Wednesday of Lent 2

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16—In our Old Testament reading, Abram’s name is changed to Abraham as the Lord gives him the covenant of circumcision. The covenant is God’s. God calls it “my covenant” as He initiates and established it. God has covenanted to keep His promises. The Lord gives us His pledge to be the protector of His people and the One who provides for their well-being and guarantees their future blessings.  The Lord calls Abraham to walk before Him and be blameless. We do this through our adoption into the family of God.

“Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (v. 5). Names have always been important. Our names stand as a proxy for ourselves. Our name in the form of a signature on a legal document binds us legally to certain obligations. We like for people to call us by name, and hearing our name called tends to get our attention, even if the voice is distant—perhaps especially if the voice is distant.

In some cultures, parents give their children names that have special meanings—Native Americans come to mind—and a person’s name might be changed later to commemorate a significant accomplishment by that person.

God, on several occasions, changed a person’s name to signify a change in that person’s life and relationship with God. Abram becomes Abraham (17:5). Sarai becomes Sarah (17:15). Jacob becomes Israel (32:28). “Name and existence come extraordinarily close together in Hebrew thought. Perhaps it is going too far to say that the Hebrews believed that nothing existed unless it had a name (cf. Eccl 6:10a). But certainly they believed that one’s name lived on in one’s descendants (Gen. 48:16), and that without male heirs one would be left with ‘neither name nor remnant upon the face of the earth’ (2 S. 14:7; cf. Dt. 25:5-10)” (Bromiley, 481).

In this instance, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham and gives the reason—”for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” Ab means “father.” Abram could mean “the father is exalted” or “he is exalted as to his father” (Hamilton, 464). God combines Abram’s original name with the Hebrew word for “father of a multitude”—‘ab-hamon—to create the new name, Abraham. [1] 

A Prayer for humility: O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. [2]

[1] https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/genesis-171-7-15-16/
[2] A Prayer for Humility, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

The Woodcut Illustration “The Crucifixion” is taken from a woodcut by Baron Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, The Book of Books in Pictures. © WLS Permission granted for personal and congregational use.