Genesis 17:9-14 And God said to Abraham, You shall keep my covenant therefore, you, and your seed after you in their generations.… I. THE PROMISE OF THE COVENANT. 1. The renewal of the promise. 2. The fulness of the promise. 3. The wide range of the promise. II. THE OBLIGATION OF THE COVENANT. Divine promise is connected with human duty. III. THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT. Circumcision reminded those who used it as a religious rite, ordained of God, of three things — 1. Separation from the world. So baptism is the token of a new life given by God. 2. Consecration to God. 3. Family religion. (1) Children, servants, all the household, were to come under the covenant. (2) It was to be handed down from one generation to another.Conclusion: See, then, in this narrative not merely a history of what took place so long ago, but lessons for us now: lessons as to Divine grace; as to human responsibility; and as to appointed outward ordinances which serve to join together the thought of what God gives, and of the service we ought to render. Such ordinances, used in a faithful, humble, earnest spirit, are seals and channels of covenanted blessing. (W. S. Smith, B. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. |
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