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, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 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. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 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 I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8 ESV).
As we continue through the genealogy of Jesus during our prelude to Christmas week we come to one of the most well known predecessors of Jesus, Abraham. It should be remembered that this patriarch of Israel was not always named “Abraham.” He was known as “Abram.” This was not merely a shortened version of the name. Abram translates “exalted father.” When God changed it, it became an amazing promise. The changed name translates “father of a great nation” and foretold of the great promise God made with him: “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). Sometime later God also told Abram that his offspring would be as many as the stars (cf. Genesis 15:5). But many years rolled by, and Abram and his wife, Sarai, had no children of their own.
When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him again and doubled down on his promise. As a sign of this incredible promise, God commanded that all males in Abraham’s household, whether born to him or bought by him, were to be circumcised. God’s promise was sealed in blood.
Abraham and his wife did have a son, and many descendants followed. So Abraham became a father of many nations. But that is not the end of the story. Years later, one of Abraham’s descendants, a child named Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. The blood of Jesus was the foundation of our redemption. The Apostle Paul says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). And that forgiveness, we find in the book of Revelation, extends to every tribe, language, people, and nation. What a gift!