Mark of Ownership--Gen. 17

 

"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made of thee….As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be" (Gen. 17:5, 15)

The Lord God Almighty appears to Abram and declares His name: "I am the Almighty God;" and then bids the patriarch to "walk before Me, and be thou perfect" (vs. 1).

That's quite the command. The God of heaven and earth, commanding  a finite, sinful creature to be perfect. It seems impossible.

But "all His biddings are enablings" (COL 333.1). The Lord would not leave Abram to struggle to this destination called perfection without providing the way and the means to get there.

As a token of God's love, and of His promise to help Abram and his descendants to attain this, He establishes a covenant with His chosen people--circumcision. But before He ever mentions the rite, He does something else.

That's right. He changes their names.

Abram becomes Abraham. And Sarai becomes Sarah.

Abraham's new name meant exactly the same thing as his old one: "exalted father" or "father of nations." And Sarah's new name meant the same thing as her old one: "princess."

Why change the name if you aren't changing the meaning?

In the beginning, God named all things...sort of.

God named everything, but Adam named things as well. Adam named Eve, his children, and all the animals. It's interesting that God didn't name Eve like he did Adam. Nor did God specify what names to call Cain and Abel.

When you name something, you are establishing authority. Right of ownership. God, in naming man, woman, sky, land, sea, trees, plants, established that He was the ultimate Ruler of all. But Adam, in naming Eve, Cain, Abel, fox, monkey, cow, and penguin, established that he was the secondary authority.

When Abraham was born, his father, Terah, called him Abram. His father had the right to name him, as he was the authority figure.

But when Abraham left his father's house at the command of God, and followed the unseen Creator God across land and desert, through trial and battle, he gained a new authority.

God became the ultimate authority, and thus, He gave His possession a new name.

There's a reason that God dictated what Isaac's name would be.

He was establishing ultimate ownership of the unborn child.

And when He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, He was testing Abraham to see if he would recognize that claim of ownership.

Another was also named by God before His birth. And God claimed ownership of Him as well. Jesus' name was given to Mary and Joseph by Gabriel. And Jesus was God's...alone.

And get this… He's going to change your name too.

"To him that overcometh will I give...a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:17).

What's the purpose of a new name if no one except you and God know what it is?

Ownership.

You are God's. And one day soon He will establish it forever.

He will give you a new name.

But He also wants to give you a new name on this old earth. He wants to establish His ownership of you here and now.

"I will change your name: you shall no longer be called 'wounded,' 'outcast,' 'lonely,' or 'afraid.' I will change your name: your new name shall be 'confidence,' 'joyfulness,' 'overcoming one,' 'faithfulness,' 'friend of God,' 'one who seeks My face.' "

Your name.A mark of ownership.

You are property of the King of Kings.

Oh Lord, change my name.