A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 17
CHAP XVII.
Verſ. 1. I am the almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect.]
That is, I am thy God, almighty and all-ſufficient to do all thoſe great things which I have promiſed thee, however impoſſible they may ſeem in the eye of reaſon, and whatever can be expected from me; and therefore truſt in me, and let thy whole converſation be alwayes as in my preſence, perfect, that is, upright and ſincere, to do all that I have commanded thee.
Verſ. 4. And thou ſhalt be a father of many nations.]
This is meant both of Abrams naturall poſteritie (for out of his loyns came the Iſhmaelites, the Edomites, and many other nations by the children of Keturah) and alſo of all Chriſtian nations in the world, as Paul expoundeth it, Rom. 4. 16, 17. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promiſe might be ſure to all the ſeed; not to that onelyonly which is of the law, but to that alſo which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations. Gal. 3. 28. Ye are all one in Chriſt; and if ye be Chriſts, then are ye Abrahams ſ…ed, and heirs according to the promiſe.
Verſ. 5. Neither ſhall thy name any more be called Abram, &c.]
Abram ſignifieth a high father; and the fi…ſt letter of Hamon (an Hebrew word ſignifying a multitude) being put to it maketh Abraham, as if it were Abrahamon, that is, a high father of a multitude of nations.
Verſ. 10. This is my Covenant, &c.]
The circumciſing of the Iſraelites male children, here enjoyned Abraham and his poſterity, is ſaid to be Gods covenant, becauſe it was a token of the covenant, as is expreſſed in the following verſe; a ſigne and ſeal both on Gods part, that he would give them the Lord Chriſt, the promiſed ſeed out of the loins of Abraham, and in him accept of them for his peculiar people, forgive their ſinnes, and cleanſe them from their naturall corruptions (which was ſignified by the paring away of their foreskins) and on their part that they would believe in this their Meſſiah, and as Gods peculiar people put off the old man with all his deceiveable luſts, and as new creatures ſerve the Lord their Creatour in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all the dayes of their life; and therefore is circumciſion called the ſ…al of the righteouſneſſe of faith, Rom. 4. 11.
Verſ. 13. And my covenant ſhall be in your fleſh, &c.]
That is, Circumciſion ſhall be in your fleſh unto the coming of the Meſſiah, as long as ever the Church ſhall continue onelyonly in thy naturall ſeed; for an …verlaſting covenant, that is, for a ſigne of that everlaſting covenant which I have made with you: for though the outward ſigne was changeable, yet the covenant it ſelf remaineth one in ſubſtance for ever.
Verſ. 14. And the uncircumciſed man-child, whoſe fleſh of his foreskinne is not circumciſed, that ſoul ſhall be cut off, &c.]
That is, That man, who not being circumciſed in his childhood did afterward alſo wilfully and contemptuouſly neglect that ſigne of Circumciſion, ſhall be cut off from his people; and that becauſe▪ as is expreſſed in the following words, ſuch men had broken and wilfully deſpiſed Gods …ovenant, which cannot be ſaid of infants dying in their infancie. Now the cutting off from Gods people here threatned, was, 1. that God would not reckon him one of his people, nor receive him hereafter into the ſocietie of the Saints in heaven; and 2. that the Iſraelites were to eſteem alſo of him as an heathen; for that the Magiſtrate was appointed to cut off ſuch an one by the ſword, we do not any where certainly find.
Verſ. 15. Thou ſhalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah.]
The ſame letter is added to her name, that was to her husbands before, that it might be to both a pledge and ſigne of the ſame promiſe, to wit, that out of them ſhould come a multitude of people: which the name alſo in part ſignifies; for Sarah ſignifies a Lady or Princeſse.
Verſ. 17. Then Abraham fell upon his face.]
This bowing of himſelf, was not onelyonly an expreſſion of reverence, but alſo of thankfulneſſe and was therefore a ſigne that he believed, what God now promiſed.
And laughed.]
He laughed not at the promiſe, as thinking it a fable, and concluding it impoſſible, but as being overjoyed and even amaſed with thoſe welcome tidings. Rom. 4. 19. And being not weak in faith, he conſidered not his own body now dead, &c. nor yet the deadneſse of Sarahs wombe.
And ſaid in his heart, Shall a man-child be born to me, &c.]
By this it appears that his carnall reaſon began to ſtruggle againſt his faith: neither yet is this contrary to that which the Apoſtle ſaith, Rom. 4. 20. That he ſtaggered not at the promiſe of God through unbelief: for he did not ſtand in ſuſpence whether he ſhould believe the promiſe or no, he did not thus ſtagger; but even whileſt he imbraced the promiſe with joy, his reaſon made this objection: and thereby his faith becomes more glorious, that his carnall reaſon thus oppoſing it ſelf, yet his faith prevailed ſo farre, that he would not hearken to this ſuggeſtion, but reſolved to hope even again…t hope.
Verſ. 18. And Abraham ſaid unto God, O that Iſhmael might live before thee!]
Abraham ſpeaks not this as rejecting Gods promiſe, as if he had ſaid, having Iſhmael I deſire no more; nor as deſpairing of the promiſe,, as if he had ſaid, I ſhould have but little hope, if I had not more hope in Iſhmael already born, then in the promiſed ſonne of Sarah; indeed it is not poſſible that we ſhould have a ſonne at this age, and therefore, O that Iſhmael might live, &c. but theſe words proceed chiefly from Abrahams fatherly affection towards Iſhmael; being thus aſſaulted by thoſe forementioned thoughts of his carnall reaſon, whileſt his faith oppoſed them, ſuddenly his affections, moved with the thought of Iſhmael, make him as it were to forget all other things to beg for him: as if he had ſaid, Though I cannot conceive how it ſhould be, yet I gladly imbrace the promiſe; but however, oh that Iſhmael might live in thy ſight! do not caſt off Iſhmael, but let him live in thy favour: So that this is ſpoken out of a mind that did yield to the promiſe, but yet was troubled, and perplext, and ſolicitous for Iſhmael.