Abraham was ninety-nine years old when God renewed the covenant (Genesis 17:1). The sons of Korah composed a psalm about this moment — "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty" (Psalm 45:3). The rabbis applied it to Abraham directly: more beautiful than Adam, more beautiful than Seth and Enosh, more beautiful than Noah's descendants who built Babel. This is a bold claim about the hierarchy of human achievement.
The covenant's terms were specific: circumcision for every male, a new name for Abram (now Abraham), and the promise that nations and kings would descend from him. God changed His own name in this transaction too — adding a letter to El Shaddai to make room for the new covenant relationship. The rabbis noted that the heh added to both names (Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah) came from the divine name itself. Something of God was inscribed in their names permanently.
Grace was poured upon Abraham's lips, says the psalm — and the rabbis point to a specific moment as evidence. When the king of Sodom offered Abraham all the spoils of war after he rescued Lot, Abraham refused: "I have lifted my hand to the Lord God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing that is yours" (Genesis 14:22-23). He could have been rich. He stayed poor and kept his integrity. The rabbis called this the highest form of valor: not the ability to take, but the strength to decline.
Chapter 15: Writings [1] "A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) "You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you." (Deuteronomy 3:22) When Israel fears God, even the nations fear them, as David also said, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 118:6) When I have God with me, I have nothing to fear. But when we abandon our fear of God, even the nations rebel against us, as it is said, "Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him." (Hosea 8:3) What is good? "The LORD is good to all." (Psalm 145:9) When the nations fear God, everyone fears Israel, even the animals fear them. From whom did we learn this? From Daniel, who was thrown into a den of lions and was not harmed. As it is said, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me." (Daniel 6:23) Yet you say that only those with a soul can fear, but how do we know that even those without a soul can fear? We learn this from Abraham, to whom God said, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans." (Genesis 15:7) Even fire feared Abraham, as did Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Even water feared Israel, as it is said, "And the children of Israel went on dry ground through the midst of the sea." (Exodus 14:29) In the future, it will be the same, as it is said, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." (Isaiah 43:2) Therefore, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" Even the nations seek to come under the protection of God's presence when Israel does His will. This is also found in David's writings and all the prophets, as in "David and six hundred men who were with him went to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath." (2 Samuel 15:18) And in Solomon's words, "And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them." (2 Chronicles 2:18) And in the days of Mordecai, many people in the land became Jews. (Esther 8:17) And Isaiah says, "Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me." (Isaiah 54:15) What is "behold"? It is a Greek word meaning "one." The Lord says, "One man will be stronger than they are, because he is under My authority." From here on, whoever opposes Israel will not succeed.
