Day 5: God's Covenant of Faithfulness: Promises to Abram

Be God's Glory
Jan 5, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Welcome to The Glory Team Bible Reading plan. In Chapters 15-17 God formally establishes a covenant with Abram (later renamed Abraham), promising him a vast number of descendants and the land of Canaan as their inheritance; this covenant is solidified through a ritual involving a cutting ceremony, where Abram and all males in his household are circumcised as a sign of their commitment to God's promise, signifying the importance of faith even when facing seemingly impossible circumstances like Abram's advanced age and Sarah's barrenness. Let's look into a more detailed view of God promises a son to Abram, Hagar & Ishmael, and the Covenant of Circumcision:

Genesis 15: God appears to Abram in a vision and reaffirms his covenant promise to give Abram numerous descendants and the land of Canaan as an inheritance, despite Abram's current childlessness; Abram expresses doubt and asks for a sign, leading God to establish a covenant through a ritual involving divided animals, signifying the consequences of breaking the promise; this chapter is significant for emphasizing Abram's faith as God "counts it to him as righteousness" when he believes in God's promise, even when it seems impossible.

Genesis 16: Sarai, unable to conceive, gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram to have a child, believing this will fulfill God's promise to them; Hagar becomes pregnant, leading to conflict with Sarai, causing her to flee into the wilderness where an angel of the Lord appears, assuring her of a son named Ishmael and a large lineage, despite foretelling that he will be a "wild donkey of a man" with a contentious nature; Hagar returns to Sarai and gives birth to Ishmael, signifying God's care for even those on the fringes of the covenant while emphasizing that Ishmael will not be the promised child of the covenant.

Genesis 17: God appears to Abram (who is now 99 years old) and reaffirms his covenant, changing Abram's name to "Abraham" and Sarai's name to "Sarah" as a sign of this new phase in their relationship; God promises them a son, Isaac, and establishes circumcision as a physical sign of the covenant, requiring every male in Abraham's household to be circumcised as a mark of their commitment to God and his promises regarding a great nation to come from Abraham's lineage.

God's Covenant of Faithfulness: Promises to Abram