Article Thirteen
God said to Abraham, "...thou shalt be a father of many nations...for a father of many nations have I made thee." Genesis 17:4&5
The scripture above makes it very clear that God promised Abraham, along with his descendants, that they would become many nations.
Let us compare the language between what God spoke to Abram, and what He spoke to Abraham, concerning their descendants becoming nations in the earth.
(1) God told Abram: "... I will make of thee a great nation..." in Genesis 12:2.
(2) Twenty-four years later God told Abraham that He had already made him the father of many nations: "...a father of many nations have I made thee" in Genesis 17:4&5.
The words: "...a father of many nations have I made thee" were spoken to Abram after Ishmael was born, but the words were directed to Abraham, by promise, before Isaac was born.
Therefore, God's promise to Abram and his son [Ishmael] remained intact concerning Abram's only son would become a nation. Afterward, the promise proclaimed through the ears of Abram to Abraham and his son [Isaac], and their descendants, they would become numerous nations in the future, and the latter promise was ordained to be enforced immediately and concurrently with the first.
The words: "...a father of many nations have I made thee" were also words of faith spoken by God to Abraham, because Isaac had not been born yet. This statement was not just a statement of faith, but it was a statement that became a reality at the very same moment that God spoke it!
Let me show you what I mean, just to clear up any confusion:
God informed Abraham that He had instantly made him a man who would be called the father of many nations through the bloodline of Abram's descendant [Ishmael], in conjunction to the bloodline of Abraham's descendants [Isaac and his progeny].Therefore, Abraham became the father of many nations through the adoption of Abram's only child, and through the pure bloodline of his own children and their children, simultaneously when God informed him that he will be the father of many nations, in Genesis 17:4&5.
Both descendants of Abram and Abraham began to call Abraham their father, and both bloodlines currently call Abraham their forefather to this very day. When in fact, he is not the forefather of Ishmael and his descendants according to the promise. I have already discussed this topic in an earlier Article (Article 7), but I will give a short review of why Ishmael and his descendants are not descendants of Abraham.
Abram and Ishmael
After God changed Abram to Abraham, Ishmael began to call him Abraham too. He didn't know his birth certificate would always read: FATHER OF CHILD: Abram.Abraham and Isaac
Isaac always knew his father's name was Abraham, and he was aware from the beginning that his birth certificate read: FATHER OF CHILD: Abraham.A symbolic new birth:
God caused Abram to experience a symbolic new birth situation without causing him to go back through his mother's womb to be born again!God gave Abram the name Abraham, because Abram needed a new name to match the new spiritual change.
The new birth of Abraham is the method whereby he inherited his own land, and it made him a stranger in his own land too.
Abraham could not take possession of the land until after Abram physically died. But when Abram actually died a physical death, Abraham died a physical death too. Therefore, neither man took possession of the promised land, and Abraham remained a stranger in his own land for his entire life on the earth.
"For where a [last will and] testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator [will maker]. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." Hebrews 9:16 & 17
The new birth that Christians experience today is the perfect example of what Abram and Abraham experienced back then.
When you are born-again, you become a new creature in Christ Jesus, but the new man takes possession of the old body, and then your name is changed to Christian, like Abram's name was changed to Abraham.
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." Galatians 6:15
Be Blessed, and enjoy all future articles from Robert J. Parker, Sr.
Robert J. Parker, Sr., is the Chairman for The Storehouse Center Ministries (TSCM}, and we ask you to please make all donations by clicking on the PayPal button below:
