai and Hagar all at once. The wisdom of God, who helps men, is marvelous.
Look at verses 10-12. It was not God’s will that Abram and Hagar have offspring, but since it had already happened, the Lord wanted to establish a gracious covenant with the child Hagar would bear. God told Hagar that her descendants would be numerous, and she should name her child “Ishmael.” The Lord revealed what kind of life Ishmael would live. Then Hagar confessed, "You are the God who sees me.” Now who is this Lord who helped Hagar?
First of all, God is the one who sees us. When we face difficult challenges we feel that God is sleeping. But God neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps 121:4). King David sang in Psalm 139:1-4, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”
Secondly, God takes care of our sufferings, sorrows and troubles. God watched over the Israelites when they were suffering as slaves in Egypt (Ex 3:16; 4:31). When Hagar fled from her mistress and reached a desert, she must have felt miserable. She may have felt that she had been deserted by everyone on earth. She must have cried abundantly because of her despair, loneliness, and sorrow. But the Lord did not ignore her. He visited her and planted hope in her heart. The Lord who watched over her was the God of grace and the God of love. Hagar obeyed God’s directions and came back to her home and gave birth to Ishmael. At that time, Abram was 86 years old.
God Called Abraham the Father of Many Nations (17:1-27)
The Bible is silent about the 13 years of Abram’s life between the last verse of Chapter 16 and the first verse of Chapter 17. It was a time of spiritual vacation and it had no meaning to Abram. During those years, Abram was in a situation where he could easily have forgotten about God’s promises. He was financially prosperous, Ishmael grew into a teenager, and the land enjoyed peace. At the same time, as Sarai became older, they had to give up their hope of having a child through Sarai. However, when God’s time drew near, the Lord visited them to remind them of his promise. Why had God not done anything for thirteen years, delaying the fulfillment of his promise? This was so that Abram might reach his ultimate limit. His body was as good as dead, since he was almost a hundred years old and Sarai's womb was also dead (Ro 4:19). It is when a man realizes his powerlessness and inability completely that God’s almighty power can be revealed. In the same way, when Abram’s body was as good as dead, the Lord God wanted to fulfill his promise. This was in order to reveal that what he was doing was based on his grace alone rather than on any of man’s deeds. Romans 4:13 reads, “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.”
When a man reaches his final limitation, God’s opportunity comes. Although God’s promise to give Abram a son seemed to have been delayed, his promise would be fulfilled, in his own time, without fail. God sent Jesus Christ to us at the right time (Gal 4:4). In the same way, Jesus will come again, at God’s time, when that time arrives. 2Peter 3:9 reads, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
We do not know what kind of life Abram lived for those 13 years, but we can guess at Abram’s spiritual condition by looking at verses 1, 17 and 18. When God told Abraham that Sarai would give him a son, he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" Abraham had suffered greatly because of not having an heir. The problem of his heir is something that he had had to solve by any means. He had had many troubles because of the matter, but by virtue of this problem he had also had continuous opportunities to wage spiritual battles and learn the secret of faith. After Ishmael was born, however, the situation changed completely. Abram no longer needed to wage spiritual battles, because his major problem, that of an heir, had been resolved. He probably tried to become a good father for Ishmael, playing football with him every day. Thus he could know a joy that he had not known in the past. Gradually he fell into a life centered around himself and his son. By becoming complacent, he forgot about God’s great vision for him and gradually became an ordinary man. Having solved his greatest life problem, his spiritual desire disappeared. Then the life of God’s mission became burdensome; he might have felt that a life of faith was too heavy for him. Outwardly, he was just fine, but inwardly, he had no spiritual desire and did not struggle spiritually. When he did not struggle spiritually he could not grow. This was a time of spiritual crisis for him.
The Lord was patient with Abram for 13 years, and then, when the critical time arrived, he appeared to Abram and rebuked him. Consider verse 1: "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.” So far, God had never rebuked Abram. Whenever Abram had made mistakes, God covered them over. The Lord had protected Abram whenever Abram needed protection, and had comforted him whenever he needed comfort, and had given him vision whenever he needed vision. But this time the Lord rebuked Abram. The words “Be blameless” do not refer to the absence of sin; they imply a blamelessness that comes through faith. Even though Abram was full of mistakes and weaknesses, God was pleased with him when he lived by faith and recognized him. But when he did not live by faith, the Lord was grieved and rebuked him.
Why, then, did the Lord say “I am God Almighty?” It was because there was unbelief in the depths of Abram’s heart. Abram thought that it was impossible for Sarai to have a child because she was very old. He must have thought that God could not make her pregnant. But God told him, “I am God Almighty.” In this way, God wanted to remove the stone of unbelief from Abram’s heart. “God Almighty” means “The One who can do anything”, “The One who fills everything” and “The One who provides for all needs.” God is the Creator who created everything out of nothing. Therefore, nothing is impossible with God. God can give a child to Sarai, although her womb was dry. God can divide the Red Sea. God can gush out streams of water from a rock, and he can make Aaron’s dry staff bud. He can heal incurable diseases and raise the dead. But we know that we cannot do certain things even if we try as hard as we can. Many people think that what is impossible for men is impossible for God, but nothing is impossible for God. Jesus said to the father of evil-spirited boy, “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mk 9:23).
God wanted to establish a covenant with Abram and bless him. So far God had told Abram five times about the covenant (Ge 12:1-3; 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:5-21). Among them, the word “covenant” was used once to draw a border line (Ge 15:8). But in Chapter 17, God uses the word “covenant” thirteen times. He uses it nine times in the form of “my covenant;” three times as “everlasting covenant” and once he says, “the covenant between you and me.” God wants to seal the covenant with Abram. “My covenant” means a covenant that God establishes by his grace, a covenant that God started and will fulfill. “Everlasting covenant” means a covenant not only for Abram’s generation but for the generations after Abram. It means that no one can cancel this covenant. God told Abram that he would give the land of Canaan as “everlasting possession.” What are the content, purpose and sign of the covenant?
First, the content of the covenant. In Chapter 17 the expression “I will” appears twelve times (2,4,5,6,7,8,16,19,20,21). This shows that everything will be done according to God’s sovereign will. It also shows that God is leading the work of salvation with his zeal. God completes work that he plans and starts. Since God is almighty, he can do it. Therefore, if God says that he will do something it is as good as done. What we need to do is to believe in God Almighty and humbly kneel down before him. When the Lord told Abram that he would establish a covenant with him, Abram fell face down. By doing this, Abram said that he would listen to God and obey his command.
Verses 4-6 show the content of the covenant between God and Abram. "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” God established Abram as a father of many nations and he would raise up many kings from him. The expression “You will be a blessing” is made more specific in the expression “You will be a father of many nations.” The idea was developed into “a kingdom of priests” in Exodus 19:6, and in the New Testament it is expressed as “a royal priesthood” (2Pe 2:9; Rev 1:5b,6). When we look at the content of the covenant between God and Abram we can see how great God’s vision for Abram was. Abram wanted to live as a noble father, respected by his own children and people around him. His desire was practical and self centered; the dream of an ordinary citizen. But God’s will for him was to become a father of many nations and serve all peoples on earth and produce many kings. God’s desire for Abram was universal and worldwide. Abram wanted to be a good man, but God wanted him to be a great man.
In the same way, God has a great vision for each of us. Philippians 2:13 reads, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” God is a great God, and he created a vast universe. God’s vision for each of us is also great. God desired Abraham to be a father of many nations and a source of blessing; in the same way, he has a great vision for us, to be a source of blessing and a father of many nations in our generation. He saved the slave nation Israel and called them his kingdom of priests and a holy nation; similarly, he wants to save us from the power of sin and Satan and use us as a holy nation and a royal priesthood. Through us, God wants to save many souls who are dying from sin. When we think about God’s great work, his vision for each of us, our hearts pound; we are awestruck at his great vision for us. In this condition we can expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. Psalm 81:10 reads, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” God wants us to open our mouths wide. God fills our mouths as much as we open them.
Look again at verse 5. “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” God changed Abram’s name in order to make him a father of many nations. What does it mean to change his name? A name represents a person. It shows his identity. “Abram” means “a noble father” and implies an ordinary citizen. But “Abraham” means “a father of many nations,” and conjures up an image of embracing and serving all peoples on earth. In this way, by changing Abram’s name, God transformed his inner person into a new image. Figuratively speaking, the name “Abram” has the character of a small stream. But “Abraham” has the character of the Pacific Ocean. In a small stream there are many small fish, but in the Pacific Ocean there are myriad kinds of fish, from whales to shrimp. In this way, God wants Abraham to live a life of great vision from God, a vision of serving all peoples on earth. The life of mission involves pain and sacrifice, but in this life of mission there is true meaning and the fruit of the Spirit. “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” The expression “no longer” means that Abraham should live as a father of many nations, apart from how he had lived in his past life.
These days, our young people have small-scale thoughts and ideas. They even want to live the life of faith on a small scale. But God is not pleased with such a lifestyle. God does not want us to become like a house cat. God wants us to become roaring lions in the wilderness, even if those lions have to wander around to find food. God wants us to grow to be huge trees rather than plants in a greenhouse. God’s vision and hope for us is great and amazing and wondrous.
If we look at verses 15 and 16 we can see that God had the same vision for Sarai. “God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’" The word “Sarai” means “my princess.” It conjures up the image of an ordinary wife who seeks her husband’s love. But “Sarah” means “mother of many nations”; it implies embracing all peoples on earth and serving them. God does not want Sarah to be just another ordinary wife who serves her husband and raises children, but this does not mean that wives should not serve their husbands or children. They should serve them even better. The point is not to live as ordinary wives but to live as mothers of many nations. In fact, Sarah did all the practical work of raising Abram to be a father of many nations. It was because of Sarah’s help that Abraham could grow to be a father of many nations and a noble father. If Sarah had held Abraham back when Abraham wanted to live as a father of many nations, both of them would have perished. When Sarah lived as a mother of many nations, God’s plan would be prosperous in their lives.
Second, the purpose of the covenant. Consider verses 7 and 8: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." God’s purpose in establishing the covenant with Abraham appears in these verses. God wants to be the God of Abraham and the God of his descendants after him. God said, “I will be their God.” This expression shows God’s desire to restore the creation order between him and people who had been destroyed. God wants to be treated as God by all men and creatures. God is all in all (1 Co 15:28). Men should honor God and worship him and praise him. But although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him (Ro 1:21). Rather they worshipped idols. The world became evil and crooked because people did not treat God as God. However, God had mercy on people and wanted to restore spiritual order through Abraham.
Again, God said, “I will be their God.” This means that God wanted to be the God of Abraham and his descendants and all of people who live by faith. He wanted to protect them and take care of them as his own people. Indeed there are amazing blessings when we cease to be children of the devil and become children of God.
Third, the sign of the covenant. Verses 9-14 show that God wanted Abraham and his people to receive circumcision as the sign of his covenant. Circumcision is the sign of God’s everlasting covenant between God and Abraham and his descendants. God asked Abraham to circumcise everyone in his household, including many who were not his offspring, but had been born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner. Here we can see God’s salvation plan for all peoples on earth. God did not want Abraham’s descendants to become Gentiles, but he did not prohibit Gentiles from becoming believers. This means that God does not want believers to become worldly people, although he is pleased when worldly people become believers.
Circumcision has two meanings. First, it means being clean. Second, it means separation from worldly people. Circumcision has meaning of purity and sanctification. Circumcision is the sign of becoming God’s people through repentance. When circumcision had become customary, the prophets taught the Israelites the circumcision of the heart. Circumcision of the heart means repenting for one’s sins, in one’s heart, obeying God’s will and serving the Lord with all one’s heart and mind and will (Dt 30:6). Circumcision was like baptism in the New Testament period; it meant denying one’s will and living according to God’s will. It meant deciding to deny oneself the life of an ordinary man and living according to God’s great vision.
In verses 23-27, we see that on that very day Abraham circumcises himself and the others. He does not hesitate in his obedience. He obeys God, practically. There is pain in this obedience, but he bears it and immediately obeys God. In the same way we should receive circumcision of our hearts. From the bottom of our heart we should deny our self-centered thoughts and plans and live as men of mission according to God’s will. Then God will be pleased with us and raise us up as fathers of many nations and mothers of many nations. We pray that we may all grow to become fathers of many nations and mothers of many nations.