NOTES for Gen 17:1-9

What is the meaning of the covenant-union God made with Abraham? In answering this question, we naturally recall at once the promises God gave Abraham about the future of his tribe, which was to grow, become a nation, and establish its own state in the land through which Abraham had to wander. But is this the main thing? In his encounter with God, Abraham hears astonishing words: I—behold My covenant with you, God says to Abraham. Not the promised land, not the Torah, not the commandments, but God Himself is the pledge of the covenant. This is not surprising, for everything else depends on Him and is determined by Him. A covenant is first of all a relationship, and no promises, even promises fulfilled completely, can guarantee a relationship. Receiving land and establishing a state do not guarantee a relationship with God; they may be its consequence, but not its cause. Even the Torah and the commandments, which several centuries after the events described here will be given to the people through Moses, guarantee nothing in themselves. The Torah too can be emptied of substance and reduced to formalism and legalism, which draws no one closer to God and contributes nothing to a relationship with Him. God alone can guarantee that the covenant-union between Him and His people will remain unshaken. Much, of course, also depends on the people themselves, since an alliance presupposes the participation of at least two parties. Yet if anyone can repair what seems irreparable and restore a relationship that appears to have been destroyed beyond recovery, it is only He who initiated the covenant-union. In this lies hope: hope for the Kingdom, for the Messiah, and for salvation.