Hello. Welcome to Bible Wisdom Today, for those willing to think deeply. My name is Stan Watkins

Where is the most important point in a story? In the beginning? At the climax? During the resolution? In ancient literature, the most important point was often in the very center. 

Today, we come to Genesis 17, the dramatic epicenter of Abraham’s life story. God appears to him, changes his name, tells him to mark his body by circumcision, and promises to bring a new baby boy from his wife’s dead womb. He will do it within one year. Then with those dramatic words God made a dramatic exit. Poof! He disappeared.

Our episode title today is “Marked at the Middle: When God Reorders your identity and guarantees your future.” This reflects the middle of Abraham’s life story, the middle of Abraham’s body, and the middle of Abraham’s identity. But our topic today is not just an ancient writing technique, nor just a personal story of someone who lived long ago. This is our experience as well. God wants to meet you and me right in the middle of our life, in the home of our secret thoughts, our deepest motivations, our core identity. Not only does He wish to meet us there, He wants to change us and guarantee our future. The Apostle Paul refers to this when he challenges us to be circumcised in the heart. 

Today, we will find what happens when we are marked at the middle.

God announces his everlasting covenant

When we come to Genesis 17, today, it has been 13 years since God last spoke with Abram. He now has a life-changing message. Listen, as I read verses 1-8.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” 
 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. ”
 Genesis 17:1-8

The author of Genesis begins with a startling statement. Abram was 99. That straightforward record of his age is remarkable enough, but it is even more remarkable when you hear the message God has for him. You will become a father, now at 99. “If you walk before me faithfully and blamelessly, like Noah did, I will fulfill my promises to you. I will greatly increase the number of your descendants. I am God Almighty?”

The Hebrew behind that name, God Almighty, is El Shaddai. El was the name of the high-god of the Canaanite pantheon and was used in patriarchal times to designate the true creator God. The meaning of “Shaddai,” however, is more obscure. It always occurs in the Bible in connection with God fulfilling his promises. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint translates it as “almighty.” Early Jewish understanding, however, took the meaning to be “He who is sufficient.” Those meanings are related, obviously. If God is sufficient, there is no other God greater than He. He is Almighty.

When God appeared to Abram, Abram fell on his face. Abram had never responded like this before. Why did he prostrate himself this time? Perhaps it was because it had been such a long time since God had appeared to him. It surely was a show of humility and a willingness to listen. Perhaps Abram also was expressing that God had promised him descendants a long time ago and he had not done it. Now he was going to show up and promise the same thing again?

To draw attention to the new, everlasting nature of the covenant God now proposed with Abram and his descendants, God changed Abram’s name. “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham.” Usually, ancient parents gave their children meaningful names in the hope that the child would live up to them. Here, God changes Abram’s name in the middle of his life, giving his divine guarantee that Abraham would surely fulfill this new identity. God’s name change was rather subtle, but clever. He adds the Hebrew equivalent of an “H” into the second syllable. “Abram” means “exalted father.” This name was heavily ironic for a childless old man whose personal legacy had stalled. Even more so now that he was beyond hope of naturally fathering children. The name, “Abraham” ups the irony. Adding an “H” connects it with the Hebrew word for crowd which begins with that letter. Now he is named “Father of a multitude,” a look forward to the amazing work God promised to do in his life. 

God’s announcement to Abraham in chapter 17 seriously ups the level of his promise. When God first called Abram in Genesis 12, he made three promises. He promised a land of his own, descendants and a covenant relationship. These three promises became increasingly clear throughout the first half of Abram’s story as God gradually brought them into the light. Now they come into full focus in this chapter.

Land

In terms of land, God had initially said simply, “Leave your country and go to a land that I will show you.” Later, after Abram had obeyed God’s call and migrated to Canaan, He said, “I will give this land.” Later in chapter 13 he expanded that to be “all the land that you see.” He adds a geographic description two chapters later in chapter 15, “from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” Now, in chapter 17, he says that He will give the whole land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.

Descendants

The promise of descendants receives a similar development. In his initial call of Abram, God promises to make him into a great nation. One chapter later he expands that to say that “your offspring will be like the dust of the earth.” Two chapters later he clarifies that Abram himself will father a child, rather than create a family through legal arrangements with his servant. He also adds another comparison. His descendants will be as many as the stars. In the next chapter, Abram does, indeed, father a child, Ishmael, although he is not the son of promise. Now, in this chapter, God promises Abram three times that he will be the father of many nations and kings will come from him. Kingship was always implied in the promise of nations, but here God makes it explicit.

Covenant relationship

We see the same development in the promise of a covenant relationship. Initially, there was just a vague guarantee of protection: those who blessed Abram would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed. In chapter 15 he made this more specific, when he predicted his descendants’ Egyptian slavery and their exodus redemption. Now, he tells Abraham that his covenant promises are not just for him, but also his descendants. He then adds the ultimate blessing, “I will be your God, and their God, too.”

Literary Structure of the Abraham Story

God’s name change of Abram to Abraham marks the center point of Abraham’s story. Authors in the Bible, and particularly the author of Genesis, favored a literary technique called chiastic structure. In this form, the author creates parallel points in a narrative and then arranges them in inverted order around a central point. In other words, the first point relates to the last point, the second point relates to the second to the last point, and so on. The main idea is right at the center. We saw that pattern earlier in the story of Noah, where the narrative is arranged around the simple phrase “God remembered Noah.” I mentioned then that the story of Noah was the longest chiastic narrative in the Bible. Well, that was before I had studied Abraham’s story in detail. This chiastic structure runs from Genesis 11 through Genesis 25! The writer of Genesis was a master author.

In Abraham’s story, the central point of the story is the paragraph which we just discussed. The main point of Abraham’s story is not just the tale of an individual family struggling with fertility, it is a narrative of God’s eternal promise of divine destiny. The first half of the story was the story of Abram and Sarai, the second half will be the story of Abraham and Sarah. 

Looking back, we can see the main points of development in Abraham’s story. After a brief introduction of Abram’s family, God comes to Abram with the command, “Go from your own country.” This was the beginning of Abram’s spiritual odyssey. The next act saw Sarai in a foreign palace. This was a faith disaster, but God intervened and brought peace and success, so much success that Abram and Lot had to part. The next main event was the defeat of Sodom and Lot’s rescue. On the next page of the story, God enacted a land-grant covenant with Abram through a ritual of cut up animals. Immediately after, Ishmael was born. These are the main plot points in the first half of Abraham’s story.

As we look forward in Abraham’s story, we now know what to expect. The last act before the narrative center included a covenant ritual and the birth of baby Ishmael. As we turn toward the remaining story, God institutes a new covenant ritual and soon after shows up at the tent of Abraham and Sarah with a birth announcement of baby Isaac.

Circumcision: marked at the middle

Let’s hear how this played out for Abraham, beginning in Genesis 17:9

Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” 
 Genesis 17:9-14
 
God begins this speech with “as for you.” This is now Abraham’s obligation in this covenant. In the previous paragraph God had given His own obligations and began his speech with “As for me.”

As someone who grew up hearing the Bible’s stories on a regular basis, I always assumed that circumcision was unique to Israel and that this was a totally new practice when God announced it to Abraham. In reality, however, many of Israel’s neighbors practiced it, including the Egyptians and Canaanites. You will notice that Abraham does not ask God, “What is circumcision?” or “How do I do that?” God took a social custom of the day and reinterpreted it to become a covenantal symbol.

The meaning of circumcision revolves around three basic concepts.

Sign of an everlasting covenant

The mark of circumcision could never be erased. Similarly, God’s covenant was eternal. The fact that it was located at the center of male reproduction was symbolic that God made His covenant not only with the current generation, but with future generations as well.

Sign of a Personal covenant

Reminded each man, with a mark right at the middle of his male identity, that he was to walk faithfully and blamelessly before God, as God had commanded Abraham. 
 
 This conversation was not the last time that God spoke to his followers about the personal nature of the covenant. Near the end of his life, Moses reminded a new generation of Israelites who had grown up only in the wilderness that God had loved and chose their ancestors. He now also chose them to be His people. In the English Standard Version, we read Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” He uses the idea of circumcision as an obvious metaphor. He then goes on to explain its meaning in practical terms. Accept no bribes, defend the weak, love the foreigner, giving them food and clothing. Fear the Lord, serve and praise Him only. This is only one of many Old Testament scriptures highlighting the spiritual meaning of circumcision.

Sign of a National covenant

In surrounding nations, circumcision marked a person’s class or a rite of passage at puberty. In Egypt, for example, a culture that both Abraham and Genesis’ first readers would be familiar with, circumcision was a rite performed on priests. In contrast, all Israelite boys were to be circumcised on the 8th day, regardless of class or their role within society.

God made this national calling explicit to Moses at Mount Sinai when he said: If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
 Exodus 19:5-6

After his instruction to Abraham regarding circumcision, God continued to give Abraham a glimpse of his future when he said, beginning in verse 15,

“As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” 
 
 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” 
 
 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
 Genesis 17:15-22

God now gives a promise to Sarai. This is the first time he has given a promise specifically to Abraham’s wife. Twice he says that He will bless her. He promises that she will become a mother of nations and kings. To mark this promise, He also changes her name. The name change for Sarai is not so dramatic as the change for Abraham. Both names mean “princess” but Sarai has a meaning closer to “my princess,” confining her role to her own family. “Sarah,” in contrast, means “princess” without any qualification. She was no longer only a princess to her immediate family but a princess to many. 

Abraham interrupts God’s speech. He has serious doubts! Would a son be born to a man who is 100 years old. Would Sarah bear a child at ninety? He already had a son in Ishmael. If only Ishmael might be the son under God’s blessing. Abraham fell facedown and laughed.

God firmly rebuked Abraham. He assured him that he and Sarah would have a son in their old age. They were to name him Isaac, which means laughter. This reflected his parents’ laughter of skepticism as well as their joy at his birth. God heard Abraham’s prayer regarding Ishmael and He would bless him and make him into a great nation, but His covenant would be with Isaac. Then, for the first time in 25 years, God put a time stamp on His promise. Sarah would bear a son at about this time next year. This was God’s dramatic conclusion before he disappeared. Now, Abraham was left standing alone with his own thoughts right in the middle of the camp. How would he respond? Abraham instantly pivots and goes to grab his knife.

Listen to how Genesis describes that dramatic day in Abraham’s camp.

On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
 Genesis 17:23-27

This description is much shorter than the preceding scene containing God’s lengthy speeches. God’s promise of a son by “this time next year,” did not leave any extra time for hesitation. Abraham looked forward with impatience to God’s promise coming true and carried out God’s command “that very day.” The author of Genesis lists all those who were circumcised, carefully echoing God’s precise commands.. Abraham and his children were now God’s people, and He was their god.

Meaning of circumcision for us

What does circumcision mean to those who follow Jesus, today? Anything? Oh, yes! The Apostle Paul refers directly to Genesis 17 and the Old Testament’s spiritual interpretation already mentioned when he says in Romans 2:28-29 “circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.” He expands this idea in Colossians 2:11. “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self, ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

For Paul, the Christian’s mark in the middle is not surgical. It is a circumcision made without hands. The Holy Spirit cuts away the old habits of our sinful human nature, which Paul refers to as the flesh. In other words, spiritual circumcision is another metaphor for salvation by faith. This is not a one and done event, but a process of continually putting off the sinful nature through the help of the Holy Spirit. In the Christian era, baptism is the new physical sign of our identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As we return to our discussion of Genesis and the chiastic structure of the Abraham story, we come expecting another birth announcement. That should be next. Listen to how the Bible relates that dramatic incident in Genesis 18.

Birth of Isaac announced

The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 
 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
 “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 
 
 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 
 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 
 Genesis 18:1-8

This story begins similarly to the last chapter, “The LORD appeared to Abraham.” The narrator volunteers this information so that we can interpret the story correctly. It was not immediately apparent to Abraham. He discovered the truth gradually over the course of the following conversation. 

The narrator also gives us other important story details. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. He had just finished his morning work, the lower tent flaps had been folded up on at least two sides to allow a breeze through the tent, and Abraham was just beginning his siesta in the entrance.

He looked up and saw three men standing nearby. Normally, Abraham would have seen visitors approaching from a long way off. This implies that either Abraham had been snoozing and suddenly saw the three men or that Abraham had been looking out when they suddenly appeared. This would hint at a supernatural encounter. In either case the narrator indicates that this was a significant event because he uses two words that mean essentially the same thing, “Abraham looked up and saw three men.”

The story now describes events through Abraham’s eyes. The narrator does not tell us where these guests came from because Abraham did not know. Wherever it was, he was duty bound, culturally, to offer them hospitality. He hurries to greet them, perhaps trying to make amends for not noticing them right away.

He greets them eloquently. One of them obviously was in charge and he greeted him as Lord. This occurrence of “Lord” is not the covenant name of God, which the narrator had used at the beginning of the story when he said, “The LORD appeared to Abraham.” Instead, this is the ordinary word for lord, meaning master. This would be an appropriate greeting if you wanted to show favor toward a visitor, but it also was an appropriate greeting for God, even though Abraham did not yet know his identity.

He offers them what a weary traveler would appreciate most: water to drink, a wash for their feet, and rest under a tree. We could easily read right past Abraham’s offer of something to eat. The literal meaning is “a morsel of bread,” which perhaps would have been enough for a weary traveler, but Abraham intends to do much more. This is Abraham’s attempt to persuade them to stay. If he had offered the true feast he had planned, they might have felt that they were imposing on him and declined. As it was, they accepted his offer. When Abraham says, “now that you have come to your servant,” he stresses his pleasure at serving them. Today, we might say, “You have made my day!” Again, this was unwittingly prophetic, since it was for Abraham’s benefit that the LORD had come.

Now Abraham shifts fully into hurrying mode. He runs to the herd and selects a choice calf. How many 99-year-olds do you know who run anywhere in the heat of the day. By offering his very best, Abraham again offers the appropriate gift to the Lord, without realizing it. Perhaps the original readers could imagine themselves offering their best in sacrifice to God.

Finally, the meal is served: an entire calf, fresh bread, milk, and cheese or yogurt. This meal did not come together quickly, when you imagine that while the travelers waited, the calf had to be killed, bled, dressed, and roasted; the bread had to mixed, leavened, and baked. This certainly took several hours. Now, as they ate, Abraham stood in the background under a tree. He could have assigned a servant to wait on them, but he insisted on doing it himself. Everything about this story indicates that Abraham had at least an inkling who these men were. After the meal, conversation could begin. Let me read from verse 9,

“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
 “There, in the tent, ” he said.
 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” 
 Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 
 
 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 
 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
 But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
 Genesis 18:9-15

The first question the men asked was, “Where is your wife, Sarah?” Ah, not the purpose of their visit was made plain. Why would the men ask about Sarah’s whereabouts? With all the preparations for the meal, surely, they must have known where she was. Besides, if they didn’t know where she was, how did they know her name? These are important hints that these guests are not mere men. Most interpreters believe that these three were in fact God himself along with two angels.

God’s question, “Where is your wife?” reminds us of the similar question He had asked Adam in the garden, “Where are you?” It also demonstrates the gentle self-disclosure of the questioner and reveals the true focus of this conversation. They had come to give a message to Sarah, although ostensibly they continue to speak with Abraham.

Now, the Lord delivers his main message. “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” The expression “about this time next year” is difficult to translate, since it occurs only twice in the Old Testament, but the phrase “Sarah your wife will have a son” is plain.

Again, the narrator gives enough details to help us visualize the scene. The main guest was seated with his back to the tent entrance and Sarah was just inside the tent. Even so, he could discern Sarah’s reactions without even seeing her. He must be God. Besides, who else could promise a son? 

Inside the tent, Sarah heard his outrageous suggestion. She knew she was old. She knew she was past the age of childbearing. This is the author’s way of saying, specifically, that Sarah was postmenopausal. She was most certainly beyond the possibility of natural childbirth. It seems that the writer is intent on giving us enough personal details of Sarah’s life in order to excuse her for what happened next.

Sarah laughed to herself. The word “laugh” is used four times in this scene, but nothing is made of the meaning. The text simply assumes the explanation we already have from chapter 18. Abraham and Sarah’s new little boy would be named, “Laughter.”

Sarah thought to herself, “I am worn out and beyond any natural hope of a child. My husband, is old also. Shall I now have this pleasure?” How could she expect to enjoy the pleasures of motherhood, or even the pleasures of intimacy with her husband? Sarah’s unbelief was not due to cocky arrogance, but to a long, long life of disappointment. She had learned not to grasp at hope. Sarah kept all these feelings hidden when she laughed to herself, but God heard her hidden heart.

“Why did Sarah laugh? In this situation, He offers only the gentlest rebuke. He continues speaking to Abraham, but his message really is to Sarah. He knew that she laughed and He knew her thoughts. This proves beyond a doubt who he is and lays the foundation for His next question.

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Sarah was astonished at the promise of a child; now the LORD professes astonishment that she does not believe him. God knows everything. God is all powerful. These truths stand behind the entire Biblical narrative but almost never so explicitly as here.

The LORD continued, “I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” God refers back to his earlier promise to Abraham. We are left wondering, 

Is God reaffirming the message Abraham had already passed along to Sarah? Or, is God giving Sarah this message because Abraham had not told her. In either case, Sarah was frightened. She was frightened by the message, and she was frightened by the messenger. The one bringing this shocking news must be God himself.

Sarah lied, “I did not laugh.”.

Again, the LORD answers gently, “Yes, you did laugh.” With this answer He confirmed His compassion, He confirmed His omniscience, and, by referring again to laughter, He confirmed the name of her son soon to be born.

Final Comments

The title of this episode is “Marked at the Middle: When God reorders your identity and guarantees your future.” We have seen how that played out in Abraham’s life. The author of Genesis arranges the events of Abraham’s life in such a way that the center point of the story marks a dramatic change of direction. Up to this point we read the story of Abram, exalted father. Now, we will read the story of Abraham, father of many nations. Before, Abram had relied on human strategies and logic to fulfill God’s promises through a surrogate mother. Now, Abraham relies on God’s power, placing his faith in God to bring life out of a dead womb. Before, Abram’s body was physically indistinguishable from the unbelievers around him. Now, Abraham’s body was marked at the middle. He carried a permanent, painful, personal reminder that his future belonged entirely to God. Before Abram walked by hope in a distant, somewhat vague promise; now Abraham walked by covenant, a promise sealed by blood and unquestioning obedience “on that very day.” This was a dramatic turning point.

How about you and me? I promised you that the dramatic change we see in Abraham’s life also holds significance for you and me. Most of us, however, do not experience new life in Christ in one breath-taking mountain peak experience. Rather, we encounter it more like a slow, spiral staircase. The beauty of chiasm, however, remains the same. Everything before builds up to it, and everything afterwards reflects it. Abraham’s story dramatizes a singular event. We may experience a slow metamorphosis into a new person of God, but it begins with a definitive change in orientation. God has reordered our identity, and we said, “Yes.”

That process is exactly what Jesus called his followers to experience in Luke 9, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Jesus took up his cross once. He died once, but you and I take up his cross daily. Every day we die to ourselves. Every day we choose again to follow him. Our walk with Jesus is a daily, “Yes, Lord.” This choice is the mark at the middle of our being. It is personal, painful, and permanent.

In our next episode, we continue to explore the mirror imagery of Abraham’s story. In the first half of his story, just before God ratified his land covenant with Abram, we read a story about Sodom’s defeat and Lot’s rescue. Next time we will see version 2 of the same theme in the story of Sodom’s destruction and Lot’s spectacular salvation.

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