Chapter 16 ended with the birth of Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old. In a previous post I called him "the child of taking control". In chapter 17 God confirms His covenant with Abram 13 years later when Abram is 99. This will be the 4th time God confirms His covenant in roughly 24 years.Verses 1 through 8 outline what God offers and, unlike chapter 15, verses 9 through 14 outline what Abram must do.
Beginning in verse 4, God tells Abram that he will be the father of many nations and kings. In fact, the "many nations" aspect of the promise is repeated three times in verses 4 through 6. This part of the promise is so significant that God gives Abram (which means high or exalted father) a new name. He calls him Abraham (which means father of many).
Furthermore, God tells Abraham that He will make the covenant extend to all the generations of his descendants forever. Notice that there is repetition here as well. To "be their God" is repeated twice in verses 7 and 8. This is interesting since there are three things offered in this passage: descendants, land, and God himself. We have seen the first two offered before. However, this is the first time God has put himself into the bargain.
But, why is this significant? Genesis has described God as the creator of everything so, what is special about God offering to "be their God"? I would argue that God is offering Abraham's descendants the same kind of relationship He has had with Abraham this whole time. God has demonstrated care, patience, understanding, comfort, reassurance, and a host of other characteristics in his very personal dealings with Abraham. I believe He is offering a similar relationship to Abraham's many descendants. This is certainly a favorable extension of the promise.
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