Friday, September 8, 2017

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday September 10, 2017

Over 138,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

A COVENANT AGREEMENT
(GOD’s covenant with Abraham)
(Genesis 17:1-14)

   In Genesis 17 the LORD pays a visit to a 99 year-old Abram and commands, once again, that he serve HIM faithfully, and, that he, from that point forward, live a blameless life, or as JESUS would say many years later, “Go and sin no more”. HE also tells Abram once again that HE will make a Covenant with him, by which HE would guarantee to make him the father of a mighty nation. In fact, GOD informs him that he will become the father of many nations, not just the Jewish nation of the future “Israel”.
    History now tells us that Abram, from that time, went on to become the towering figure, to whom, the Jews trace their origin as GOD’s chosen people. He was born in the fabled city of Ur more than 4100 years ago. Ur was a Sumerian cultured city located on the banks of the famed Euphrates River. It was known for its monumental architecture, wealth, music, and art.
    Growing up, Abram and his family had worshiped many other gods (Joshua 24:2-3), however, when the ALMIGHTY GOD, our CREATOR called him, HE instructed him to leave his father’s house and go to a land that HE would show him at a later time (Genesis 12:1). Abram then left and traveled to the land of Canaan, where he lived a nomadic life for nearly 100 years, dying at the ripe old age of 175!
    In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word used for “covenant” is “briyth” (pronounced “ber-eeth”), and it is an ancient form of compact that is sealed by passing between two pieces of flesh, in the same sense as a knife in the process of cutting meat into halves. In Genesis 17, when Abram is around 99 years old, GOD comes to him to reveal to him more details of HIS previously promised covenant (Genesis 12:1-3 & 15).
    Here in this passage, as I stated earlier, GOD tells Abram to serve HIM faithfully and live a blameless life. Hearing this, Abram fell prostrate to the ground, and at that point, GOD informs him that HE was changing his name to “Abraham”, which is interpreted “father of many nations”. And so it was that, thereafter, every time Abraham heard his own name called, he would be reminded of GOD’s covenant promise to greatly multiply his descendants into a mighty nation.
    In verses 9-14 GOD reveals to Abraham yet another confirming sign, however, this revelation would apply, not only to Abraham, but to all males who shared the Jewish promise of the everlasting covenant. Here the LORD institutes the, now famous ancient ritual of “circumcision” into the Jewish doctrine.
    Circumcision involves the cutting away of the foreskin from the tip of the male’s penis, and it was to be performed on every Jewish male child on the eighth day of his life. And even though circumcision had been practiced elsewhere in the ancient world, here it was to take on a new meaning.
    Among the Jews, circumcision would serve as an everlasting reminder, from generation to generation, of GOD’s sacred covenant with his chosen people. It would be a “cutting” reminder that symbolized how GOD wished for the Israelites to lay aside the impurity of their nature and remain loyal to the family of GOD forever. Circumcision would also serve to remind the Israelites that all mankind is dependent upon GOD for the reproduction of life, and that any Jew, who refused to be cut in this way, would be “cut off” from his people because of his disobedience to GOD’s command.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander  






   


No comments: