Genesis 17:1-22: "1 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.' 9 And God said to Abraham: 'As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.' 15 Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.' 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' 18 And Abraham said to God, 'Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!' 19 Then God said: 'No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.' 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham."
Abram gets a name change. Now he will be called Abraham, which means "father of a multitude." (Abram means "exalted father.") Or to say it another way, he went from being a father of one, to a father of many. Sarai (meaning "princess") also gets a name change. Her name will now be Sarah, which means "noblewoman," or to say it another way, she went from being a princess to a queen. This is the result of the Holy Blessed Trinity making a covenant with Abraham, his and his wife's name are changed. The covenant itself is made through circumcision.
Circumcision is the removal of the flesh of the foreskin of a male child. The cutting of flesh was how covenants were made. In most cases that involved sacrificing of an animal, as we saw in previous readings where the animal of sacrifice was cut in two. This became the basis for the Old Testament Temple ritual of sacrifice certain animals for purification or forgiveness. The covenant that the Holy Trinity makes with Abraham involved this same cutting of the flesh.
Circumcision, the means of the covenant, was not meant to be a pleasant thing. It was a small representation of the punishment that sin brings, which is death. In order for death to be averted in the Old Testament, a sacrifice, that is, a life, had to be taken, and offered up to our Lord God. In circumcision there was a shedding of blood. This shedding of blood represented the penalty for sin being appeased. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the eighth day after His incarnation, entered into that covenant by His circumcision. Already on the eighth day of His earthly life He is shedding His blood for us.
Notice too, the words of the Blessed Trinity, that it was HIS covenant. This was not a two-way agreement, like we see in many contracts where one side agrees to give something in exchange for something else. This covenant is His covenant, He is the one making it, and He is the one promising to act upon it. This is good news for those under His covenant, because on account of sin, they would break that covenant, as is shown throughout Israel's history, evidenced by the majority of the kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms. This covenant of our Lord God finds its ultimate fulfillment in our Lord Jesus. Our Lord, comes of His own free will to be born a man; God in the flesh. In this flesh He fulfills the covenant by offering Himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He is then buried, and rises again on the third day.
Circumcision symbolized death. It was the death of the foreskin. And it prefigured our Lord's death on the cross, and His shedding of blood. But circumcision was only a foreshadowing of the true means of God's grace and mercy. For those who partook of the covenant, who agreed to be apart of our Lord God's promise, were considered by Him to be His sons. And our Lord Jesus gives to us, His holy Church, a new covenant. This covenant of our Lord God, in which He promises us forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation is Holy Baptism.
This new covenant also symbolizes death. It symbolizes the death of sin and death. It is the symbol of our Lord's death and grave. But just as our Lord rose on the third day to new life, bringing eternal life to all who believe on Him, this new covenant, called Holy Baptism, raises us out of sin and death, into eternal life in Heaven with Him. And again, this covenant of Holy Baptism, is not our covenant. It is not our agreement with our Lord God. But it is rather, His agreement with us. He is the one who offers the covenant. He is the one who enacts the covenant. He is the one who completes the covenant by sending His Holy Spirit upon those who are baptized.
Also notice that our Lord God tells Abraham that the covenant shall be kept by him. This is not an inconsistancy. Our Lord God is not saying, "This is My covenant which you have do the work on." Our Lord does the work, but Abraham, and his descendants, have to participate in this covenant. And they participate by the act of circumcision. In the same way, we participate in the Holy Trinity's promises by participating in Holy Baptism. As our Lord Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; But he that believeth not shall be damned." Meaning, if we wish to be saved, we must be baptized. Or to say it another way, if we wish to receive our Lord God's grace and mercy, we must participate in the means which He has given to us to receive His grace and mercy.
Abraham, and his descendants, participated in the covenant of our Lord God, because he believed in the covenant. We who have been baptized, also come to believe and trust in our Holy Baptism, as the means whereby we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. Therefore, we learn to live daily in our Holy Baptisms, confessing our sins daily to our Lord God, and weekly in private to our minister, drowning anew the Old Adam of sin that dwells within us, so that we might, like our Lord, rise each new day as a new man before our Lord without sin, wrapped in His righteousness and in His works.
And because we live our lives this way we learn to become like Isaac, the son of Abraham, whose name means "he laughed." In other words, we live in joy and happiness. Every time we see water, we are once again reminded of our Lord God's covenant with us and we rejoice that our sins are forgiven. May you too learn today to laugh and rejoice in your Holy Baptism, standing before our Lord God as a new man.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
Circumcision, the means of the covenant, was not meant to be a pleasant thing. It was a small representation of the punishment that sin brings, which is death. In order for death to be averted in the Old Testament, a sacrifice, that is, a life, had to be taken, and offered up to our Lord God. In circumcision there was a shedding of blood. This shedding of blood represented the penalty for sin being appeased. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the eighth day after His incarnation, entered into that covenant by His circumcision. Already on the eighth day of His earthly life He is shedding His blood for us.
Notice too, the words of the Blessed Trinity, that it was HIS covenant. This was not a two-way agreement, like we see in many contracts where one side agrees to give something in exchange for something else. This covenant is His covenant, He is the one making it, and He is the one promising to act upon it. This is good news for those under His covenant, because on account of sin, they would break that covenant, as is shown throughout Israel's history, evidenced by the majority of the kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms. This covenant of our Lord God finds its ultimate fulfillment in our Lord Jesus. Our Lord, comes of His own free will to be born a man; God in the flesh. In this flesh He fulfills the covenant by offering Himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He is then buried, and rises again on the third day.
Circumcision symbolized death. It was the death of the foreskin. And it prefigured our Lord's death on the cross, and His shedding of blood. But circumcision was only a foreshadowing of the true means of God's grace and mercy. For those who partook of the covenant, who agreed to be apart of our Lord God's promise, were considered by Him to be His sons. And our Lord Jesus gives to us, His holy Church, a new covenant. This covenant of our Lord God, in which He promises us forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation is Holy Baptism.
This new covenant also symbolizes death. It symbolizes the death of sin and death. It is the symbol of our Lord's death and grave. But just as our Lord rose on the third day to new life, bringing eternal life to all who believe on Him, this new covenant, called Holy Baptism, raises us out of sin and death, into eternal life in Heaven with Him. And again, this covenant of Holy Baptism, is not our covenant. It is not our agreement with our Lord God. But it is rather, His agreement with us. He is the one who offers the covenant. He is the one who enacts the covenant. He is the one who completes the covenant by sending His Holy Spirit upon those who are baptized.
Also notice that our Lord God tells Abraham that the covenant shall be kept by him. This is not an inconsistancy. Our Lord God is not saying, "This is My covenant which you have do the work on." Our Lord does the work, but Abraham, and his descendants, have to participate in this covenant. And they participate by the act of circumcision. In the same way, we participate in the Holy Trinity's promises by participating in Holy Baptism. As our Lord Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; But he that believeth not shall be damned." Meaning, if we wish to be saved, we must be baptized. Or to say it another way, if we wish to receive our Lord God's grace and mercy, we must participate in the means which He has given to us to receive His grace and mercy.
Abraham, and his descendants, participated in the covenant of our Lord God, because he believed in the covenant. We who have been baptized, also come to believe and trust in our Holy Baptism, as the means whereby we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. Therefore, we learn to live daily in our Holy Baptisms, confessing our sins daily to our Lord God, and weekly in private to our minister, drowning anew the Old Adam of sin that dwells within us, so that we might, like our Lord, rise each new day as a new man before our Lord without sin, wrapped in His righteousness and in His works.
And because we live our lives this way we learn to become like Isaac, the son of Abraham, whose name means "he laughed." In other words, we live in joy and happiness. Every time we see water, we are once again reminded of our Lord God's covenant with us and we rejoice that our sins are forgiven. May you too learn today to laugh and rejoice in your Holy Baptism, standing before our Lord God as a new man.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
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