Be Serious With God!

Genesis 17

God had confirmed the land to Abraham in Genesis 15 and now seeks to settle the issue of becoming the father of many nations. Meanwhile, He is going to establish the sign of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. It is all about taking Abraham to a different level of relationship. He wanted Abraham to be serious with Him as He is serious with him. A deeper relationship with God will yield much fruit. Jesus said in John 15 that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit that will remain.

What can we learn to become serious with God?

#1. God is willing to do His part of the covenant. (Genesis 17:1-8)

God comes to Abraham at the age of 99 years and tells him His commitment to the covenant He has established with Him. He wanted Abraham to know He is very serious with His promises and will never break His covenant. He reiterated His promises and changed Abram’s name to Abraham to reflect His identity as the “father of many nations”. God does not entertain us with talks. Forever, His word is settled in the heavens. God is serious with what He wants to do for us for His name’s sake.

#2. God determines what we do in the covenant. (Genesis 17:9-16)

God then tells Abraham about what he and his descendants must do to fulfill the covenant with Him. They must also be serious by being obedient to the sign of the covenant – circumcision. Every male born or bought in the house must be circumcised to the Lord. Notice that Abraham did not determine the sign of the covenant but God did. He directs how the relationship goes. God is central to the whole relationship. He determined what each party does to fulfill it. We cannot desire God to do great things with us by doing what pleases us. We must be obedient to His directions.

#3. God promises and never fails. (Genesis 17:15-22)

The next thing we learn is that God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah to reflect her new status as the mother of many nations and then promised to give Isaac as the seed of the covenant and not Ishmael. God disclosed to Abraham how He will fulfill what He had promised. Abraham laughed in doubt but God gave him definite assurance that the Son will be born the following year. There is nothing God promises that He is not able to make good. He said He will make man to take dominion and He did. He said He will destroy man and establish His covenant with Noah and He did. Our doubts cannot frustrate what God will do for us.

#4. God requires obedience from us. (Genesis 17:23-27)

The last lesson we take from this chapter is that Abraham settled down to be obedient with God and what He had said to him. He circumcised all the male children of the family including Ishmael and he himself. God does not require man to figure out how He will do what He has promised. He just wants man to obey His words and see His performance in our lives. Jesus said if we love Him, we should obey His commandments. Our obedience is the seed that brings forth our blessings.

This chapter teaches us that God is central to our relationship with Him. He called Abraham, he cut His covenant with him and determined how the relationship goes. When we look to God and obey Him, we will be fruitful.

Take Action: Magnify the Lord who is able to make His promises come to pass.