Genesis 17

 

 

Bible Gateway Genesis 17 NIV link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=17&version=31

 

Isaac is the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. God has been promising Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (incidentally, though it is disputed in some circles, it is generally accepted that Abraham means father of many nations) In the previous chapter we saw that Sari (Now Sarah, meaning woman of high rank) tried to force that to come about by having Abraham father a child by her mistress. The result was Ishmael. God follows his own plan not ours. The son that would be the beginning of the Covenant would be the son that was promised to Abraham by God the day that God made a covenant with Abraham. Thus Isaac would be the chosen one.

 

Let us not forget to acknowledge that even in the midst of all of this blessing, Abraham does not forget about his son Ishmael, he asks God for blessings to be bestowed on Ishmael. God recognizes the prayer, and promises to make Ishmael prosperous. The point being here is an example of God listening to prayers and answering them. God is truly a promise keeper, but as these two chapters show, and as I stated yesterday, we have to wait for the Lord and not force it. It is not a matter of if the Lord hears our prayers, or if he will make his promises come about. It is always a matter of us having patience, and looking for the answer, not making an answer happen that works for us.

 

We might also use this chapter as an example of the fact that even though we do not always wait on the Lord. Even thought we run ahead in a hurry, and force things to happen; the Lord still blesses us. (of course this excludes anything that would break the laws of God, or cause us to turn our backs on God) HE still will keep his promises. We may not get it exactly right the first time, but the Lord will lead us on his path. He loves us……. flaws and all.

 

 

Peace,

Brian