Gênesis 17

Gênesis 17

Barclay says that "The custom of giving a new name to mark a new status was known in the heathen world as well. The name of the first of the Roman Emperors was Octavius; but when he became the first of the Emperors he was given the name Augustus. This very name marked his new status; he was now unique and superhuman and more than man (Ed: Or so the pagan's believed!). For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations - For is a term of explanation explaining the significance of the name change. Notice the phrase "I have made," indicating this act is all from God, all of grace! Abraham did nothing to merit or earn this great honor, although his obedience (cf Ge 17:26, 27+) demonstrated that he believed God had bestowed this blessing on him. While some translations render it "I will make..." (FUTURE TENSE), several other translations (ESV, NIV, NASB, NRS, YLT) render it as spoken in the past tense ("I have made..."). In other words, if the past tense is the correct rendering, God is saying that His future promise is so certain that He is speaking it as if it has already been fulfilled (so called prolepsis). The Septuagint renders "I have made" with the perfect tense indicating completed action in the past with enduring or lasting effect. Note that nations would include those that come from his offspring in Ge 25:1-4. Believer's Study Bible - The patriarchal narratives will show how this was realized when the descendants of Abraham become the progenitors of whole nations. The change to "Abraham" was further evidence of divine determination to fulfill the covenant. APPLICATION OF A NEW NAME - Even as Abram and Sarai were given new names, every overcomer (not a special class but every believer - see explanation in 1Jn 5:4, 5+) will receive from the Lord Jesus Christ "a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it." (Rev 2:17+, cf the new name in Rev 3:12+). Allen Ross gives an excellent explanation of the names Abram and Abraham - Genesis 17 records the well-known change of Abram’s name to Abraham. And while the text is clear as to the significance of this change of names, the actual meanings of the two names need some clarification. His name was Abram. In Hebrew this name is spelled ’av-ram, pronounced ahv-rahm. It is made up of two parts. The first is the word for “father,” ’av (the “b” is a soft sound). The second is from a verb rum (pronounced room), a word that means “high, exalted.” Why would parents call a baby “exalted father”? Well, the name does not refer to Abram as exalted father, but to his father, Terah. It was the custom, and still is in many Eastern lands, to name the child in some way to reflect the father; and then when the child grew up and became a father, to change his name. For example, in an Arab culture one might have a son and name him “Ibraham son of [ibn] X.” But when that child grows up and has his own son, he will be known as “Ibraham, father of [abu] XX.” So the patriarch’s name indicated that his father, Terah, was exalted. This probably means that Abram came from noble lineage. Now in Genesis 17 God promised Abram that he would be the father of a multitude of nations, and so changed his name to “Abraham” (’av-ra-ham). The new name seems to be a dialectical variation of the other name. But its significance comes from the fact that it sounds like the promise. God promised he would be “the father of a multitude of nations”; in Hebrew this is ’av-hamon [goyim], which sounds like ’av-raham. And this was the point. Every time the new name was used, it reminded the patriarch and his family of the promise, that he would be the father of a multitude of nations. Here is where the name change reflected the change of the patriarch’s status. Even though he was old, he was always “Abram,” Terah’s son. That name always looked back to his lineage. Now, however, because of the promise of God, his new name looked forward, to his son, to the nations, to the future. THOUGHT And this is what happens when God steps into our lives and makes glorious and grand promises to us. They are a call to look away from the past, and to look to the future in faith. We never lose our family connections; but we have a new family, a new hope, a new life with a glorious future that completely overshadows the past. This is the theme that God presented to Israel in Isaiah 43:18, 19. There he announced the restoration to the land with the new covenant by telling his people, “Forget the former things . . . I am doing a new thing.” (ED: SEE NEW COVENANT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT) And likewise when people come to faith in the Savior today, they become new creations in Christ, and the old things are passing away. The task is for the believer to be so filled with the promise of the hope of glory that all the old things can be set aside. The Power of a Name Your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. Genesis 17:5 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 17:1–8, 15–16 Seeking to affirm some children who live on the streets in Mumbai, India, Ranjit created a song of their names. Coming up with a unique melody for each name, he taught them the tune, hoping to give them a positive memory related to what they’re called. For children who don’t regularly hear their name spoken in love, he bestowed on them a gift of respect. Names are important in the Bible, often reflecting a person’s character traits or new role. For instance, God changed the names of Abram and Sarai when He made a covenant of love with them, promising that He would be their God and they would be His people. Abram, which means “exalted father,” became Abraham, which means “father of many.” And Sarai, which means “princess,” became Sarah, which means “princess of many” (see Genesis 17:5, 15). God’s new names included the gracious promise that they would no longer be childless. When Sarah gave birth to their son, they were overjoyed and named him Isaac, which means “he laughs”: “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me’ ” (Genesis 21:6). How do you feel about your name? When have you been able to name something in a friend or family member that reflects who they are? God of all names, You made me in Your image and love me. Shape me and mold me to be more like You. QUESTION - Why is God going to give us a white stone with a new name? ANSWER - In the Bible, there is only one reference to God giving us a white stone with a new name: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). The meaning of the white stone is a mystery to Bible scholars. However, several interpretations have been offered: In ancient Greece, jury members would cast a white stone to signify an acquittal, whereas a black stone proclaimed the defendant guilty. The weakness of this interpretation is that the stones cast in the courts did not have names inscribed on them. A small object called a “tessera,” made of wood, stone, clay or bone, conveyed special privileges to its owner. The ancient Romans used tesserae as tokens of admittance to events in the arena. However, tesserae did not have to be white, and the durability of the materials used is questionable. A white stone was often used as an amulet or charm. However, this custom was associated with sorcery, so it would be odd if the Bible used it as a symbol of salvation. Another interpretation has to do with the building material used during the time John wrote Revelation. Important buildings were commonly made of white marble, including the temple of Asclepius in Pergamum (the city of the church Jesus is addressing in Revelation 2:17). In front of the temple were white marble pillars engraved with the names of people supposedly healed by the god. One problem with this interpretation is that the Greek word used in this verse, psephon properly means “pebble,” not “stone.” One of the better-accepted explanations of the white stone has to do with the high priest’s breastplate, which contained twelve stones. Each of these stones had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on it (Exodus 28:21). As he ministered in the temple, the high priest bore the names of God’s people into God’s presence. In the same way, the “white stone” with the believer’s name written on it could be a reference to our standing in God’s presence. Another widely held explanation suggests that the white stone may be a translucent precious stone such as a diamond. The word translated “white” in Revelation 2:17 is leukos and can also mean “brilliant, bright.” This interpretation holds that on the stone is written the name of Christ, not the name of the believer. Revelation mentions that the name of Christ is written on the foreheads of the saints (Revelation 3:12; Revelation 14:1, and Revelation 14:20). The best theory regarding the meaning of the white stone probably has to do with the ancient Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors of athletic games. The winner of a contest was awarded a white stone with his name inscribed on it. This served as his “ticket” to a special awards banquet. According to this view, Jesus promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. The “new name” most likely refers to the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming believers to the holiness of Christ (see Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:10).GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Why did God sometimes change a person’s name in the Bible? ANSWER - When God changed a person’s name and gave him a new name, it was usually to establish a new identity. God changed Abram’s name, meaning "high father," to “Abraham,” meaning "father of a multitude" (Genesis 17:5). At the same time, God changed Abraham’s wife’s name from “Sarai,” meaning “my princess,” to “Sarah,” meaning “mother of nations” (Genesis 17:15). This name change took place when God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. God also reaffirmed His promise to give Abraham a son, specifically through Sarah, and told him to name his son Isaac, meaning "laughter." Abraham had another son, Ishmael, through Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar. But God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham was to be fulfilled through Isaac’s line, from whom Jesus descended (Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38). Isaac was the father of Jacob, who became "Israel." His twelve sons formed the twelve tribes of Israel—the Jews. The physical descendants of Abraham and Sarah formed many nations. In a spiritual sense, their descendants are even more numerous. Galatians 3:29 says that all who belong to Jesus Christ—Jew, Gentile, male, or female—are "Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise." God changed Jacob’s name, which meant “supplanter,” to “Israel,” meaning “having power with God” (Genesis 32:28). This happened after Jacob had taken Esau’s birthright (Genesis 25) and stolen Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27), fled from his brother to his uncle Laban (Genesis 28), married Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29), fled from Laban (Genesis 31), and then wrestled with God as he prepared to meet Esau. Jacob had tricked his brother, been tricked by his uncle, tricked his uncle (Genesis 30), and was now going through his brother’s territory to escape his angry uncle. He’d heard that Esau was going to come out and meet him and feared for his life. That night, Jacob wrestled with a man, who later identified Himself as God and is considered a theophany or perhaps a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Jacob held on to the man until he obtained a blessing. It was at this point that God changed his name. No longer would Jacob be a supplanter and trickster. Rather, he would be identified as having "struggled with God and with humans and . . . overcome" (Genesis 32:28). In the New Testament, Jesus changed Simon’s name, meaning “God has heard,” to “Peter,” meaning "rock" when He first called him as a disciple (John 1:42). It was Peter who declared that Jesus was "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Jesus replied to him as "Simon son of Jonah," saying that he was blessed because God revealed Jesus’ identity as Messiah to him. He then referred to him as "Peter" and said that Peter’s declaration was the basis, or "rock," on which He would build His church (Matthew 16:17–18). Peter is also often seen as the leader of the apostles. Jesus occasionally called Peter “Simon” at other times. Why? Probably because Simon sometimes acted like his old self instead of the rock God called him to be. The same is true for Jacob. God continued to call him “Jacob” to remind him of his past and to remind him to depend on God’s strength. Why did God choose new names for some people? The Bible doesn’t give us His reasons, but perhaps it was to let them know they were destined for a new mission in life. The new name was a way to reveal the divine plan and also to assure them that God’s plan would be fulfilled in them.GotQuestions.org F B