The Most Important Name Change in History

Text: Genesis 17:1-7,15-16

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Genesis 17:1-7,15-16

Jonah Albrecht

2^nd Sunday in Lent

Genesis 17:1-7,15-16

The Most Important Name Change in History

February 15^th, 2024

Now to Him who loved us and has called us to be kings and priests with His own blood, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever Amen.

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 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall 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 have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And 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 moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

In the name of Christ who has called each of us by name, dear fellow redeemed:

There are a number of major name changes found in Scripture. Saul, the persecutor of the early church who struck fear in the hearts of Christians everywhere, became Paul, the Apostle, evangelist, and author of most of the New Testament books. Simon was named Peter, or “rock” by Jesus. Jacob, whose name meant “heel-grabber” and who spent much of his youth deceiving his brother and father, had his name changed to Israel – “One who contends with God and prevails.”

Sometimes God ordains a name to send a message to His people. The prophet Hosea was not only told to marry a prostitute, but God told him to name his children Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi meaning no mercy and not my people respectively. The message was to the children of Israel who had acted like an unfaithful spouse to the LORD and the judgement of no mercy and not God’s people if they continue in their dishonor God and live in idolatry. The angel Gabriel told Mary to name her child Jesus, because that is what He will do: Jesus means Jehovah saves.

The name changes of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah are two of the most well-known name changes in Scripture. For 24 years they have been waiting for God to fulfill His promise to give them the son they had longed for. You can imagine the sate of mind they must have been in. Abram was 75 years old, and Sarai 65, still possible for to have a child. But as the years go by, the odds grow smaller and smaller until it is physically impossible. And still the LORD has not brought to pass His promise to them. No matter what they had tried: A child through Hagar, Eliazer providing Abram’s heir. Every option that Abram and Sarai thought they had was met with a “no” from the LORD.

Instead, the LORD appears to Abram another time, but with an even more special promise than what He had given him before. 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 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”

The first words out of God’s mouth are incredible. He identifies Himself as El-Shaddai, or God Almighty. This is the first time God uses this name for Himself, but it will be repeated 5 other times in Genesis. Each time God is referenced as El-Shaddai, it is attached to this covenant He made with Abraham. This covenant begins with a command: “walk before me, and be blameless.” Put yourself in Abram’s shoes for a moment. The LORD God appears to you, identifies Himself as the God Almighty who is above all other so-called gods, who is the Creator of the universe, who is perfect and good in all things. He then commands you to walk before Him perfectly. No lying, no pride, no coveting, hating, lusting, no disobedience in any way whatsoever.

For Abram, it didn’t take long to realize how small he compared to the LORD. Then Abram fell on his face. This is a sign of great humility in Abram’s day, but even that wasn’t near enough humility before God Almighty. Abram knew immediately that he fell way short of fulfilling this command of the LORD. He had taken Hagar as a wife and had Ishmael by her instead of trusting God. He lied multiple times about Sarai being his sister and not his wife. Abram disqualified himself from this covenant.

God says the same thing to you. His command for all people is to walk before Him blameless. That is the only way to avoid spending eternity in hell, separated from God’s grace and mercy. How have you matched up to God’s command? Are you able to enter into a covenant with the God Almighty? I am the first to join Abraham and fall on my face before the LORD. In no way has my life lived up to the standard that God has set for me. No one can stand. No one can enter into the covenant with the LORD because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Each and every one of us has failed in how God expects us to live our lives. Failed to be the perfect father, mother, son, daughter, boss, worker. In every vocation we have been called into, sin has woven into the very fabric of our being.

Shortly after 1000 A.D. surnames began to become more popular in usage. As communities grew, the need to differentiate first names was more important. Most of the time surnames were chosen by occupation. It told people about who you were. For example, a blacksmith named John took the name John Smith. In a way, you, me, Abram, and all people share a surname of sorts: Each of us has the surname: Sinner. Jonah Sinner. This surname describes my occupation, it describes who I am by nature. It is a name I can’t change because I feel like it, or because I don’t want to be that way anymore. (Psalm 51:5) Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me; and: Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By nature, we, nor Abram deserve to enter any covenant with God Almighty. But, God said to him, ⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall 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 have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you

Even though Abram did not deserve to enter this covenant, God does so anyway. It wasn’t because Abram was much more worthy than you or me. It was because this is God’s covenant and He is the sole operator in it. What God had promised to Abram and Sarai was the impossible. Physically impossible for them to have a child at this age. But with God nothing is impossible. He was the one who was going to bring that to pass. So also with this covenant. It is impossible for Abram and Sarai to live up to God’s expectations. But with God, nothing is impossible.

This covenant depended on God and God alone. That is why He identified Himself as God Almighty. He would bring this to pass. A couple in their 90s with no children, would become the parents to not just nations, but kings will come from their line. This is why God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. He will make Abraham the father of many nations. This is why God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sarah means princess, she will be the mother of kings and nations.

From Abraham and Sarah would come Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of Israel. They would have great kings like David and Solomon. But that is not where God’s covenant ends. This is an everlasting covenant for Abraham, Sarah, and their descendants. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

From Abraham and Sarah would come the King of kings, God Himself. Jesus would be born of Mary, a descendant of Abraham. Isaac was the first fulfillment of God’s covenant promise. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that same promise. The unworthiness Abraham and Sarah had to enter into this covenant with God was taken care of by Jesus. He lived the perfect life in their place. Even though He would be born over a thousand years earlier, Jesus’ life and death on the cross covered the sins of Abraham and Sarah. It gave them the blamelessness needed to enter this covenant with God. Through faith in God’s promise, it gave Abraham and Sarah what they needed the most, more than the birth of Isaac: It gave them forgiveness.

This is why this covenant is so special. It did not end with Abraham, or his descendants, but it continues on to all who are spiritual descendants of him: That is those who share the same faith as he had in His God and Savior. Paul writes in Galatians 3:7, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And later in the same chapter, And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Did you know that you went through a name change? When you were christened, you received your Christian name. For most this happened at your baptism. That is when God entered into this covenant with you, when He made you a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Remember the name that we have by nature? Sinner. That is gone, replaced, removed forever. Your name is no longer sinner, but because of faith in Jesus, because of what He accomplished for you living the perfect life and dying in your place on the cross, you have a new name. Your name is now: CHILD OF GOD. The same way that God was the sole actor in the covenant with Abraham, He is also the sole actor in His covenant with you. God called you by the Gospel, delivered you from the arms of sin and Satan, which brought certain death, and has made you to be kings and priests with Him forever.

This is the greatest name change in history. It is your name change. Jesus your Savior has placed His name on you. Your sins are deleted, His righteousness is now your righteousness, and with the same certainty God promised to Abraham and Sarah, you will receive the blessed reward of eternal life through Him. Child of God. That is the name that matters. That is the name that saves you and truly makes you who you are today. May God grant you the faith of Abraham and Sarah to hold onto this covenant promise He made with you and keep you as His child into eternity. In Jesus name, Amen.