What are you?
I am doing Beth Moore’s study on the Patriarchs of the Old Testament right now. Good stuff, and especially dear to me, since the Lord used the call of Abram in Gen 12 to place a call on my own life… one to follow Him wherever He might lead.
In Genesis 17, Abram and Sarai have already made the mistake of taking the fulfillment of the promise of God into their own hands by giving Abram the servant girl Hagar. <here’s an interesting side note… Islam claims Ishmael as their forefather and the child of the promise. Have you ever noticed what was prophesied about Ishmael? Gen 16:12 says “He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” I thought that was interesting roots…> Anywho… God gives Abram the promise when he is 75. When Abram is 86 is when Ishmael is born… and then God comes to Abram in Gen 17 when he is 99 years old. God is absolutely committed to this covenant, but can you imagine all the things that ran through Abram’s mind all these years? Maybe I forfeited the promise when I messed up with Hagar? Maybe Ishmael really is the promised heir? Maybe God has forgotten or changed his mind? Maybe this vision wasnt really from God?
So he is now 99, and God comes to Abram to change his name and call Abram to walk blamelessly before Him… to give his whole self to this God. And in verse 5, God says “…for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”
Notice the present tense.
God had made Abram the father long before Abram ever had offspring and could see this physical reality.
I wonder what God has already made you?
August 9th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Hello! Long time no hear! How’s things? What are you up to nowadays?
Hope you’re well!