4. Chird Period—Establishment of the Cotenant (Gen, xxvii:21).
(1) Change of Name. Thirteen years after, when Abraham was 99 years old, he was favored with still more explicit declarations of the Divine purposes. He was reminded that the promise to him was that he should be the father of many nations; and to indicate this intention his name was now changed (as bemire described) from Abram to Abraham (Gen. xvii:1-9).
(2) Circumcision. The Divine Being then solemnly renewed the covenant to be a God to him and to the race that should spring from him; and in token of that covenant directed that he and his should receive in their flesh the sign of circumcision (Gen. xvii:to-14).
(See CIRCA; NICISION.) Abundant blessings were promised to Ishmael; but it was then first announced, in distinct terms, that the heir of the special promises was not yet born, and that the barren Sarai, then go years old, should twelve months thence be his mother. 1 hen also her name was changed from Sarai to Sarah (the princess) ; and to commemorate the laughter with which the prostrate patriarch re ceived such strange tidings, it was directed that the name of Isaac (lie laughed) should be given to the future child (Gen. xvii :15-22). The very same day, in obedience to the Divine ordinance, Abraham himself, his son Ishmael, and his house born and purchased slaves were all circumcised (Gen. xvii:23-27).
(3) Visit of Angels. Three months after this, as Abraham sat in his tent door during the heat of the day, he saw three travelers ap proaching, and hastened to meet them, and hos pitably pressed upon them refreshment and rest. They assented, and under the shade of a terebinth tree partook of the abundant fare which the patriarch and his wife provided, while Abraham himself stood by in respectful attendance (Gen. xviii :1-8). From the manner in which one of the strangers spoke, Abraham soon gathered that his visitants were no other than the Lord himself and two attendant angels in human form. The promise of a son by Sarah was renewed; and when Sarah herself, who overheard this within the tent, laughed inwardly at the tidings, which, on account of her great age, she at first disbe lieved. she incurred the striking rebuke, 'Is any
thing too hard for Jehovah?' (Gen. xviii :9-15).
(4) Destruction of Sodom. The strangers then continued their journey, and Abraham walked some way ‘v(th them. The two angels went forward in the direction of Sodom, while the Lord made known to him that, for their enormous iniquities, Sodom and the other 'cities of the plain' were about to be made signal monu ments of his wrath and of his moral government (Gen. xviii:16-22). Moved by compassion and by remembrance of Lot, the patriarch ventured, reverently but perseveringly, to intercede for the doomed Sodom; and at length obtained a promise that, if but ten righteous men were found therein, the whole city should be saved for their sake (Gen. xviii:23-33). Early the next morning Abraham arose to ascertain the result of this con cession; and when he looked towards Sodom, the smoke of its destruction (B. C. 2223) rising 'like the smoke of a furnace,' made known to him it' terrible overthrow (Gen. xix :1-23). (See Sonost.) (5) Snrnh Taken by Abimclech. He proba lil• soon heard of Lot's escape: hut the consterna tion which this event inspired in the neighbor hood induced him, almost immediately after, to remove farther off into the territories of Abime lech, king of Gerar (Gen. By a most extraordinary infatuation and lapse of faith, Abraham allowed himself to stoop to the mean and foolish prevarication in denying his wife, which, twenty-three years before, had occasioned him so much trouble in Egypt (Gen. xx :2-to). The result was also similar (see ABIMELECH), except that Abraham answered to the rebuke of the Philistine by stating the fears by which he had been actuated—adding, 'And yet in deed she is my sister ; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother ; and she became my wife' (Gen. xx:i1-t8). This mends the matter very little, since in calling her his sister he designed to be understood as saying she was not his wife.