28 JUNE GENESIS 17

Covenant Confirmed – The God Who Calls and Seals

Thirteen years had passed since the birth of Ishmael. In that long silence, Abram may have believed the promise had been fulfilled through human means. But God now reappears to affirm that His covenant would be fulfilled in His way, not Abram’s.

Genesis 17:1–2 (NIV) "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make My covenant between Me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’" This is the first appearance of the name El Shaddai – God Almighty. It reminds Abram that the promise depends not on human ability, but on divine sufficiency. God then renews His covenant with expanded clarity.

Genesis 17:3–5 (NIV) "Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, ‘As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.’" The change from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude) reflects not just a new identity, but a broader destiny. God was expanding both his name and his legacy. Genesis 17:6–8 (NIV) "I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

This covenant was not temporary but everlasting. It included not only offspring and territory but an eternal relationship: “I will be their God.” The New Testament later reaffirms that believers in Christ are grafted into this same covenant by faith. God then introduces a physical sign to seal this covenant:

Genesis 17:10–11 (NIV) "This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you." Circumcision would become the enduring mark of belonging to God’s covenant people. Yet even this external sign pointed toward a deeper, internal circumcision of the heart. Romans 2:29 (NIV) "No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code." After establishing the covenant sign, God also reaffirms Sarai’s role in the promise:

Genesis 17:15–16 (NIV) "God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 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.’" Sarai (meaning princess) becomes Sarah, meaning noblewoman, mother of nations. Her name, like Abraham’s, reflects her divine calling.

Yet Abraham, overwhelmed by the improbability, responds in a mixture of awe and pragmatism. Genesis 17:17–18 (NIV) "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?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!’" God does not rebuke him but clarifies His plan:

Genesis 17:19–21 (NIV) " 19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac, I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 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.”’" God distinguishes between blessing (for Ishmael) and covenant (through Isaac). Isaac’s name, meaning he laughs, will forever remind Abraham that what once seemed impossible was not too hard for the Lord.

The chapter closes with immediate obedience: Genesis 17:23–24 (NIV) "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. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised."

Obedience was not delayed. Abraham, though aged and physically vulnerable, responded immediately to God’s command. Faith that receives must also obey.