Genesis 17: Back to Singles Tomorrow

Summary: Abram is commanded to walk righteously before God. God promises Abram the land of Canaan, numberless posterity, and that he will continue to be the God of Abram's children. Abram's name is changed to Abraham. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah. Abraham is promised a son through Sarah. Abraham is given the ordinance of circumcision. He and all his house are circumcised.

Personal Reflection: There is only one real connection that I made when reading this chapter. God promises that he will be the God to Abraham's posterity even before he promises Abraham that he will have a child through Sarah. This struck me because I have often wondered how Islam fits into my religious world. I understand how Judaism is related to my beliefs. I think that somehow the Lord made himself accessible to Abraham's descendants through Ishmael. Now, I don't know why Islam is the way it is. Because I am Christian, I can't believe many of the things that Muslims believe, but I do believe that somehow God provided a way for all of Abraham's children to have access to him.

I should probably also take this opportunity to talk about circumcision, but I don't completely understand the principles behind it. It is a token of the covenant, and it is interesting that Abraham is given his new name at the same time as this ordinance is instituted since circumcision was often related to the naming day of a child. (Sorry no reference here yet.)

I haven't actually read Guzik's commentary on this one, but I'll link it here for you.