Besides making a covenant with Abraham, saying that he would be a father, God revealed to him: Then He said to Abram, 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them and they will afflict them four hundred years' (Genesis 15.13). After that time, they would come out with great riches. However, the patriarch had complained that he had no son and that his heir would be the butler, Eliezer. Sarah, now 76, suggested to her husband that he bear a son with Hagar. And so, Ishmael was born, but he was not the one the Lord had planned! For a better understanding of these events, read the whole story in Genesis chapters 15 and 16.

           Abraham was a little upset, because it had been 13 years since the promise had been made to him, and the Lord hadn't fulfilled it. The Scriptures speak of the revelation given to him by the Most High: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him: I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless (Genesis 17.1). Two conditions had yet to be met!

           The patriarch should not have accepted Hagar as the mother of the child of promise, because the child had to come from Sarah. He wasn't blameless and therefore didn't walk in God's presence. Without a doubt, we need to seek the Lord in His Word, with prayers, fasting and praise. The Most High reaffirmed the covenant to him, saying: And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly (Genesis 17.2). It was in an encounter with God that Jacob, his grandson, managed to change himself and Esau (Genesis 32.22-32).

            When Abraham saw that the Lord had shown him why he hadn't been satisfied with his son, the patriarch agreed, falling down before God: Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked to him, saying (Genesis 17.3). The heavenly Father does not like to see his children in sin, but he knows that they are not yet blameless, so he employs his long-suffering - hopeful kindness - waiting for the right time to make amends.

           When Abraham stood before God, he was saying that he would do everything to walk in God's presence and be blameless. Then the Lord clarified the covenant between them: As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations (Genesis 17.4). This gladdened the patriarch's heart, for the covenant had been confirmed, and he could be sure that his son would soon arrive. God never has problems; we do!

          At that moment, Abraham saw that the blessing of being a father would last for many years, even though he was now less strong. After Sarah died, he married Keturah, which means “incense.” They had six sons, who were Arab chieftains (Genesis 25.1-7). They probably had daughters, but the Bible doesn't mention them. The gifts given by the Almighty will never be taken away, unless we let the evil one steal them.

         Look at what Abraham would lose if he hadn’t walked with God and wasn’t  blameless: acting as the owner of what was in the Covenant. The Lord also declared: And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you (Genesis 17.7). Enter God's covenant and be a blessing!

           In Christ, with love,

           R. R. Soares