The greater part of Genesis 17 represents the centerpiece in the narrative of Abraham. The story could have ended with the birth of Ishmael. God had promised Abram a son and now he had a son. Moreover, a son of whom it was promised that he would produce an innumerable number of offspring. Nothing is recorded to indicate that Abram did not consider Ishmael to be the promised seed. Abram had faith in the promise of God and, so far, Ishmael met all the criteria for a fulfillment. But God had something better in mind, and so, when the story might have ended, it is taken to the next level.
For thirteen years, Abram had every reason to believe that he had seen all that he could of the fulfillment of God’s promise. And then God appears to him and tells him that his covenant implies more than Abram ever thought possible. God begins with his name, “I am El Shaddai, God Almighty.” The name determines God’s ability to fulfill what he is about to say. Next, God puts conditions on the covenant. Abram is to walk before God and be blameless. Furthermore, he is to accept circumcision as the sign of the covenant. Failure to accept this sign on the part of any male in the covenant would entail his being cut off from the covenant.
God is not going back on his word by adding a new set of rules. In the midst of these conditions, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. Abram’s inclusion in the covenant had resulted in a new identity. He would be the father of a multitude. Abraham’s identity was descriptive of who he was. His fulfillment of the conditions for the covenant would be nothing more than the outworking of the faith that was already his because of the covenant. Still, the threat of being cut off from the covenant was not to be met with complacency. It was all too real. The difference is illustrated in this new covenantal level. There are the children of Ishmael, who are in the covenant under a natural power; and there are the children of Isaac, who are in the covenant under a supernatural power. The conditions of the covenant are rightly imposed upon all. Only the promised seed will ultimately fulfill them.
Abraham’s new identity also serves to confirm further his role as a Christ figure, for these words are not ascribed to Abraham, but to Christ, “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me” (Isa. 8:18; Heb. 2:13). The covenant is made with Christ. It is Christ who inherits all of the Land of Canaan, that is, the Earth, as an everlasting possession. Finally, it is Christ who, in his death, receives the fulfillment of circumcision. The theme of a renewal of identity is maintained in the next section when we see that Isaac will be the new Christ figure.
This section presents us with the intrusion of a supernatural element into the covenant. God promises that the mother of Abraham’s son would be Sarah. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary in the fact that Abraham could have a son. In fact, he has six more sons after he’s at least 137. But, that Sarah should have a son utterly transforms the nature of the covenant. No longer would it be comprehended in God assisting Abraham’s descendents in their earthly existence. Now, it would mean God translating Abraham’s descendents into his heavenly existence. The true heirs of the covenant would have a heavenly origin. Note what Paul writes in his allegory between Hagar and Sarah, “But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother” (Gal. 4:26). We must also not overlook the connection between Isaac’s birth and the virgin birth of his antitype. Above all, the story of Isaac’s promised birth reveals the promised birth of his greater brother; otherwise, Isaac’s birth means nothing.
The placement within this narrative of the promise made concerning Sarah is not without significance. Following the foreshadowing of Christ’s death in circumcision, Isaac’s birth from a dead womb speaks of Christ’s resurrection. Abraham heard the promise concerning Sarah and was overwhelmed. Such things were not possible. Nevertheless, I find no warrant to view his laughter as a token of unbelief. God had transformed his identity and had revealed Christ to him. And so, in the midst of his laughter, Abraham believed. How could he do otherwise? God does not chide Abraham, but confirms what he has just said: Sarah would have a son.
After God leaves, Abraham obeys God by having himself, Ishmael, and all the men of his house circumcised. Paul will not let us forget the priority of Abraham’s faith. “He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised” (Rom. 4:11).
Finally, this last section of chapter 17 provides us with a clue to the structure of the narrative of Abraham. I mentioned that most of this chapter was the centerpiece of this narrative. This can be seen when it is recognized as the midpoint of a chiasm. Preceding it in one order and following it in reverse order are a set of parallel passages. The common factor of the parallel set immediately before and after the midpoint is Ishmael: first his birth and then his circumcision. Both of these are associated with promises made concerning Ishmael: first to Hagar and then to Abraham. Further parallels will have to wait for future writing on the relevant sections.
Posted by kcourter at setembro 13, 2003 11:11 PM