A New Name

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Abram shook his head, uncertain. You cannot, for there are too many. It is impossible. It is to be the same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make through your heir would be as innumerable as the stars in the night sky. 00:01:21 Speaker 1: I have never been able to conceive, and in the ten years since we heard this promise, that hasn't changed. I would have you achieve this promise another way. I would present my maid to you so that you could conceive a child with her. 00:01:36 Speaker 3: And so Hagar did as her lady instructed. That very night she was escorted to her lord's tent. 00:01:44 Speaker 1: Why nothing but a mare to you? To be broken and bred however you see fit? 00:01:51 Speaker 3: You are nothing. 00:01:53 Speaker 1: You are nothing. 00:01:55 Speaker 3: You are nothing. Sarai was too enraged to know if she was yelling these insults at Hagar or herself. The God Most High will give you a great family. He will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count. The child growing in your womb now will be a son. You are to name him Ishmael. Hagar was amazed at the words of the messenger. She wondered at the power and authority of his God. 00:02:26 Speaker 2: Right. 00:02:27 Speaker 4: The name means God hears. Abram could not shake the feeling that in taking matters into their own. 00:02:32 Speaker 3: Hands, they had indeed fallen short. Ishmael wrestled in the dirt with another boy. The two youths grappled with the exuberance of untamed colts, their limbs entwined in a playful but fierce struggle for dominance. Dust swirled around them, intermixed with laughter and grunts. Abram's heart swelled with pride as he observed how much his son had grown in these thirteen years. He was almost a man now. and Abram had taken to building into his education, shaping him for the days to come. 00:03:27 Speaker 5: Hmm, he'll make a fine clan leader one day. 00:03:33 Speaker 3: All that he had would be Ishmael's one day, and everything Abram's god had promised would be fulfilled. Abram would have loved any child he had, but this one, born to him at his advanced age, and with the weight of the promise of the legacy before him, held a very special place in his heart. Shouts of laughter announced what appeared to be the final round of the boys' wrestling match. 00:04:00 Speaker 5: Well done, Ishmael! Well done! 00:04:04 Speaker 3: Thank you, father. Grinning ear to ear, Ishmael trotted over to Abram, and Abram affectionately ruffled his hair, feeling the fine strands beneath his calloused fingers. Am I to go with you today? 00:04:19 Speaker 5: If your mother can spare you, yes. I would have you join me or Eleazar every day so that you can learn what it is to oversee the herds and the land. Good. 00:04:31 Speaker 3: I'll have to let mother know I'm going with you. 00:04:33 Speaker 5: Go and tell her and meet me in an hour's time. We'll meet back here. 00:04:39 Speaker 3: Ishmael ran off to do what Abram had asked, his youthful energy propelling him forward with the speed of a gazelle. In the years since Hagar had born Ishmael, Abram had tried to give her as comfortable a life as he could without upsetting his wife. Abram was no fool. He knew that the women despised each other. He had situated Hagar's tent far from his environment. He avoided bringing the boy around because he sensed that the sight of him upset Sarai in deeper and darker ways than even seeing his mother. Abram hated living this way, but it seemed to be the only solution that could be found in the fallout of his decision all those years ago. Abram continued his walk through the tents, greeting the various faces who paused their work to acknowledge him. His people revered him. and their respect was evident in their deferential nods and murmured greetings. Abram left the camp to take a stroll into the fields, a ritual that brought him a semblance of peace amidst the tumult of his household. He took the same walk each day, hoping to hear from his God, and, if he heard nothing, that he would spend the time reflecting on all that he had and all that he had to look forward to. Here in the solitude of the plains, he sought communion with his God. On this day, like countless before, he walked, contemplating the breadth of his blessings and the promises yet to be fulfilled. Suddenly, a profound stillness descended upon him, a silence that spoke of the divine. Abram fell to his knees, his face to the ground, awaiting the voice of the Almighty. 00:06:28 Speaker 6: Abram. 00:06:29 Speaker 4: My servant, you have been walking with me now for many years. You know me as your God, as El Elyon, God Most High. And now I will tell you that I am El Shaddai, God Almighty. Through my majestic strength, it is I alone who has the ability to supply abundantly. When I came to you all those years ago, I told you that I would multiply you greatly. I even came to you and set up a covenant, the everlasting promise of my word. Abram remembered it well. He could still see the terrible. 00:07:22 Speaker 3: Darkness between the animal halves and then the smoking fire-bottom torch that crossed between them. As long as he lived, he would never forget such a sight. 00:07:33 Speaker 4: I come to you now to affirm that promise again and complete the covenant we cut. In the ways of your people, our agreement must be sealed with a covenant mark. and we shall have a ceremony of the exchanging of names. My name and reputation will come to cover your own. I have told you what my name means, and through it you will know that I will supply everything you need. You need not long outside my provision to make my promise come to pass. 00:08:13 Speaker 3: Abram shifted on his feet. He could not help but think of the tension between Sarai and Hagar. He loved Ishmael, and he was forever grateful that he was born, but how it came to be still troubled him greatly. In our exchanging of names, I would have yours change to reflect the promise I have given you. Your name will now be Abraham. The words vibrated in Abraham's chest. The name felt familiar, but held a new weight. Abraham, father of nations. He felt his knees shaking and leaned on his staff, his heart racing and hands trembling. He stringed to hear more from El Shaddai. 00:09:02 Speaker 4: I will make you the father of many nations. I. will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and even kings come from you. 00:09:18 Speaker 3: Abraham wondered at the significance of the new name. He was 99 years old and had only recently fathered his first child. And the promise of fruitfulness in his lifetime seemed to be a stretch. What would his friends and neighbors think of this new name? 00:09:36 Speaker 6: Covenant I made with you will also be between your future offspring throughout their generations. What's more is that when your offspring possess this land of Canaan, it will be a permanent possession, as I am your God. I will be their God as well. As you have walked with me, they will walk with me. They will fulfill and live in the reality of this permanent covenant as my chosen people. and because this covenant would be kept throughout generations, I would invoke another part of the covenant to signify this agreement, the seal. 00:10:31 Speaker 3: Abraham knew that this seal was usually achieved by drawing blood, which would eventually scar and serve as a reminder of the covenant. 00:10:40 Speaker 4: This shall be our mark, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between us, Every one of the males in your household, whether they are born into it or adopted, family or servant, must be circumcised. You must cut the flesh of your foreskin. From this day forward, throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old. Through that ceremony, my covenant will be marked into their flesh as a reminder of this permanent covenant. If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people. It will be said of him that he has broken my covenant. Now, as for your wife Sarai... As I have given you a new name, she will receive a new one as well. She will be known as Sarah. As you will be the father of many nations, she will also be blessed. I will give you a son by her. I will bless her. And she will produce these nations I have spoken of. Mighty kings of people will come from her. 00:12:14 Speaker 3: Stunned, Abraham lifted his head, barely able to comprehend the enormity of the vision laid before him. He fell face down again, stifling a laugh. 00:12:29 Speaker 5: How can this be? How can a 90-year-old woman bear a child? I am nearly 100 as well, and it's just as implausible for me. I don't understand. God Almighty, why can my legacy not be fulfilled through Ishmael? I have already adopted him and made him my heir. Wouldn't this be sufficient to achieve all that you have said will come to pass? 00:12:57 Speaker 4: Shall my promises be fulfilled by you? Did I not walk through blood while you slept? Your plans shall not prevail over mine. No, Abraham, your wife Sarah will surely bear you a son. Because you laughed at the prospect, you shall name the boy Isaac. It is through him, that I will confirm my covenant with you and with all your future offspring. When you speak his name, you will remember this moment, and you will remember that what I said would come to be has happened. As for your son Ishmael, I know that you love him. I have already made this promise to his mother Hagar, but I will tell you as well. I will bless him. He will simmer away, be fruitful, and multiply. He will go on to father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. But it is with your son, Ilizik, with whom I will confirm my covenant. You will see. Your wife, Sarah, will bear him to you at this time next year. 00:14:24 Speaker 3: And as suddenly as Abraham's God appeared to Abraham, he was gone. Abraham stood and brushed the dust off his knees. He was still amazed at the news that he was to have another son, one with his wife, Sarai, Sarah. He supposed that would also take some getting used to. Abraham hurried back toward the tents. He had agreed to meet Ishmael, but now he also had to arrange for the circumcisions of all the men under his protection. He knew that this would not only honor his God and show him that he was faithful to obey, but it would also mark them as men who were set apart from all other men. In a way, this ceremony would give all of them a new identity, just as Abram had assumed a new identity as Abraham. Abraham, walking fully in this new identity and name, called all the men of his household together. He called physicians to meet them as well, in anticipation of what he was about to command for all of the men. 00:15:31 Speaker 5: Brothers, my family... I have gathered you all together for a very special purpose. First, I know many of you have been with me from our time in Haran and have followed me faithfully ever since then. You have believed in me and through that faith you have come to believe the commands of my God. I cannot express my gratitude for the faithfulness of your characters. Thank you for your loyal friendship. 00:16:04 Speaker 3: Abraham looked out at the men in the crowd before him. Eliezer met his gaze with steadiness. He knew Eliezer would follow him wherever he would go and do whatever he asked without question. Abraham could not find a more faithful servant anywhere. Then his gaze fell upon his son Ishmael. The boy grinned up at him. Abraham smiled back. He could do no wrong in the boy's eyes. He looked up at him in admiration. He knew that Ishmael would similarly obey whatever he asked of him. 00:16:38 Speaker 5: I have heard from our God, El Elyon, God Most High. He gave me a new name to call him, El Shaddai, God Almighty. The last time he spoke with me, he cut a covenant with me on all of our behalf. His promises to us will be upheld. And what's more, they will be everlasting. Through this new revelation of his name, he tells us of his mighty ability to supply what we need in abundance. 00:17:13 Speaker 3: There were murmurs of acknowledgement and understanding throughout the gathered crowd. 00:17:18 Speaker 5: To complete the covenant, he gave my wife and me new names. We are now Abraham and Sarah. Our old way of living is done. This completion of the covenant is the start of a new way of living. Now, there is a role for you all to play as well. This promise is not just for me and Sarah. It is for our entire people. To further complete the covenant, we, as a people, are to seal this covenant with a mark. Every male in our household today and every day after will become circumcised. Now, I know this is a practice done by other nations, but for us, this will forever mark our separation, purity, and loyalty. We will be forever set apart from all other nations on Earth. For we have been chosen by El Shaddai. 00:18:21 Speaker 3: For this purpose. Again, there were rumblings of agreement in the crowd. The men were united around their leader, Abraham, and their God. 00:18:33 Speaker 5: Our covenant mark will symbolize the everlasting promise of our God. Any man in my household from this day forward who does not bear this mark will be cast out. He will be considered an outsider. The men of El Elyon, God Most High, will be circumcised. I say it again. The men of El Shaddai will be circumcised. 00:19:00 Speaker 3: Shouts in response from the men gathered around Abraham. 00:19:05 Speaker 5: Now, who will step up and show me they are loyal? Who will show me they are willing to be set apart from all other peoples? Who will be mocked by their faithfulness? 00:19:18 Speaker 3: The men in the crowd hollered in response. Abraham beamed at them. This felt like the beginning of a brand new chapter for his God's chosen people. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellewager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofiano. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely, and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review. 00:20:16 Speaker 1: This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.