Genesis 17

Think back to a time in your life when God showed up in a big way. There was something you needed, and he delivered. You knew then and know now that your situation was beyond you. You were totally dependent on God. In Scripture, God uses those times as markers to remind us that he is at work in our lives. Today, we see how God instructs Abram to mark his people by grace.

In the first two chapters of Genesis, God was at work in creation. In chapters 3-11, God was at work in this new human race that was filling the earth. At one point, God reset creation and mankind with a flood by using his servant, Noah. Beginning in Genesis 12, God began working with his chosen people through which Jesus would come.

When we move from the end of Genesis 16 to the beginning of Genesis 17, thirteen years have passed. Abram is ninety-nine years old, and his son, Ishmael, is thirteen years old. God had given Abram a promise that, from him, would come a great nation. But Abram and Sarai remained childless. Ishmael was Abram’s son by Sarai’s servant, Hagar. As the years went by, their belief in that promise must have faded.

Genesis 17:1-8
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

There are several observations to consider in this passage.

• God introduces himself as “God Almighty,” the Hebrew name El Shaddai. This name comes with a sense of power. It means “All-Sufficient One,” “the God of the Mountains.” His power is not limited by nature or norms. No problem is too big for El Shaddai to handle. God Almighty works in what seems to be impossible situations. When we think something can’t happen, God’s power is proven when it does happen. El Shaddai will always deliver on his promises.
• God told Abram, “Walk before me, and be blameless.” There are a few ways to translate this verse. One is, “Walk with me in order to be blameless” or “Walk with me and you will be blameless.”[1] To walk with God means to live out your life in a personal relationship with him.[2] God is the One who makes us blameless.
• It had been twenty-four years since God called Abram and told him that he would be the father of many people. Abram and Sarai were childless and, at their ages, were certain that God’s promise was not going to come true. But here, God renews the promise.

• Abram means “Exalted Father.” God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude.”
• Notice in Genesis 17:7 that the covenant with Abraham is “an everlasting covenant” with land as an “everlasting possession.” God promises to be the God of all Abraham’s descendants. Remember, the Abrahamic covenant is unconditional (unilateral). It depends on God alone.

The sign of the covenant with Noah was a rainbow. Now, God explains the sign of the covenant with Abraham. God required that every male “shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11).

Why circumcision? First, it is a visible and permanent mark or sign of the covenant. Second, people would be reminded of the covenant often. Third, sexual intimacy would involve a reminder of the sign. Finally, the part of the body marked with the sign of the everlasting covenant was the organ through which the seed would come, producing each generation. To emphasize the importance of this sign, any male who refused to be circumcised was “cut off” from God’s people (Genesis 17:14).

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Next, he changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Both names mean “princess,” but the name change signaled a new day for Sarah.

Genesis 17:16-19
I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”

You can imagine why Abraham laughed. He was almost one hundred years old, and Sarah was almost ninety. There was no possible way for them to have a child. Well, there was one way. Nothing is impossible with God. That’s still true today. Do you believe that? Nothing is impossible with the God who is writing your story!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 17. Don’t miss the amazing truth that God always keeps his promises.

Prayer and Application
Ask God to help you experience his presence and strength in the challenges that you believe have no remedy. Ask him to do his work in what seems to be an impossible situation. Thank him for being God Almighty.

Have Questions?
Send us any questions you have. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Simply submit your question below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

[1] There are two imperatives here: “walk … and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the Lord, then the second imperative is likely sequential. (2) But if it has a positive moral connotation (“serve me faithfully”), then the second imperative probably indicates purpose (or result). For other uses of the idiom see 1 Sam. 2:30, 35 and 12:2 (where it occurs twice).  Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen. 17:1.
[2] See the previous devo on Genesis 5 to review what it means to walk with God.