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Genesis 17:7
Verse
Context
Sermons
Chuck Smith
Bob Phillips
Mariano Di Gangi
J. Glyn OwenChuck Smith
John F. WalvoordSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
An everlasting covenant - ברית עולם berith olam. See note on Gen 13:15. Here the word olam is taken in its own proper meaning, as the words immediately following prove - to be a God unto thee, and thy seed after thee; for as the soul is to endure for ever, so it shall eternally stand in need of the supporting power and energy of God; and as the reign of the Gospel dispensation shall be as long as sun and moon endure, and its consequences eternal, so must the covenant be on which these are founded.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee,.... Not only renew it, but confirm it by the following token of circumcision: and thy seed after thee, in their generation; such blessings in it as belonged to his natural seed, as such he confirmed to them, to be enjoyed by them in successive ages; and such as belonged to his spiritual seed, to them also, as they should be raised up in future times in one place and another: for an everlasting covenant; to his natural seed, as long as they should continue in the true worship of God; and in their own land; or until the Messiah came, in whom the covenant of circumcision had its accomplishment, and was at an end; and to all his spiritual seed, with respect to the spiritual blessings of it, which are everlasting, and are never taken away, or become void: to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee; to his natural seed, as the God of nature and providence, communicating the good things of life unto them; protecting, preserving, and continuing them in the land he gave them, and in the possessive of all the good things in it, so long as they were obedient to him as their King and their God; and to his spiritual seed, as the God of all grace, supplying them with grace here, and bestowing upon them glory hereafter.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Here is, I. The continuance of the covenant, intimated in three things: - 1. It is established; not to be altered nor revoked. It is fixed, it is ratified, it is made as firm as the divine power and truth can make it. 2. It is entailed; it is a covenant, not with Abraham only (then it would die with him), but with his seed after him, not only his seed after the flesh, but his spiritual seed. 3. It is everlasting in the evangelical sense and meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting. It is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it; and the external administration of it is transmitted with the seal of it to the seed of believers, and the internal administration of it by the Spirit of Christ's seed in every age. II. The contents of the covenant: it is a covenant of promises, exceedingly great and precious promises. Here are two which indeed are all-sufficient: - 1. That God would be their God, Gen 17:7, Gen 17:8. All the privileges of the covenant, all its joys and all its hopes, are summed up in this. A man needs desire no more than this to make him happy. What God is himself, that he will be to his people: his wisdom theirs, to guide and counsel them; his power theirs, to protect and support them; his goodness theirs, to supply and comfort them. What faithful worshippers can expect from the God they serve believers shall find in God as theirs. This is enough, yet not all. 2. That Canaan should be their everlasting possession, Gen 17:8. God had before promised this land to Abraham and his seed, Gen 15:18. But here, where it is promised for an everlasting possession, surely it must be looked upon as a type of heaven's happiness, that everlasting rest which remains for the people of God, Heb 4:9. This is that better country to which Abraham had an eye, and the grant of which was that which answered to the vast extent and compass of that promise, that God would be to them a God; so that, if God had not prepared and designed this, he would have been ashamed to be called their God, Heb 11:16. As the land of Canaan was secured to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, so heaven is secured to all his spiritual seed, by a covenant, and for a possession, truly everlasting. The offer of this eternal life is made in the word, and confirmed by the sacraments, to all that are under the external administration of the covenant; and the earnest of it is given to all believers, Eph 1:14. Canaan is here said to be the land wherein Abraham was a stranger; and the heavenly Canaan is a land to which we are strangers, for it does not yet appear what we shall be. III. The token of the covenant, and that is circumcision, for the sake of which the covenant is itself called the covenant of circumcision, Act 7:8. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep, as a copy or counterpart, Gen 17:9, Gen 17:10. It is called a sign and seal (Rom 4:11), for it was, 1. A confirmation to Abraham and his seed of those promises which were God's part of the covenant, assuring them that they should be fulfilled, that in due time Canaan would be theirs: and the continuance of this ordinance, after Canaan was theirs, intimates that these promises looked further to another Canaan, which they must still be in expectation of. See Heb 4:8. 2. An obligation upon Abraham and his seed to that duty which was their port of the covenant; not only to the duty of accepting the covenant and consenting to it, and putting away the corruption of the flesh (which were more immediately and primarily signified by circumcision), but, in general, to the observance of all God's commands, as they should at any time hereafter be intimated and made known to them; for circumcision made men debtors to do the whole law, Gal 5:3. Those who will have God to be to them a God must consent and resolve to be to him a people. Now, (1.) Circumcision was a bloody ordinance; for all things by the law were purged with blood, Heb 9:22. See Exo 24:8. But, the blood of Christ being shed, all bloody ordinances are now abolished; circumcision therefore gives way to baptism. (2.) It was peculiar to the males, though the women were also included in the covenant, for the man is the head of the woman. In our kingdom, the oath of allegiance is required only from men. Some think that the blood of the males only was shed in circumcision because respect was had in it to Jesus Christ and his blood. (3.) It was the flesh of the foreskin that was to be cut off, because it is by ordinary generation that sin is propagated, and with an eye to the promised seed, who was to come from the loins of Abraham. Christ having not yet offered himself to us, God would have man to enter into covenant by the offering of some part of his own body, and no part could be better spared. It is a secret part of the body; for the true circumcision is that of the heat: this honour God put upon an uncomely part, Co1 12:23, Co1 12:24. (4.) The ordinance was to be administered to children when they were eight days old, and not sooner, that they might gather some strength, to be able to undergo the pain of it, and that at least one sabbath might pass over them. (5.) The children of the strangers, of whom the master of the family was the true domestic owner, were to be circumcised (Gen 17:12, Gen 17:13), which looked favourable upon the Gentiles, who should in due time be brought into the family of Abraham, by faith. See Gal 3:14. (6.) The religious observance of this institution was required under a very severe penalty, Gen 17:14. The contempt of circumcision was a contempt of the covenant; if the parents did not circumcise their children, it was at their peril, as in the case of Moses, Exo 4:24, Exo 4:25. With respect to those that were not circumcised in their infancy, if, when they grew up, they did not themselves come under this ordinance, God would surely reckon with them. If they cut not off the flesh of their foreskin, God would cut them off from their people. It is a dangerous thing to make light of divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
17:7-8 The land of Canaan was to be an everlasting possession for the descendants of Abraham; the Lord would be their God forever (see Jer 31:31-40; Zech 8:8; Luke 1:68-79; Rev 21:1-4).
Genesis 17:7
Abraham to Father Many Nations
6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.7I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
(Through the Bible) Exodus 1-5
By Chuck Smith1.8K1:23:21ExpositionalGEN 50:26EXO 2:15EXO 4:1EXO 4:10In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that God is not just a passive observer of our struggles and suffering. He takes action to deliver His people from their hardships. The preacher also highlights the importance of not getting too attached to material possessions, as they can easily be taken away. Instead, our focus should be on the things of the Spirit and God's eternal kingdom. The sermon references the story of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, where they faced oppression and hardship, but ultimately God delivered them.
Blood Covenant - Part 5
By Bob Phillips1.3K53:39GEN 15:11GEN 17:2GEN 17:7GEN 17:14GEN 17:17COL 1:22In this sermon, the speaker discusses the concept of covenant and its importance in the relationship between God and humanity. They emphasize the seriousness of entering into a covenant with God, highlighting that it requires loyalty and obedience. The speaker references the story of Abraham and the covenant he made with God, explaining that Abraham drove away the birds of prey that came upon the carcasses, symbolizing his commitment to the covenant. However, the speaker also mentions that the people of God failed to uphold their covenant promises, leading to God releasing them from their obligations.
The Great "I Am"
By Mariano Di Gangi1.3K32:47Character Of GodGEN 17:7EXO 3:1MAL 3:6MAT 6:33JHN 8:58HEB 13:8REV 1:8In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes that God is knowable and desires to make himself known to us. He distinguishes between natural revelation, where God reveals himself through the world he has created, and supernatural revelation, where God reveals himself through his word. The speaker highlights the importance of having a proper understanding of God, as it impacts our worldview, ethics, and beliefs about life and death. He acknowledges that our knowledge of God is limited due to our finite nature, but asserts that God reveals himself in ways that we can trust. The sermon references the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3 as an example of God making himself known to humanity.
A Saint at His Worst
By J. Glyn Owen1.2K39:07WeaknessGEN 17:7GEN 18:1GEN 18:10GEN 18:17GEN 22:1GEN 22:9HEB 13:8In this sermon, the speaker focuses on the story of Abraham and how God comes close to him to reassure him of his covenant promises. The speaker highlights how God speaks to Abraham as a friend and reveals his plans for judgment in Sodom. The urgency and sincerity with which Abraham restores his wife Sarah after a mistake is emphasized as a reflection of his high principles. The sermon also discusses the tragedy of moral and spiritual lapses among believers and the need for consistent excellence in following Christ.
Abram, Abraham, and the Almighty God
By Chuck Smith96025:07AbrahamGEN 17:1GEN 17:7GEN 25:12MAT 5:48MAT 6:33PHP 3:12In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith focuses on Genesis chapter 17, where God appears to Abram when he is 99 years old. God declares Himself as Almighty God and instructs Abram to walk before Him blameless. Pastor Chuck emphasizes that God's ideal requirement for man is perfection, and though we may never achieve it on our own, through walking in Christ and the power of the indwelling Spirit, we can strive towards that ideal. God also promises to make a covenant with Abram and reveals that the heir of the promise will be born after a spiritual sort, not through the work of the flesh. The sermon highlights the ongoing struggle between the flesh and the spirit, as seen in the descendants of Abram.
Part 16: The Abrahamic Covenant and Premillennialism
By John F. Walvoord0GEN 17:7JER 31:3LUK 1:32ACT 1:6ROM 11:25John F. Walvoord preaches on the restoration of Israel as a nation, emphasizing the prophetic promises of Israel's future glory and the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. The restoration of Israel is based on God's faithfulness to His promises, including Israel's continuance as a nation, regathering after dispersion, and possession of the promised land. The New Testament affirms Israel's restoration, with Romans 11 highlighting the future salvation of Israel and the removal of their spiritual blindness, pointing to a glorious future for the Jewish people.
The Children of the Covenant, the Saviours First Care.
By Edward Payson0GEN 17:7ACT 3:25ROM 4:13GAL 3:29HEB 10:36Edward Payson delivers a sermon emphasizing the importance of embracing the covenant with God, drawing parallels between the children of the covenant in the Bible and baptized individuals today. He urges believers to dedicate themselves and their children to God, highlighting the need for faith and commitment to receive the blessings of the covenant. Payson warns against delaying in accepting Christ, as it may lead to missing out on eternal salvation and the privileges of being in covenant with God.
The God of Their Succeeding Race
By John Henry Jowett0GEN 17:7ISA 58:11ACT 2:39EPH 1:3HEB 13:8John Henry Jowett preaches about the unchanging covenant of God with His people, highlighting how the promise made to Abraham extends to his descendants, emphasizing that death cannot nullify God's promises in the realm of grace. He uses the analogy of a village well that continues to provide for generations without needing to be replaced, symbolizing the enduring nature of God's grace and salvation. Jowett encourages believers to tap into the spiritual resources of Abraham and the Apostle Paul, reminding them that all the strength and blessings given to these great figures are also available to every believer, enabling them to reach great heights and share in their triumph.
Part 7: Amillennial Soteriology
By John F. Walvoord0GEN 17:7JHN 1:17ROM 11:6GAL 1:7GAL 2:16EPH 2:82TI 2:15HEB 8:6REV 20:4John F. Walvoord delves into the theological debate surrounding millennialism and its impact on the doctrine of salvation. He discusses the contrasting views of premillennialism and amillennialism, highlighting the disagreements on the interpretation of covenants and the role of grace in salvation. Walvoord explores the historical development of amillennialism from Augustine to modern liberal Protestantism, emphasizing the shift in soteriology towards human works and away from the necessity of Christ's death for salvation. He concludes by examining the conflict between covenant theology and dispensationalism, pointing out the reductive error of covenant theology and the broader perspective offered by the dispensational view of Scripture.
The Covenant
By Henry Law0GEN 17:7JER 31:33MAL 3:1HEB 7:22HEB 9:15HEB 12:24Henry Law preaches about the everlasting Covenant established by God with His people, emphasizing the blessings, privileges, and inheritance that come with being a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. He challenges believers to examine their hearts and ensure they have surrendered to Jesus, who is the essence and reality of the Covenant. Law explains that the Covenant of grace, unlike the Covenant of works, is based on eternal love and fulfilled through Jesus as the Surety and Mediator, securing believers' cleansing, righteousness, and eternal inheritance.
Some Strictures on a Late Treatise, Called, a Fair and Rational Vindication of the Right of Infants to the Ordinance of Baptism.
By John Gill0BaptismCovenant TheologyGEN 17:7JER 31:33MAT 19:14MAT 28:19MRK 10:13ACT 2:39ROM 4:111CO 7:14GAL 3:27COL 2:12John Gill critiques David Bostwick's treatise on the right of infants to baptism, arguing that the scriptural basis he presents, particularly Acts 2:39, is misinterpreted and does not support infant baptism. Gill emphasizes that the promise in the text is directed towards those who repent and believe, not infants, and that the covenant of circumcision does not equate to the covenant of grace. He asserts that the practice of infant baptism lacks biblical command and historical precedent, and he challenges the notion that infants can partake in the covenant relationship without the capacity for faith and repentance. Gill concludes that the arguments for infant baptism are built on a false foundation and that true baptism is reserved for those who can profess their faith.
Part 13: The Abrahamic Covenant and Premillennialism
By John F. Walvoord0GEN 12:1GEN 15:7GEN 17:7GEN 17:9AMO 9:13ROM 9:11HEB 6:13John F. Walvoord delves into the debate on whether the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional, contrasting the views of Amillenarians and Premillenarians. The Abrahamic Covenant, as outlined in Genesis, is shown to have been based on Abraham's obedience in leaving his homeland, with no further conditions imposed once this was fulfilled. Various scriptural evidence is presented to support the belief that the covenant is indeed unconditional, emphasizing God's sovereignty in its fulfillment despite human failures and disobedience.
- Adam Clarke
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
An everlasting covenant - ברית עולם berith olam. See note on Gen 13:15. Here the word olam is taken in its own proper meaning, as the words immediately following prove - to be a God unto thee, and thy seed after thee; for as the soul is to endure for ever, so it shall eternally stand in need of the supporting power and energy of God; and as the reign of the Gospel dispensation shall be as long as sun and moon endure, and its consequences eternal, so must the covenant be on which these are founded.
John Gill Bible Commentary
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee,.... Not only renew it, but confirm it by the following token of circumcision: and thy seed after thee, in their generation; such blessings in it as belonged to his natural seed, as such he confirmed to them, to be enjoyed by them in successive ages; and such as belonged to his spiritual seed, to them also, as they should be raised up in future times in one place and another: for an everlasting covenant; to his natural seed, as long as they should continue in the true worship of God; and in their own land; or until the Messiah came, in whom the covenant of circumcision had its accomplishment, and was at an end; and to all his spiritual seed, with respect to the spiritual blessings of it, which are everlasting, and are never taken away, or become void: to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee; to his natural seed, as the God of nature and providence, communicating the good things of life unto them; protecting, preserving, and continuing them in the land he gave them, and in the possessive of all the good things in it, so long as they were obedient to him as their King and their God; and to his spiritual seed, as the God of all grace, supplying them with grace here, and bestowing upon them glory hereafter.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Here is, I. The continuance of the covenant, intimated in three things: - 1. It is established; not to be altered nor revoked. It is fixed, it is ratified, it is made as firm as the divine power and truth can make it. 2. It is entailed; it is a covenant, not with Abraham only (then it would die with him), but with his seed after him, not only his seed after the flesh, but his spiritual seed. 3. It is everlasting in the evangelical sense and meaning of it. The covenant of grace is everlasting. It is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it; and the external administration of it is transmitted with the seal of it to the seed of believers, and the internal administration of it by the Spirit of Christ's seed in every age. II. The contents of the covenant: it is a covenant of promises, exceedingly great and precious promises. Here are two which indeed are all-sufficient: - 1. That God would be their God, Gen 17:7, Gen 17:8. All the privileges of the covenant, all its joys and all its hopes, are summed up in this. A man needs desire no more than this to make him happy. What God is himself, that he will be to his people: his wisdom theirs, to guide and counsel them; his power theirs, to protect and support them; his goodness theirs, to supply and comfort them. What faithful worshippers can expect from the God they serve believers shall find in God as theirs. This is enough, yet not all. 2. That Canaan should be their everlasting possession, Gen 17:8. God had before promised this land to Abraham and his seed, Gen 15:18. But here, where it is promised for an everlasting possession, surely it must be looked upon as a type of heaven's happiness, that everlasting rest which remains for the people of God, Heb 4:9. This is that better country to which Abraham had an eye, and the grant of which was that which answered to the vast extent and compass of that promise, that God would be to them a God; so that, if God had not prepared and designed this, he would have been ashamed to be called their God, Heb 11:16. As the land of Canaan was secured to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, so heaven is secured to all his spiritual seed, by a covenant, and for a possession, truly everlasting. The offer of this eternal life is made in the word, and confirmed by the sacraments, to all that are under the external administration of the covenant; and the earnest of it is given to all believers, Eph 1:14. Canaan is here said to be the land wherein Abraham was a stranger; and the heavenly Canaan is a land to which we are strangers, for it does not yet appear what we shall be. III. The token of the covenant, and that is circumcision, for the sake of which the covenant is itself called the covenant of circumcision, Act 7:8. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep, as a copy or counterpart, Gen 17:9, Gen 17:10. It is called a sign and seal (Rom 4:11), for it was, 1. A confirmation to Abraham and his seed of those promises which were God's part of the covenant, assuring them that they should be fulfilled, that in due time Canaan would be theirs: and the continuance of this ordinance, after Canaan was theirs, intimates that these promises looked further to another Canaan, which they must still be in expectation of. See Heb 4:8. 2. An obligation upon Abraham and his seed to that duty which was their port of the covenant; not only to the duty of accepting the covenant and consenting to it, and putting away the corruption of the flesh (which were more immediately and primarily signified by circumcision), but, in general, to the observance of all God's commands, as they should at any time hereafter be intimated and made known to them; for circumcision made men debtors to do the whole law, Gal 5:3. Those who will have God to be to them a God must consent and resolve to be to him a people. Now, (1.) Circumcision was a bloody ordinance; for all things by the law were purged with blood, Heb 9:22. See Exo 24:8. But, the blood of Christ being shed, all bloody ordinances are now abolished; circumcision therefore gives way to baptism. (2.) It was peculiar to the males, though the women were also included in the covenant, for the man is the head of the woman. In our kingdom, the oath of allegiance is required only from men. Some think that the blood of the males only was shed in circumcision because respect was had in it to Jesus Christ and his blood. (3.) It was the flesh of the foreskin that was to be cut off, because it is by ordinary generation that sin is propagated, and with an eye to the promised seed, who was to come from the loins of Abraham. Christ having not yet offered himself to us, God would have man to enter into covenant by the offering of some part of his own body, and no part could be better spared. It is a secret part of the body; for the true circumcision is that of the heat: this honour God put upon an uncomely part, Co1 12:23, Co1 12:24. (4.) The ordinance was to be administered to children when they were eight days old, and not sooner, that they might gather some strength, to be able to undergo the pain of it, and that at least one sabbath might pass over them. (5.) The children of the strangers, of whom the master of the family was the true domestic owner, were to be circumcised (Gen 17:12, Gen 17:13), which looked favourable upon the Gentiles, who should in due time be brought into the family of Abraham, by faith. See Gal 3:14. (6.) The religious observance of this institution was required under a very severe penalty, Gen 17:14. The contempt of circumcision was a contempt of the covenant; if the parents did not circumcise their children, it was at their peril, as in the case of Moses, Exo 4:24, Exo 4:25. With respect to those that were not circumcised in their infancy, if, when they grew up, they did not themselves come under this ordinance, God would surely reckon with them. If they cut not off the flesh of their foreskin, God would cut them off from their people. It is a dangerous thing to make light of divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
17:7-8 The land of Canaan was to be an everlasting possession for the descendants of Abraham; the Lord would be their God forever (see Jer 31:31-40; Zech 8:8; Luke 1:68-79; Rev 21:1-4).