Shechinah, some visible display of God's immediate glorious presence with him. Note, God first makes himself known to us, and gives us a sight of him by faith, and then takes us into his covenant.
III. The posture Abram put himself into upon this occasion. He fell on his face while God talked with him, v. 3. Either, 1. As one overcome by the brightness of the divine glory, and unable to bear the sight of it, though he had seen it several times before: Daniel and John did likewise, though they were also acquainted with the visions of the Almighty, Dan. 8. 17.—10. 9, 15. Rev. 1. 17. Or, 2. As one ashamed of himself, and blushing to think of the honours done to one so unworthy: he looks upon himself with humility, and upon God with reverence, and, in token of both, falls on his face, putting himself into a posture of adoration. Note, (1.) God graciously condescends to talk with those whom he takes into his covenant and communion with himself. He talks with them by his word, Prov. 6. 22. He talks with them by his Spirit, John 14. 26. This honour have all his saints. (2.) Those that are admitted into fellowship with God, are, and must be, very humble and very reverent in their approaches to him. If we say we have fellowship with him, and the familiarity breeds contempt, we deceive ourselves. (3.) Those that would receive comfort from God, must set themselves to give glory to God, and to worship at his footstool.
IV. The general scope and summary of the covenant, laid down as the foundation on which all the rest was built; it is no other than the covenant of grace, still made with all believers in Jesus Christ, v. 1. Observe here,
1. What we may expect to find God to us; I am the Almighty God; by this name he chose to make himself known to Abram rather than by his name Jehovah, Exod. 6. 3. He used it to Jacob, ch. 35. 11. They called him by this name, ch. 28. 3.—43. 14.—48. 3; It is the name of God that is mostly used throughout the book of Job, at least thirty times in the discourses of that book. After Moses, Jehovah is more frequently used, and this very rarely; I am El-shaddai; it bespeaks the almighty power of God, either, (1.) As an avenger, from שדה he laid waste, so some; and they think God took this title from the destruction of the old world. This is countenanced by Isa. 13. 6, and Joel 1. 15. Or, (2.) As a benefactor, ש for אשר who, and די sufficient. He is a God, that is enough; or, as our old English translation reads it here very significantly, I am God all-sufficient. Note, The God with whom we have to do, is a God that is enough. [1.] He is enough in himself; he is self-sufficient; he has every thing, and he needs not any thing. [2.] He is enough to us, if we be in covenant with him: we have all in him, and we have enough in him; enough to satisfy our most enlarged desires, enough to supply the defect of every thing else, and to secure to us a happiness for our immortal souls: see Ps. 16. 5, 6.—73. 25.
2. What God requires that we be to him; the covenant is mutual, Walk before me, and be thou perfect, that is, upright and sincere; for herein the covenant of grace is well-ordered, that sincerity is our gospel perfection. Observe, (1.) That to be religious, is to walk before God in our integrity; it is to set God always before us, and to think, and speak, and act, in every thing, as those that are always under his eye. It is to have a constant regard to his word as our rule, and to his glory as our end, in all our actions, and to be continually in his fear. It is to be inward with him in all the duties of religious worship, for in them particularly we walk before God, 1 Sam. 2. 30, and to be entire for him, in all holy conversation. I know no religion but sincerity. (2.) That upright walking with God, is the condition of our interest in his all-sufficiency. If we neglect him, or dissemble with him, we forfeit the benefit and comfort of our relation to him. (3.) A continual regard to God's all-sufficiency, will have a great influence upon our upright walking with him.
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.
The promise here is introduced with solemnity: "As for me," says the great God, "behold, behold and admire it, behold and be assured of it, my covenant is with thee;" as before, v. 2, I will make my covenant. Note, The covenant of grace is a covenant of God's own making; this he glories in, (as for me,) and so may we. Now here,
I. It is promised to Abram, that he should be a father of many nations: that is, 1. That his seed after the flesh, should be very numerous, both in Isaac and Ishmael, and in the sons of Keturah; something extraordinary is doubtless included in this promise, and we may suppose that the event answered to it, and that there have been, and are, more of the children of men descended from Abraham, than from any one man at an equal distance with him from Noah, the common root. 2. That all believers, in every age, should be looked upon as his spiritual seed, and that he should be called, not only the friend of God, but the father of the faithful. In this sense, the Apostle directs us to understand this promise, Rom. 4. 16, 17. He is the father of those in every nation, that by faith enter into covenant with God, and (as the Jewish writers express it) are gathered under the wings of the divine Majesty.
II. In token of this, his name was changed from Abram, a high father, to Abraham, the father of a multitude. This was, 1. To put an honour upon him: it is spoken of as the glory of the church, that she shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name, Isa. 62. 2. Princes dignified their favourites, by conferring new titles upon them; thus was Abraham dignified by him that is indeed the Fountain of honour: all believers have a new name, Rev. 2. 17. Some think it added to the honour of Abraham's new name, that a letter of the name Jehovah was inserted into it, as it was a disgrace to Jeconiah to have the first syllable of his name cut off, because it was the same with the first syllable of that sacred name, Jer. 22. 28. Believers are named from Christ, Eph. 3. 15. 2. To encourage and confirm the faith of Abraham; while he was childless, perhaps even his own name was sometimes an occasion of grief to him: why should he be called a high father, who was not a father at all? But now that God had promised him a numerous issue, and had given him a name which signified so much, that name was his joy. Note, God calls things that are not, as though they were. It is the apostle's observation upon this very thing, Rom. 4. 17; he called Abraham the father of a multitude, because he should prove to be so in due time, though as yet he had but one child.
7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee,
