Genesis 17:2 (KJV)

Bible Commentary

Genesis 17:2 is an important Bible verse from the Old Testament where God appeared to Abraham to reaffirm and bring to pass His original promise of making him a great nation.

The first time God spoke to Abram, He told him to leave his father’s house and his country for a land He would show him. God promised Abram He would make him a great nation and make his name great, and that he would be a blessing. Abram was about 75 years old.

Much happened over the next 24 years of Abram’s life, and then when he was 99 years old, God appeared to him again and once more told him he would be the father of a multitude of nations, and God changed his name from Abram (meaning high father) to Abraham (meaning father of a multitude).

At that time, Abraham’s only son was by his wife’s servant, Hagar, since Sarai, his wife, was barren. God told Abraham the seed of the promise would not come through Hagar, but from his wife, whose name He changed from Sarai (meaning dominative) to Sarah (meaning female noble, lady, princess, queen).

A Name Changes Everything

It is very interesting to note the name changes of both Abraham and Sarah. When Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden, part of God’s curse upon the woman was, “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

This explains why we see many women (wives) disrespecting and ruling over their husbands, usurping their authority as leader in the home. Satan has found and exploited the weaknesses of men and has effectively destroyed many marriages and family relationships as a result.

No doubt that in the 24 years between the first promise to the reaffirmation of the promise when Abraham was 99 years old, both Abraham and Sarah had learned much about God’s intended order in marriage. They both made mistakes along the way, but with God’s leadership and direction, they came under His protective order.

In Genesis 17:1 God said, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Most likely, Abraham had gained wisdom and knowledge along the journey and knew exactly what God meant when He said “perfect.”

Then in Genesis 17:2, God reaffirms His original promise to Abraham and said, “And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.”

What a joy to be rewarded for completing a difficult journey–a long and arduous test–which produced endurance, patience and righteous fellowship in their marriage and family. Abraham was so relieved and overjoyed he fell on his face. He was promoted from “high father” to “father of many nations.”

Unlocking the Truth – Passionate and Faithful Bride

Did God promise you something long ago, and it still hasn’t come to pass? Has it been a long, arduous journey of learning, falling and getting back up again?

Take heart. Look at the word “make” from the first part of Genesis 17:2 when God said He would make His covenant between them. There are many Hebrew meanings, but the one that jumps out at me is: restore.

God’s covenant with us is like a marriage. He committed to being our God, and we committed to being His people and that He would be our God. Just as He intended for a marriage relationship, God as the head of the home, is our leader and takes care of us, and we as His bride are to submit to His leadership and revere Him.

As you can see from Sarah’s original name meaning (dominative), women’s natural desire since the curse, is to dominate the man and desire his glory and success for herself. This can be overcome with God’s help and our willingness. It took Sarah and Abraham about 24 years to finally get it, but they succeeded.

That’s when God showed up again to fulfill His promise to them. He restored His covenant with them. When they came under His order in their marriage covenant, God showed up to restore His marriage covenant with them!

Sarah was also promoted from “dominative” to “queen.” Her reproach was finally wiped away, and she indeed conceived and bore their son, Isaac, at 90 years old. God did in fact, multiply them exceedingly.

Restored in our Marriage

How can we as His people be restored in our marriage covenant with God and be multiplied exceedingly?

Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the perfect order God requires. In Christ, we are unspotted and undefiled, a bright and beautiful bride before Him. He desires us as a passionate and faithful bride. In Christ, we are.

God has come to restore His marriage covenant with us, His people.

Study the Bible verse of Genesis 17:2 to know the restoration of God’s covenant relationship with you, His passionate and faithful bride.