創世記17:15-27

17:15 上帝又對亞伯拉罕說：「你的妻子撒萊不可再叫撒萊，她的名要叫撒拉。
17:16 我必賜福給她，也要使你從她得一個兒子。我要賜福給她，她也要作多國之母；必有百姓的君王從她而出。」
17:17 亞伯拉罕就俯伏在地喜笑，心裡說：「一百歲的人還能得孩子嗎？撒拉已經九十歲了，還能生養嗎？」
17:18 亞伯拉罕對上帝說：「但願以實瑪利活在你面前。」
17:19 上帝說：「不然，你妻子撒拉要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅定所立的約，作他後裔永遠的約。
17:20 至於以實瑪利，我也應允你：我必賜福給他，使他昌盛，極其繁多。他必生十二個族長；我也要使他成為大國。
17:21 到明年這時節，撒拉必給你生以撒，我要與他堅定所立的約。」
17:22 上帝和亞伯拉罕說完了話，就離開他上升去了。
17:23 正當那日，亞伯拉罕遵著上帝的命，給他的兒子以實瑪利和家裡的一切男子，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子買的，都行了割禮。
17:24 亞伯拉罕受割禮的時候年九十九歲。
17:25 他兒子以實瑪利受割禮的時候年十三歲。
17:26 正當那日，亞伯拉罕和他兒子以實瑪利一同受了割禮。
17:27 家裡所有的人，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子從外人買的，也都一同受了割禮。

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.^[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” ²² When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, ²⁵ and his son Ishmael was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

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    亞伯拉罕與上帝立盟約，連妻子的身分也有所不同，上帝也重新給一個新的名字。「撒萊」的字義是「公主」，而「撒拉」則是「貴族婦女」！這都是極為尊貴的女子之名！

    上帝更是直接說出將要發生得事情：「我必賜福給她，也要使你從她得一個兒子。我要賜福給她，她也要作多國之母；必有百姓的君王從她而出。」「你妻子撒拉要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫以撒。我要與他堅定所立的約，作他後裔永遠的約。」

    然而亞伯拉罕雖然是信心之父，卻仍然受到常理限制，他回應上帝：「一百歲的人還能得孩子嗎？撒拉已經九十歲了，還能生養嗎？」

    但是，對於哥理這件事，他沒有馬虎，正如聖經所說：「正當那日，亞伯拉罕和他兒子以實瑪利一同受了割禮。家裡所有的人，無論是在家裡生的，是用銀子從外人買的，也都一同受了割禮。」

    亞伯拉罕讓我們看見一個榜樣，信心要有行動，這是真信心的表現！