(Genesis) Genesis 17 Intro

Now we come to chapter 17, and we've now come to the chapter that in many ways, and a great many consider it one of the outstanding chapters of the Bible. Now before we get into it, I'd like to just make, as it were, a recapitulation of what we've said along, that God tested Abraham. God appeared to him seven times, and we've noted that there were certain failures in the life of Abraham, but also there were successes.

And actually, there were seven tests that God gave to Abraham. We saw, first of all, that God called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, his home. And Abraham responded partially.

His faith was weak and imperfect, but at least he moved out. And we find that Abraham finally arrived safely in the land of Canaan, and God blessed him. Then the famine in the land of Canaan, that was the second.

And Abraham fled from the land of Canaan to Egypt, and he acquired riches and haggard, that we've just been talking about. And both were a stumbling block. Then the third test, Abraham was given riches, and they are a real test.

They've been a stumbling block for many a man, by the way. The riches, I've always, frankly, wished the Lord had let me have that kind of a test than some of the others that I've had. But nevertheless, I'm of opinion he couldn't have trusted me with it.

Abraham actually didn't forget God, and he was certainly generous and magnanimous toward his nephew Lot, but it separated him from Lot, and God appeared to him. Then we saw Abraham was given power by the defeat of the kings of the east. That is a real test.

He happens to be the conqueror. And this man Melchizedek met him, and I think that strengthened Abraham for the test. And so he refused the spoils of war.

And God appeared to Abraham and encouraged him. Then we have the fifth test. God delayed giving Abraham a son by his wife Sarah.

And Abraham became impatient, and through the prompting of Sarah, he took matters in his own hand and moved outside the will of God. Then you have the birth of Ishmael, and the Arabs of the desert today will still plague the nation Israel. And they'll keep right on doing that, I think, until the millennium.

Then the sixth test we'll see later was at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. And then the seventh one will be the offering of Isaac. Now, this more or less gives us the picture that is before us.