Genesis 17:1-8

"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. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 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 where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God'" (Genesis 17:1-8).

Comment:

The entire relationship between the Hebrew people and the Lord, as described in the Hebrew Bible, can be seen as a series of 'covenants'—with Noah, later with Moses and David. This passage from Genesis is one of several iterations of the compact between Abram and the Lord, which is still being challenged and explored today in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians over the same land.

You asked about the metaphysical implications, in which it becomes a contract between our limited ego minds and the greater Christ awareness that lives in each of us. If we follow our spiritual guidance, life will be rich and rewarding. That doesn't mean there won't be challenges; it means that we will be able to move through them understanding their spiritual lessons. And it is often the case in the Bible that a significant change of commitment is expressed through a name change—Jacob becomes Israel, for instance. The two letters added to Abram's name here—'ha'—have been described as the breath of Spirit infilling our human experience.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed