A reflection on Genesis 17:1-7 & 15-16 and Psalm 22:23-31 for the Second Sunday in Lent, February 28, 2021.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you…
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Genesis 17:1-7 & 15-16 (NRSVA)
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
Psalm 22:23-31 (NRSVA)
Ninety-nine years of age sounds a bit old to receive a new name. Abram has carried his name for close to a century.
I imagine it was quite an adjustment – and not just for him. Those who had known him by one name were now at this relatively late stage asked to adjust to this new way of referring to the old man.
This name change is significant. ‘Abram’ means ‘exalted father’. Abraham means ‘father of many’. This renaming is a moment-by-moment reminder of this encounter with God – and the covenant God has made.
Yes, another promise has been offered. Another covenant.
The vision God offers here is far bigger than Abram could possibly imagine. Indeed it offers significantly more than this ageing man will see in the remainder of this lifetime. Abram and Sarai have not had even one child. For them to become the ancestors of ‘a multitude of nations’ is, to say the least, absurd.
Perhaps it will take the daily reminder of these new names to cause this promise to sink in.
I love that this covenant includes Sarai. Although God speaks to Abram, it is Sarai’s shame that will be removed. Both Sarai and Sarah have the same meaning: ‘joy and delight’. One can barely imagine the sense of awe, wonder, and of course, sheer joy that such a belated birth might bring.
As a result of this God-initiated promise, they have a much more significant future opening up before them.
And it all starts here. With a promise, and a new identity.
Abraham.
Sarah.
It is no wonder the Psalm calls Israel – ‘the offspring of Jacob’ – to praise! Apart from this moment of covenant, this nation does not even exist. There is simply no Israel without the miraculous birth if little Isaac.
And there is no birth if Isaac without the promise – and miracle – of YHWH.
Of course, Isaac is another name in this story that is invested with meaning. It means ‘he will laugh’ – another memory of the unexpected nature of this gift of a child.
I imagine their response at his safe delivery – a flood of simultaneous tears and laughter. The overflow of profound gratitude.
It is a story for the ages.
Perhaps the Psalmist says it best:
…future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
Conversation Starters:
What are the promises of scripture that you hold close to your heart?
Have you ever seen the fulfilment of one of these promises? How was your response similar to Sarah and Abraham’s? How was it different?
In embracing their new names, Sarah and Abraham also embrace the covenant YHWH makes with them. What would it take for you to embrace the promises of God that are closest to your heart on a deeper level?