Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

 Read Genesis 17

Thirteen years have transpired since the last chapter.  Abram—we won’t be calling him that for much longer—is now 99 years old.  His wife is almost a decade younger but surely the season for making children has passed, or not.

The scripture reads: the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty, walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

God appeared to Abram.  God was still promising descendants to Abram.  This time God directed Abram to walk in faith and to be blameless.  God has plans for Abram and God wants Abram to live up to his part.  He is about to begin the journey to becoming the Father of Many Nations.

Abram realized that this was God and he fell down before him but the words sounded all too familiar.  This time, however, God told Abram that he was getting this show on the road.  He changed his name from Abram to Abraham.

If we look to the original language, both Abram and Abraham mean the same thing—exalted father, but God said that the name Abraham meant more.  It was appropriate to this man whom he had chosen for this special purpose.  So Abraham it was.  Sarai became Sarah, and both were given a name for the child.  The name was Isaac.

This child would come soon.  The time frame gets more specific in the next chapter but for now, Abraham was told to be faithful and walk blamelessly. 

He was also told that this covenant would be formalized in Abraham’s flesh, and the flesh of every living male 8 days or older.  God had begun carving out a people for himself out of all the peoples of the world.

Circumcision would be the sign.  Every male in Abraham’s household was circumcised including his son Ishmael and himself. 

The consequence for failing to do this was that the person would be cut off from this family of God. This directive would be in effect for a very long time.

Perhaps we can understand why in New Testament times, many Hebrews who said they also followed Jesus insisted that the pagan people be circumcised.  This was a big-time deal.

This was all very formal and reverent, but Abraham who was credited with right standing with God for his belief wondered to himself just how this could be.  He was pushing 100. Sarah was 90.

C’mon God.  Let’s get real.  Could you not just bless my son Ishmael?  He is already 13.  We could gain a little time here.  My wife and I are no spring chickens. Would that not be easier?

Yes, this whole Hagar and Ishmael thing was a crazy plan, but if you were to bless it, then maybe this whole father of many nations thing might work out.

But God was not looking for easier. He would do things his way.  In fact, when God does it his way we see that it could only be God at work.

God would take care of Ishmael and make him and his line great, but the promise to Abraham would come through Isaac.

Abraham and every male in his household sealed this covenant with a sign in the flesh.  They were all circumcised. 

Abram was given a new name—Abraham.

Abraham was given a sign in the flesh that formalized this covenant.

And if we don’t stop reading here, Abraham and Sarah will be given the promised son in short order.  That time was drawing near.

We talked about believing in God and in his promises and about regressing to our own understanding as we looked at the life of Abram. We know that we struggle between what we say we believe and how we live out that belief, or sometimes don’t live out that belief.

We struggle. God knew that Abraham struggled.  God gave him 2 tangible things to help him with his struggles.

He gave him a new name.  Abram had made a lot of mistakes, yet God kept him for his purpose.  This new name would mark a time when Abram—now Abraham—might begin to walk blamelessly before the Lord. 

We might see a parallel between that time and our own and view it as being a new creation. It was an impossible task to walk blamelessly, but Abraham got a fresh start.

He gave Abraham a sign in the flesh of his promise to him.  Abraham had to put this sign there himself.  This was a very tactile and kinesthetic process and the effects continued for all of Abraham’s life.

And God would fulfill his promise of a son, who we now know will be called Isaac.

Wouldn’t it be nice, if we too had signs that reminded us of God’s promises?

Well, there is the rainbow.  God will not destroy the world by flood again.  OK, but I was thinking more along the lines of signs that might help us get through the day when it seems like the ways of the world are just racking up one victory after another.

It would be nice to have a sign from God every once in a while, wouldn’t it?

How many of you have more than 1 cross in you household?  How many have a wall or two full of crosses?  We have made the cross into a collectible.  It’s an ornament.  It’s an accessory.

The cross is a sign to us of God’s love.  If we think of the original cross, it was surely not ornate.  It was likely a rough-cut tree, neither sanded nor varnished for visual appeal. It didn’t have a light behind it.

It was an instrument of death, cruel death.  What kind of people would want such a sign as part of their faith?

People who want to remember how much God loves us.  People who want to remember the price paid for sin.  People who want to remember that the wrath that God had for sin was poured out on that cross and satisfied.

This sign which was the trademark of human brutality of an age past, is a lasting sign to us that God did everything needed to make us right with him.  Wrath against sin was satisfied.  Justice was satisfied. The wages of sin were satisfied, all in the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.

Oh, yes, we have a sign to help us through our days.

The world behind me.  The cross before me.  No turning back!

How about the bread and the cup.  How about something more than a visual sign?  How about something in which we participate?

It’s more than just words.  This is my body broken for you.

It’s more than just a visual.  This is my blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

It’s more than a sacrament.  It is how we are to remember Jesus and we do it not by observation but by participation.

How about the Lord’s Prayer.  We know the words so it’s just recitation, right?  No.  Again, it’s participation in a model given to us by Christ himself.

It’s not all of our prayer life, but it reminds us of how Jesus taught us to pray.

And we have God’s holy word available to us all of the time. Who has more than one Bible?  Who has a dozen?  Who reads their Bible every day?

We are told that this word is alive and active.  It can judge the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. These words can speak directly to us even though many were spoken thousands of years ago.  Ancient words speak to modern problems and concerns. 

Words from long ago lead us to decisions for today. Sometimes we look to the heavens and ask God for a sign when we should put our noses in the book and see what he has already told us.  He is not confined to linear time.

I love to return to the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Before they call I will answer;

    while they are still speaking I will hear.

There are other words that we know well.  For God so loved the world…

But I need something that helps me live from moment-to-moment.  Seek justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God.

But I need a reminder that I have given up the ways of this world and seek God first.  I am crucified with Christ.  Christ lives in me.

But I need something for my whole family to get behind.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

We have signs.  We have affirmations.  We have reminders.  Most of us have received the sign in the Spirit which is baptism.  God lives in us.

Many of us can look at a sunrise or sunset and get a glimpse of the Creator through his creation.

We have the body of Christ and we should be signs and affirmations and reminders to each other of how much God loves us and that God does fulfill his promises.

We are not promised a trouble-free world.  We are told quite the opposite.  We will have trouble in the world but we are to take courage for Christ Jesus has overcome the world.

The body of Christ should encourage all of its members to remember this.  Christ has overcome the world.

We have ventured quite a ways from Abram’s new name and his sign in the flesh, but I think it is important to realize that we have signs and affirmations and things that help us to remember that God loves us.  He is for us. He has good plans for us. He will never stop loving us. He has overcome the world and he holds all of our tomorrows.

Receive the eyes to see and ears to hear that God has given us and know by what he has said and shown us that God will fulfill all of his promises to us.

God is always faithful.

God fulfills his promises.

Let us live in expectation of his faithfulness and fulfillment of what he has promised us.

We too have signs.

Let us live in expectation of God’s faithfulness and in anticipation of the fulfillment of what he has promised to us.

 

Amen.