This section opens with God telling Abraham "as for you, you must keep my covenant". This is the first time Abraham has been given a part to play in keeping the covenant. Some would argue that he had a part to play in protecting the sacrifices of the first covenant making in 15:11 - even if only in a symbolic way. But this is certainly the first time Abraham has been given an ongoing role to play in this everlasting covenant.
The obvious question is, why? Why now and not back in chapter 15? And, quite frankly, why bother with Abraham after he screwed things up in chapter 16? And, finally, why choose circumcision (verses 10-14) as the way Abraham and his descendants were to keep the covenant? There are so many questions!
I think the question of "why not give Abraham a part to play back in chapter 15" was answered in my post on that topic. Quite simply, there was nothing for him to do and no part for him to play. He did not have the power to produce a child of the promise and he would not be alive to procure the promised land for his descendants. The only covenant maker who could affect outcomes was God. Abraham's only role was to gratefully accept God's promise.
I think there are two answers to the question about why God should bother with Abraham after the events of chapter 16. The first reason is that God made a one-sided covenant promise in chapter 15. This meant that He was bound to fulfill His promise NO MATTER WHAT. It really didn't matter what Abraham did, God had a contractual promise He HAD to fulfill. The second reason points to God's character. God does not abandon. He did not abandon Adam and Eve, He did not abandon Noah, and in spite of all the unsavory, unscrupulous things they had done, He had not abandoned mankind. He was in it for the long haul - thick or thin - He would work his purposes out upon mankind. Why should we be surprised that He was true to His character and refused to abandon Abraham? However, we might be tempted toward surprise when we consider that God, knowing what Abraham would do in chapter 16, would still make the covenant in chapter 15. My answer to that is God's willful intention to bestow identity. Let's talk about that.
Abram's given name means "exalted father" which, at this point in the story, is ironic twice over. Firstly because he was not a father until the end of chapter 16 (at the age of 86). Secondly because there was nothing honorable about his fatherhood. His child was not from his wife, he treated both his wife and the child's mother passively and with dismissive regard for their feelings, he abdicated his fatherly leadership responsibilities, and he initially abandoned the child and child's mother. To say that his identity as an exalted father falls short is an understatement. This should not surprise us since he acquired his identity through taking control for himself (see Taking Control and Family Feud).
But now God gives Abram the name Abraham - which means "(exalted) father of many nations". This is obviously not an identity that Abram can take for himself. He shouldn't really take the name "exalted father" to begin with. Perhaps, "reluctant father" or "spineless father" or "finally a father" or "father through questionable means" would suit him better. But this is not God's character either. God does not leave us alone to wallow in the mess we make for ourselves. He gives us a new name, a better name, and our identity - rooted in Him - is not ironic. This does not mean that we no longer fail (as we will see in chapter 20) but it means that an identity given by God, secured by God, and worked out by God, is beautiful and appropriate.
They say timing is everything. So it is here. God did not Give Abram a role to play in chapter 15 because he was still looking to himself for his identity (see chapter 16). It is no coincidence that God gives Abraham, with his new God-given identity and name, a role to play now. And, it is no coincidence that the covenant-keeping task involves making a permanent identifying mark through circumcision. Neither is it coincidental that this task is given right before the child of the covenant promise is about to come on the scene (verse 17). When the child arrives, Abraham will have something to do.
Many Bible translations add section titles to give us clues about what's going on in the story. They act much like road signs for people driving in an unfamiliar an area. My translation titled chapter 17 "The Covenant of Circumcision" but I've titled this section "A New Identity". This is because I think that is the main point of this section. God begins by defining Abram's new identity with a new name in verse 5. He continues by saying He will be the God of Abraham and his descendants in verses 7 and 8. This defines the identity of a people-group. He finishes by giving the covenant of a permanent identifying mark and by saying that those without this mark will be separated from their people. Identity, identity, identity.
Let's remember God's first covenant back in chapter 15. He passed through the sacrificial animals that had been divided in half. This was a gesture in which God was saying He should be torn apart and killed like those animals if he broke his promise. Here, in Genesis 17:14, God says that Abraham's descendants who did not keep the covenant would be cut off from their people. The individual would be separated from the larger body. This sounds a lot like the process of circumcision itself - a small part being separated from the main body. Both covenants were sealed with symbolic gestures resembling what should happen if the promise was broken. If a person chose not to draw his identity from God, then he had no business drawing his identity from the people-of-God (the nation that would come from Abraham). Such a person would be separated from his people and would not share in the God-given identity or God-given promises.
Let's me clarify. Circumcision was a symbolic act of an individual making a permanent mark upon their bodies. This mark identified them as a member of the nation of Abraham. This was a nation of people who were to have their identity given by God just as God had given Abraham his identity. They were to symbolize their new identity through circumcision. Identity, identity, identity.
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