Genesis 17

Genesis 17: When God Shows Up After Thirteen Silent Years

Genesis 17 opens with a jolt. One verse ends with Abram at 86 years old, and the next verse begins with him at 99. Thirteen years pass in a single sentence. Ishmael is now a teenager. A lot of life, pain, tension, and unanswered questions sit inside that silence.

When the Lord finally appears again, He introduces Himself as El Shaddai—God Almighty. He doesn’t begin with Abram’s failures. He begins with His own character. Then He says something both gracious and challenging: “Walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”

In our own words, it sounds like God saying, “We can do better.” Not better to earn salvation, but better in how we live out our faith. Abram is reminded that the covenant is still God’s doing—“I will make my covenant between me and you”—but genuine faith always produces obedience. We are saved by grace through faith, yet faith that is alive moves our feet.

When we zoom out, the last thirteen years of Abram’s life look messy. Sarai took matters into her own hands. Abram went along with it. Hagar was mistreated. Ishmael was born outside of God’s promise. The family was in disarray. And yet, God shows up anyway. That alone should give us hope.

Walking with God Through Doubt, Not Around It

God’s command to walk stands out. Walking implies movement, direction, and perseverance. It doesn’t require perfection; it requires continuing forward.

Abram’s story reminds us that doubt is not the same as unbelief. Faith is settled confidence that God will keep His word. Unbelief is settled confidence that He won’t. Doubt lives in between, wrestling with both possibilities. Like Abram, we often live in that tension.

Scripture doesn’t shame us for doubt—it shepherds us through it. Jesus asks Peter, “Why did you doubt?” not to condemn him, but to draw him back. Jude tells us to “be merciful to those who doubt.” The consistent invitation of Scripture is not to suppress our questions, but to bring them to God.

When we bring our doubts, fears, and questions to the Lord, we’re still demonstrating faith. We’re showing that we believe Someone is listening. Walking faithfully means we keep moving toward God even when we don’t have all the answers. We focus on Him and glance at our problems, not the other way around.

Covenant, Identity, and the God Who Does the Impossible

Genesis 17 is also about identity and promise. Abram becomes Abraham, shifting from “exalted father” to “father of nations.” Sarai becomes Sarah, moving from “my princess” to simply “princess.” In both name changes, the focus is removed from human control and placed squarely on God. He will be exalted. He will fulfill the promise.

The sign of the covenant—circumcision—served as a constant reminder that God’s people were set apart. It symbolized being cut off from the old life and devoted wholly to the Lord. Later Scripture makes clear that this physical sign pointed forward to something deeper: a circumcision of the heart. Ultimately, it finds its fulfillment in Jesus, whose death and resurrection bring true cleansing and new life. Baptism now serves as that covenant sign, pointing us to what Christ has already accomplished.

Abraham laughs when God promises a son through Sarah. A hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman? It sounds impossible. But that’s the point. God makes it unmistakably clear: this will be His doing alone. No confusion. No competing claims. Isaac will be the child of promise.

What’s striking is how the chapter ends. Abraham obeys immediately. At 99 years old, he acts in faith. Genesis later looks back and says Abraham “did everything God required of him.” Not because he was flawless, but because he trusted God enough to walk forward.

Genesis 17 reminds us that God is faithful even when we stumble, patient even when we wander, and powerful enough to accomplish His promises despite our failures. He calls us to walk by faith, not by sight—to keep going, to trust Him, and to put forth effort rooted in grace.