Revelation precedes expectation and responsibility

God appears to Abram at age 99

In Genesis 17, God deepens His covenant with Abram by first revealing His identity as El Shaddai, the Almighty God, and the All-Sufficient One. Revelation precedes expectation. Abram is not first asked to be blameless; instead, he is reminded of who God is, overflowing in sufficiency, blessing, and faithfulness. Then follows the transformation: Abram becomes Abraham, signifying a new identity rooted in God’s promise rather than his own limitations. His new name carries destiny, father of many nations, before he even holds the child of promise.

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you (Genesis 17:5,6).

This communicates the principle: Revelation precedes responsibility. God shows us who He is before showing us what He requires. God renames before He fulfills, aligning our self-understanding with His promises. Grace precedes obedience. Only when we know Him as El Shaddai can we walk before Him blamelessly.

 

God changes Abram's name to Abraham

God’s timing and God’s naming go hand in hand. Faith is built in the waiting. The 25 years were not wasted years, but years of preparation, pruning, and trust-building. God speaks of things that are not as though they were. He called Abram “Abraham, father of many nations” long before Isaac was born [Romans 4:17]. A new name is tied to divine purpose. When God changes a name, it marks a new identity and destiny aligned with His promise.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17).

The promise extends beyond the individual. Abraham’s blessing flowed into generations and still touches nations today [Genesis 12:1–3]. For believers today, the same principle stands. Those who overcome will receive a new name, signifying their eternal identity in Christ. It shows that what God names, He sustains; what He promises, He fulfills, even when circumstances look impossible.

 

Previously, God confirmed His covenant with Abraham through animal sacrifice [Genesis 15]. But in Genesis 17, the sign of the covenant becomes circumcision. This is significant in several ways: Firstly, a permanent mark, unlike the temporary shedding of animal blood, circumcision was a lasting sign in Abraham’s own body and in his descendants. It was deeply personal, not external to him like an animal sacrifice. Secondly, the symbolism of the flesh, cutting away the foreskin, symbolized the need to put no confidence in the flesh [Philippians 3:3]. It pointed to separation from sinful reliance on human effort, and to trusting God’s promise instead. Thirdly, holiness and hygiene, practically, circumcision had a hygienic benefit, especially in ancient times, without modern medicine. Spiritually, it symbolized cleansing and consecration, belonging wholly to God. Fourthly, the generational covenant, every male child was to bear the mark, showing that this was not just Abraham’s personal covenant but one that bound his descendants in identity and destiny. Finally, foreshadowing of the New Covenant, Paul later explains that true circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not just the letter [Romans 2:28–29]. The physical sign anticipated the greater spiritual reality fulfilled in Christ.

This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised (Genesis 17:10).

Circumcision was not merely about physical hygiene but pointed to spiritual hygiene, a heart cut off from sin, self-reliance, and fleshly confidence.

 

Circumcision and Christian baptism

Paul deliberately links circumcision and baptism to show how the old covenant sign finds its fulfillment in Christ. Circumcision in the Old Covenant was an outward sign in the flesh, marking belonging to God’s covenant people [Genesis 17:10–14]. It was physical, external, and gender-specific. Baptism in the New Covenant is not made with human hands but is spiritual,  a work of God through Christ. It symbolizes the believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In [Colossians 2:11–12] Paul makes three strong parallels: First, circumcision made without hands, unlike physical circumcision, baptism represents an inner cutting away of sin, the removal of the “old self.” Then, buried with Him in baptism, just as circumcision pointed to death to the flesh, baptism points to dying with Christ. Finally, raised with Him through faith, baptism is not just death but resurrection into new life, accomplished by God’s power.

11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:11-12).

So, Paul is teaching that baptism replaces circumcision as the covenant sign. Still, at a deeper level, it accomplishes what circumcision only pointed to: the cleansing of the heart and the putting away of sin through union with Christ.

 

The promise of a son to both Abraham and Sarah

The change from Sarai (my princess) to Sarah (princess or princess of multitudes) reflects a shift in scope and calling. Sarai was a more limited title, as though her honor and authority were confined to a household or a narrower circle. She was “my princess,” a title personal, restricted, and local. Sarah, however, is a universal princess without qualification, elevated to be the mother of nations and kings [Genesis 17:16]. Her dignity was no longer tied only to Abraham’s household but extended to peoples and kingdoms yet unborn.

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name (Genesis 17:15).

This renaming mirrors Abraham’s own change from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of many nations). Together, God redefined their identity, not according to present circumstances, but according to His covenant promise. It also illustrates how God often enlarges people’s callings, removing limitations, broadening influence, and anchoring identity in His covenant rather than in natural conditions (since Sarah was barren when she received this promise).

 

Abraham’s response to the promise

Abraham’s response shows the paradox of faith. Outwardly, it was laughable: a man of one hundred and a woman of ninety expecting a child. His laughter was not only surprise, but also the joy of realizing that, what was humanly impossible would be divinely possible. This moment illustrates how God’s promises often stand in direct contrast to natural expectations. Abraham’s faith was not blind; he fully understood the impossibility in human terms. Yet he “rejoiced,” as Paul explains: He did not waver at the promise of God [Romans 4:20–21].

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” (Genesis 17:17).

So Abraham’s laughter becomes a symbol of faith that rejoices even when the promise seems absurd, because the reliability of God, not human strength, guarantees the fulfillment.

 

God repeats the promise and names the child

Abraham’s faith was mixed with concern for Ishmael, but God made it clear that His covenant promise would come through Sarah’s son, Isaac, whose very name, “laughter,” reflected both Abraham’s initial reaction and the joy of the impossible becoming reality. God not only promised the son but gave his name in advance, showing divine certainty and authority. Naming in Scripture often reveals destiny, and Isaac’s name testified to God’s power to bring joy out of what seemed hopeless.

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him (Genesis 17:19).

Abraham then demonstrated true belief by obeying immediately, circumcising himself, Ishmael, and every male in his household. His faith was not just intellectual but active, expressed through obedience, even at personal cost.

 

Abraham, Ishmael and men servants circumcised

Genesis 17 records Abraham’s immediate obedience to God’s covenant command. At 99 years old, he submitted to circumcision, and his son Ishmael, aged 13, also underwent the same rite. This act was significant for several reasons: First, obedience without delay: Abraham circumcised that very same day, showing full trust in God’s covenant. Next, inclusiveness of the covenant: Not only Abraham and Ishmael, but all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, (servants, dependents) were circumcised. God’s covenant extended beyond bloodline to everyone within Abraham’s household. Then, faith over human reasoning: At such an advanced age, the act was a visible testimony that Abraham relied on God’s promise, not his own strength. Finally, foreshadowing of spiritual truth: Circumcision here prefigured the New Testament teaching of the “circumcision of the heart” [Romans 2:29; Colossians 2:11].

So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him (Genesis 17:23).

It is remarkable that Abraham at 99 years old, submitted without questioning, and that Ishmael, at 13, was also included, marking both as participants in the covenant community.

George Ruheni, PhD.