Scripture references;
“1Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:1-5 KJV
“1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, 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 selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.” Genesis 17 KJV
Today I am thinking about names. I am not sure about the customs of all of the nations in the world today, but in America babies names are selected for various reasons. Some reasons seem noble, while other reasons are merely whimsical….chosen because they sound pleasant when spoken aloud. Still others will venture to choose names for silly reasons.
Back in Biblical times names always signified something important about a person or even the circumstances surrounding his or her birth. There were even some occasions when the Lord changed a person’s standing…his or her station, and bestowed a new name on that person which would signify that change. That is exactly what happened in Genesis 17.
In this chapter we are given a view of the scope of a special covenant. Special blessings had been poured out that would in time transform these sojourners into a royal procession, and not only that, but The Lord’s covenant would be established with Isaac. Both Abram’s ( father of many) and Sarai’s (my lady or my princess) names were changed to Abraham (father of many nations) and Sarah (the princess of a multitude) Here is a link to the source that gave me that information: http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/guz/view.cgi?bk=0&ch=17
Some people like their names and some do not, but the Lord graciously assigns an identity to each and every one of His children that is unique and noble. He calls us and we recognize that and we follow Him. It is a beautiful thing to consider.
I really enjoy getting comments and look forward to reading and to responding to them. Currently my computer is not working, and I am writing my blog posts at the library. Please be patient, and I will reply as soon as I am able. ❤
Links to other posts in this series:
1) A Loving Pursuit: Introduction (One Minute and Twenty-nine Seconds)
2)A Loving Pursuit: (Part 1: In The Beginning)
3) “Driven” (a poem)
4) A Loving Pursuit: Part 2 (Driven by Love)
5) “Reasonable” (a poem)
6) A Loving Pursuit: Part 3 ( Love Stands to Reason)
7) “Valuable” (a poem)
8) A Loving Pursuit: Part 4 (Divine Measures)
9)A Loving Pursuit: Part 5 ( Love Came to Call)
10)A Loving Pursuit: Part 6 ( Declaring God’s Goodness )
11)“Dayspring” (a poem)
12) A Loving Pursuit: Part 7 (Spring Cleaning)
13)A Loving Pursuit: Part 8 ( A God Who Sees)
14) A Loving Pursuit: Part 9 ( A God Who Calls Us By Name)
15) A Loving Pursuit: Part 10 ( Love is Tenderhearted)…a long post
16) A Loving Pursuit: Part 11 ( Love is Patient)
17) A Loving Pursuit: Part 12 (God Never Fails)
18) “Trial of Faith” (A Poem)
19)A Loving Pursuit: Part 13 (Jehovah-Jireh…’The Lord Will Provide’)
20) A Loving Pursuit: Part 14 (Loving Guidance)
21) A Loving Pursuit: Part 15 (Love’s Grand Appearance)
22) A Loving Pursuit: Part 16 (God’s Higher Purpose)
23) A Loving Pursuit: Part 17 (God’s Transforming Touch)
24) A Loving Pursuit: Part 18a (God Remains True)
25) A Loving Pursuit: Part 18b (Encountering God)
26) A Loving Pursuit: Part 18c (A God Who Mends Hearts)
27) “Prayer”
28) A Loving Pursuit: Part 19 (“His Mercy Endureth Forever”)
29) A Loving Pursuit: Part 20 (“In The Day Of Distress”)
30) A Loving Pursuit: Part 21 (“The Author Of Dreams”)
31) A Loving Pursuit: Part 22 (Loving Observation)
32) A Loving Pursuit: Part 23 (Divine Continuance)
33) A Loving Pursuit: Part 24 ( Grace That Is Greater)
34) A Loving Pursuit: Part 25 (But The Lord Was With Him)
35) A Loving Pursuit: Part 26 ( A Type of Mercy )
36) A Loving Pursuit: Part 27 ( Loving Revelation)
37) A Loving Pursuit: Part 28 ( “Manasseh”…A Time To Forget…And To Heal)
38)A Loving Pursuit: Part 29 (“Ephraim”…Fruitful In Affliction)
Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:
https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here: www.biblegateway.com They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
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