God’s Promise of Isaac — Genesis 17 Daily Word

God promises Abraham and Sarah a son despite their advanced age, changing Sarai’s name to Sarah and establishing an everlasting covenant through Isaac in Genesis 17.

God tells Abraham to change his wife Sarai’s name to Sarah and promises that she will bear him a son. Though Abraham, at one hundred years old, and Sarah, at ninety, find this hard to believe, God declares that He will establish His everlasting covenant through Isaac.

Genesis 17:15-22 Daily Word

1. [Scripture]

[15] And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. [16] I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” [17] Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” [18] And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” [19] God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. [20] As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. [21] But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” [22] When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. (Gen 17:15-22, ESV)

2. [Daily Word]

# God also changes Sarai’s name.

The original name “Sarai” means “my princess” or “my lady,” indicating that she would become the mistress of a single household. However, God gave her a new name, “Sarah,” which means “to be first” or “to rule.” In other words, this new name signified that she would become a queen who reigns over entire nations. This is reflected in verse 16: “I will bless her, and she shall become a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Yet at these words of God, Abram laughed inwardly (v. 17). How could a man who is a hundred years old father a child? And Sarah is ninety — how could she possibly give birth? This was not a laugh of defiance toward God’s word, but rather a helpless chuckle that arose because the promise seemed so utterly at odds with their present circumstances.

# Human beings cannot comprehend the power of Almighty God.

This is because people think within the boundaries of common sense, and we have no capacity on our own to overcome the limitations of such thinking. What matters, however, is this: God is the One who makes the impossible possible. Therefore, those of us who believe in the Almighty God must have absolute trust in Him — a deep, unwavering conviction. Yet when we look at Abraham, we find that he still lacked that very conviction.

This is evident in verse 18, where Abraham says, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” Still unable to break free from his present reality, Abraham hoped that God’s covenant would be fulfilled through Ishmael, the son he had fathered in the flesh. But God answered in verse 19: “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son.” And God instructed him to name the child “Isaac,” a name that echoes the fact that Abraham had laughed.

# Among us, too, there are people who carry the name “Isaac.”

The name “Isaac” itself carries the meaning of “joy” and “laughter.” However, as we can see from this passage, from God’s perspective, “Isaac” was a response given in the midst of his parents’ uncertain faith. Even within Abraham’s wavering faith, God kept His promise and announced the coming of a son named Isaac. God also did not forget to bless Ishmael. As stated in verse 20, that blessing was the promise to make him exceedingly fruitful and greatly multiply him, that he would father twelve princes, and that God would make him into a great nation.

Thus, in (25:12–16), the names of Ishmael’s twelve princes are recorded. They became a great nation and went on to establish Islam, which worships Allah, a legacy that continues to this day. They are not the people chosen by God. Yet, by virtue of God’s promised word, they have grown powerful and prosperous in this world.

What is significant is that the strength and wealth of the Arab peoples will come to an end when Jesus Christ returns. This is because the covenant promise given by God is a unilateral promise. That is why, in verse 21, God does not say “our covenant,” but rather “my covenant.” This means that when God’s appointed time comes, He will bring to a halt the prosperous lives of those who live apart from Him — the freedom they enjoy in this world while living outside of God’s kingdom.

Therefore, we who belong to God must not cease in our faith until the day of judgment. In particular, God declares, “My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” This means that while Ishmael is given the promise of physical fruitfulness, the promise of spiritual fruitfulness is declared to be established with Isaac, who would come from Abraham. We must therefore remember that the descendants of Israel trace back to Abraham, and that Jesus Christ Himself appeared within the genealogy of Abraham’s descendants.

# God went up from him.

The phrase “went up” here is expressed in Hebrew as alah. This word alah is the root of olah, which appears in Leviticus and refers to the “burnt offering.” In other words, a burnt offering is a sacrifice in which the smoke of the burning offering ascends to God as an act of dedication. When God receives that smoke with pleasure, it is described as God “smelling a pleasing aroma.”

Ultimately, this “going up to God” refers to Abraham’s worship of gratitude toward God for the promise He had given. This is how Abraham’s act of bowing down and worshiping before the authority of God’s promise is expressed.

# God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

And when we worship with our whole heart and soul in sincerity, He gives us the word of promise. And when we live by that understanding, He causes our lives to become lives of blessing. Therefore, what we must do is hear the Word, apply it to our lives, and come to recognize the blessing that God gives us.

Remember that this understanding comes when we live with conviction in God’s Word, offering Him thanks in all things. My prayer is that today, too, you would live a life that brings glory to God alone.

God’s promise, the test of faith, the birth of Isaac, the confirmation of the covenant, making the impossible possible

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com