Ready to be Renamed

Ready to be Renamed

Genesis 17: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

 

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From seventy-five to ninety-nine, GOD kept telling Abram about this huge promise HE was going to do. Day one of the promise, Abram left the area where he grew up and immediately began walking, not knowing where he was going. GOD showed up and Abram thought that the promise had been fulfilled. Little did he know that famine, abduction and family dysfunction would be in store for him.

 

On a day that Abram wasn’t looking, GOD appeared to him and renamed him. HE then restated HIS promise to make his name great, and many nations would be his descendants.

 

My Observations:

• Abram was faithful at seventy-five, but probably needed to show long term faithfulness that finally appeared at ninety-nine.
• Abram went through famine, fights and fragmented family  without seeing GOD’s promise come to fruition.
• Abram was the first-person GOD renamed, probably showing Abram that he needed to be a new person.

 

The further away from the Garden of Edan, the shorter the lifespans became. Many people used to live over nine hundred years, but now the age of the elderly was at two hundred. For some, one hundred was very old. Abram may have gotten used to GOD making promises and wondered when the promise would happen.

 

Then the day finally came when GOD was about to act. HE renamed Abram to Abraham, and HE restated the promise of land acquisition. Canaan’s defiance of Noah’s curse would be overthrown in GOD’s time. GOD also announced JESUS through this covenant.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD waited twenty-four years to rename Abram?
• Has GOD ever promised you something and you are still waiting on the promise to come to fruition?
• Will you remain faithful to GOD, no matter how long HE is taking, knowing HE always keeps HIS promises?