Genesis 15-17 details God's covenant with Abraham. God promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars and that he will possess the land of Canaan. Abraham believes God and it is credited to him as righteousness. God establishes the covenant by having Abraham sacrifice animals and pass between their halves, and promises the Israelites will be enslaved for 400 years before returning to Canaan. Sarai gives her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear a child, and Hagar conceives Ishmael. God renames Abraham and Sarai, changes Sarai's name to Sarah, and establishes circumcision as the sign of the covenant, promising Abraham many descendants and kings through Isaac despite his and Sarah's old age.

1. Genesis 15-17

2. Promises given: Abram called to leave his family.
Promise of Seed (12:1-3)
Promises fulfilled: Isaac born; Hagar & Ishmael sent out;
Isaac offered on altar (21-22)
Sojourn in Egypt, “She is my sister” (12.10-20)
Sojourn in Gerar, “She is my sister” (20)
Lot and Abram: Negotiations (13).
Abram rescues Lot and people of Sodom (14)
God and Abram: Negotiations (18:16-33).
Angels rescue Lot and destroy Sodom (19)
Abram prepares a sacrifice for a covenant ceremony:
God promises descendants and the Land (15)
Abraham prepares a meal: God promises that Sarah will
give birth to Isaac (18:1-15).
Hagar and Ishmael (16)
Abraham and Ishmael circumcised (17:23-27).
Abrahamic Covenant (17:1-22)

3. Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the
LORD came to Abram in a vision,
saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a
shield to you; Your reward shall be
very great.”

4. Genesis 15:2-3
Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what
will You give me, since I am childless,
and the heir of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since
You have given no offspring to me,
one born in my house is my heir.”

5. Sarai is barren
• Lot as a potential heir
• Eliezar of Damascus as a
potential heir

6. Genesis 15:4
Then behold, the word of the
LORD came to him, saying, “This man
will not be your heir; but one who will
come forth from your own body, he
shall be your heir.”

7. Sarai is barren
• Lot as a potential heir
• Eliezar of Damascus as a
potential heir
• One from Abram’s own
body will be his heir

8. Genesis 15:5
And He took him outside and
said, “Now look toward the heavens,
and count the stars, if you are able to
count them.” And He said to him, “So
shall your descendants be.”

9. Genesis 15:6
Then he believed in the LORD;
and He reckoned it to him as
righteousness.

10. Genesis 15:7-8
And He said to him, “I am the
LORD who brought you out of Ur of
the Chaldeans, to give you this land to
possess it.” 8 He said, “O Lord GOD,
how may I know that I will possess it?”

11. Genesis 15:9-11
So He said to him, “Bring Me a
three year old heifer, and a three year
old female goat, and a three year old
ram, and a turtledove, and a young
pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these
to Him and cut them in two, and laid
each half opposite the other; but he
did not cut the birds. 11 The birds of
prey came down upon the carcasses,
and Abram drove them away.

12. Genesis 15 &
The Covenant Ceremony
“To Cut a Covenant”

13. Genesis 15:12
Now when the sun was going
down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram;
and behold, terror and great darkness
fell upon him.

14. Genesis 15:13-14
God said to Abram, “Know for
certain that your descendants will be
strangers in a land that is not theirs,
where they will be enslaved and
oppressed four hundred years. 14 But I
will also judge the nation whom they
will serve, and afterward they will
come out with many possessions.”

15. Genesis 15:15-16
“As for you, you shall go to your
fathers in peace; you will be buried at
a good old age. 16 Then in the fourth
generation they will return here, for
the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet
complete.”

16. Will be
buried at
a good,
old age
Strangers
in a land
that is not
their own
God will
judge
that land
In the fourth
generation
they will
return here
The iniquity of the Amorites…
Filled

17. Genesis 15:17
It came about when the sun had
set, that it was very dark, and behold,
there appeared a smoking oven and a
flaming torch which passed between
these pieces.

18. …a smoking oven
and a flaming torch

19. Genesis 15:18-21
On that day the LORD made a
covenant with Abram, saying, “To your
descendants I have given this land,
from the river of Egypt as far as the
great river, the river Euphrates: 19 the
Kenite and the Kenizzite and the
Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the
Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the
Amorite and the Canaanite and the
Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

20. ASSYRIA
EGYPT
…from the
river of Egypt
as far as the
great river,
the river
Euphrates

22. Genesis 16:1-2
Now Sarai, Abram's wife had
borne him no children, and she had
an Egyptian maid whose name was
Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now
behold, the LORD has prevented me
from bearing children. Please go in to
my maid; perhaps I will obtain children
through her.” And Abram listened to
the voice of Sarai.

23. “Gilimninu has been given to
Shennima as wife. If Gilimninu
bears children, Shennima shall not
take another wife, But if Gilimninu
does not bear, she shall take a
slave-girl from the Lullu-region as
wife for Shennima. As for the
concubine’s offspring, Gilimninu
shall not send them away.”

24. Genesis 15
Begins with God
coming to Abram with
a message.
Genesis 16
Begins with Sarai
coming to Abram with
advice.
Abram believed the
Lord.
Abram listened to the
voice of Sarai.
God gave to Abram
promises of protection,
of a seed, and of the
possession of the land.
Sarai gave to Abram
her handmaiden Hagar
to fulfill the promise of
the seed.

25. Genesis 15
God spoke to Abram
and gave him
instruction and
promises.
Genesis 16
God speaks to Hagar
and gives her
instructions and
promises.
Abram is promised a
son who will be his
heir.
Hagar is promised a
son who will be a wild
man.

26. Genesis 16:3-4
After Abram had lived ten years
in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife
Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her
maid, and gave her to her husband
Abram as his wife. 4 He went in to
Hagar, and she conceived; and when
she saw that she had conceived, her
mistress was despised in her sight.

27. Genesis 16:5-6
And Sarai said to Abram, “May
the wrong done me be upon you. I
gave my maid into your arms, but
when she saw that she had
conceived, I was despised in her
sight. May the LORD judge between
you and me.” 6 But Abram said to
Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your
power; do to her what is good in your
sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly,
and she fled from her presence.

28. Genesis 16:7-8
Now the angel of the LORD
found her by a spring of water in the
wilderness, by the spring on the way
to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai's
maid, where have you come from and
where are you going?” And she said,
“I am fleeing from the presence of my
mistress Sarai.”

29. Hagar
Mistreated by her
mistress.
Israel
Mistreated by the
Pharaoh.
Fled into the
wilderness.
Escaped into the
wilderness.
Encountered the angel
of the Lord by the
spring on the way to
the Wilderness of
Shur.
After they came out of
Egypt and three days
journey into the
Wilderness of Shur,
they found no water.

30. Genesis 16:9-10
Then the angel of the LORD said
to her, “Return to your mistress, and
submit yourself to her authority.”
10 Moreover, the angel of the
LORD said to her, “I will greatly
multiply your descendants so that they
will be too many to count.”

31. Genesis 16:11
The angel of the LORD said to her
further,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name
Ishmael,
Because the LORD has given
heed to your affliction.

32. Genesis 16:12
“He will be a wild donkey of a
man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be
against him;
And he will live to the east of all
his brothers.”

33. Genesis 16:13-14
Then she called the name of the
LORD who spoke to her, “You are a
God who sees”; for she said, “Have I
even remained alive here after seeing
Him?” 14 Therefore the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between
Kadesh and Bered.

34. Hagar’s Son
His descendants
would be innumerable.
Abram’s Heir
His descendants will
be innumerable.
He will be at enmity
with the world.
He will be a blessing to
the world.
Every man’s hand will
be against him.
Whoever blesses him
will be blessed and
whoever curses him
will be cursed.

36. Promises given: Abram called to leave his family.
Promise of Seed (12:1-3)
Promises fulfilled: Isaac born; Hagar & Ishmael sent out;
Isaac offered on altar (21-22)
Sojourn in Egypt, “She is my sister” (12.10-20)
Sojourn in Gerar, “She is my sister” (20)
Lot and Abram: Negotiations (13).
Abram rescues Lot and people of Sodom (14)
God and Abram: Negotiations (18:16-33).
Angels rescue Lot and destroy Sodom (19)
Abram prepares a sacrifice for a covenant ceremony:
God promises descendants and the Land (15)
Abraham prepares a meal: God promises that Sarah
will give birth to Isaac (18:1-15).
Hagar and Ishmael (16)
Abraham and Ishmael circumcised (17:23-27).
Abrahamic Covenant (17:1-22)

37. Abraham is 99 years old (17:1)
Abraham is 99, Ishmael is 13 years old (17:24-25).
The Lord appeared to Abram (17:1-2).
God went up from Abraham (17:22).
God will make a covenant with Abram to multiply
him (17:2).
God promises multiplication through Isaac and
Ishmael (17:18-21)
Abram fell on his face (17:3).
Abraham fell on his face and laughed (17:17).
Abram's name changed to Abraham (17:4-8).
• I will make nations of you.
• Kings shall come forth from you
Sarai's name changed to Sarah (17:15-16).
• She shall be a mother of nations
• Kings of peoples shall come from her.
Circumcision commanded (17:9-14).

38. Genesis 17:1-2
Now when Abram was ninety-
nine years old, the LORD appeared to
Abram and said to him, “I am God
Almighty; Walk before Me, and be
blameless. 2 I will establish My
covenant between Me and you, And I
will multiply you exceedingly.”

39. Genesis 17:3-5
Abram fell on his face, and God talked
with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold,
My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a
multitude of nations.
5 No longer shall your name be
called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I will make you the father of a
multitude of nations.”

40. Abram ~r'b.a;
Abraham ~h'r'b.a;;
“Father of high
places”
Rhymes with
“Father of a
multitude”
For I will make you the father of a
multitude of nations (Genesis 17:5)
!Amïh]-ba;

41. Genesis 17:6
“I will make you exceedingly
fruitful, and I will make nations of you,
and kings will come forth from you. “

42. Genesis 17:7-8
“I will establish My covenant
between Me and you and your
descendants after you throughout
their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you and to
your descendants after you. 8 I will
give to you and to your descendants
after you, the land of your sojournings,
all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession; and I will be
their God.”

43. Genesis 17:9
God said further to Abraham,
“Now as for you, you shall keep My
covenant, you and your descendants
after you throughout their generations.”

44. Genesis 17:10-11
“This is My covenant, which you
shall keep, between Me and you and
your descendants after you: every
male among you shall be circumcised.
11 And you shall be circumcised in the
flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be
the sign of the covenant between Me
and you.”

45. Genesis 17:12-13
“And every male among you who
is eight days old shall be circumcised
throughout your generations, a
servant who is born in the house or
who is bought with money from any
foreigner, who is not of your
descendants. 13 A servant who is born
in your house or who is bought with
your money shall surely be
circumcised; thus shall My covenant
be in your flesh for an everlasting
covenant.”

46. Genesis 17:14
“But an uncircumcised male who
is not circumcised in the flesh of his
foreskin, that person shall be cut off
from his people; he has broken My
covenant.”

47. Noahic
Covenant
Involves men, animals
and the entire world.
Abrahamic
Covenant
Involves Abraham and
his descendants.
The sign is the
rainbow and relates to
the entire creation.
The sign if
circumcision and
relates to Abraham’s
descendants.
A universal sign. A personal sign.

48. Circumcision
• Involved a surgical “cutting.”
• Represented a spiritual reality:
Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen
your neck no more (Deuteronomy 10:16).
• A sign of faith: a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had
while uncircumcised (Romans 4:11).
Circumcision was to the Abrahamic
Covenant what baptism is to the New
Covenant

49. Sign of the covenant is
circumcision
Abrahamic
Covenant
Sign of the covenant
is baptism.
Circumcision was a
sign of faith.
Baptism is a sign of
faith.
Physical circumcision
represented the
spiritual process of
cutting away sin.
Water baptism
represents the
identification with Christ
and the spiritual
cleansing that comes
through the new birth.
New Covenant

50. Abrahamic
Covenant
Circumcision was
limited to males
There is no distinction in
Baptism between male
or female.
New Covenant
The promise was to God’s people AND
THEIR CHILDREN (Deuteronomy
6:6-7; Acts 2:38-39).

51. Genesis 17:15-16
Then God said to Abraham, “As
for Sarai your wife, you shall not call
her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be
her name. 16 I will bless her, and
indeed I will give you a son by her.
Then I will bless her, and she shall be
a mother of nations; kings of peoples
will come from her.”

52. Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face
and laughed, and said in his heart,
“Will a child be born to a man one
hundred years old? And will Sarah,
who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

53. Genesis 17:18-19
And Abraham said to God, “Oh
that Ishmael might live before You!”
19 But God said, “No, but Sarah
your wife will bear you a son, and you
shall call his name Isaac; and I will
establish My covenant with him for an
everlasting covenant for his descend-
ants after him.”

54. Genesis 17:20-21
“As for Ishmael, I have heard
you; behold, I will bless him, and will
make him fruitful and will multiply him
exceedingly. He shall become the
father of twelve princes, and I will
make him a great nation. 21 But My
covenant I will establish with Isaac,
whom Sarah will bear to you at this
season next year.”

55. Genesis 17:22
When He finished talking with
him, God went up from Abraham.

56. Genesis 17:23
Then Abraham took Ishmael his
son, and all the servants who were
born in his house and all who were
bought with his money, every male
among the men of Abraham’s
household, and circumcised the flesh
of their foreskin in the very same day,
as God had said to him.

57. Genesis 17:24-26
Now Abraham was ninety-nine
years old when he was circumcised in
the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And
Ishmael his son was thirteen years old
when he was circumcised in the flesh
of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day
Abraham was circumcised, and
Ishmael his son.

58. Genesis 17:27
All the men of his household,
who were born in the house or bought
with money from a foreigner, were
circumcised with him.