One-Year Bible Reading Plan  : Seekers & New Believers |  September 28 | Genesis Chapter 17: God Almighty, The Covenant of Renaming, and the Sign of Circumcision 

🦌 Opening Today’s Reading 

Dear brothers, sisters, and friends, peace be with you in the Lord!

Welcome to Day 11 of our Old Testament journey! Today, we explore Genesis Chapter 17.

In Chapter 16, when Abram was 86 years old, human impatience led to Sarai offering her maid Hagar, resulting in the birth of Ishmael. That fleshly shortcut brought friction and was followed by 13 long years of divine silence.

Now in Chapter 17, Abram is 99 years old—humanly speaking, past all hope of childbearing. Yet, at the end of human possibility, God appears. For the first time in scripture, God reveals His name as El Shaddai (God Almighty), renames Abram to "Abraham" (father of many nations), renames Sarai to "Sarah" (mother of nations), institutes the sign of circumcision, and promises that Isaac will be born at this set time next year.

Let us enter today's chapter with worship and expectancy.

📖 Context Snapshot 

Previously in Genesis: Compromise and 13 Years of Silence (Ch. 16)

After 10 years in Canaan without children, Sarai gave Hagar to Abram. Hagar's pregnancy led to tension, causing Hagar to flee into the wilderness. The Angel of the Lord met her at the fountain, comforted her, commanded her to return, and prophesied the birth of Ishmael ("God hears"). Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born.

Chapter 17 opens 13 years later when Abram is 99 years old.

Today's Story: El Shaddai, Renaming, Circumcision, and The Promise of Isaac

1. God Almighty & The New Name (v. 1–8): When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." God changed Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of a multitude of nations"), promising that kings and nations would spring from him, and granting Canaan as an everlasting possession.

2. The Sign of Circumcision (v. 9–14): God commanded Abraham to keep the covenant: every male child at eight days old shall be circumcised as a physical sign of the perpetual covenant between God and his seed.

3. Sarah Renamed & Isaac Foretold (v. 15–22): God renamed Sarai to Sarah ("mother of nations"), promising to bless her with a son. Abraham fell upon his face and laughed, thinking in his heart: "Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" He asked God to bless Ishmael. God clarified: No, Sarah shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac ("laughter"), establishing the everlasting covenant with Isaac's line.

4. Prompt Obedience (v. 23–27): On that very same day, Abraham obeyed God's command, circumcising himself, 13-year-old Ishmael, and all males in his household.

💡 Questions to keep in mind while reading today:

1. On "God Almighty" (El Shaddai): How does knowing God as El Shaddai comfort you when you face humanly impossible situations?

2. On New Identity Before Fulfillment: God renamed Abraham and Sarah before Isaac was even conceived. How does God give you a new identity in Christ today?

3. On Immediate Obedience: Abraham circumcised his entire household "in the selfsame day." What does this teach us about responding to God's commands without delay?

💡 Today’s Scripture Verse - Genesis 17

17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

🌟Daily Heart-Check: From "End of Human Strength" to "El Shaddai's Renewal" 

Synchronized with the core questions from our reading guide:

• The End of Human Strength is the Beginning of El Shaddai:
  After 13 years of self-reliance, Abraham's physical ability was "as good as dead." God chose this exact moment to reveal Himself as El Shaddai (God Almighty). God does not depend on our human strength or shortcuts; He demonstrates that true fulfillment comes entirely through His supernatural power and grace.

• Identity Shift Precedes Physical Fulfillment:
  Before Isaac was born, God renamed them "Father of Nations" and "Mother of Nations." God called them to look at themselves not through the lens of their present limitations ("I am 99 and helpless"), but through His promise. In Christ, we too are given a new name and identity—righteous, chosen, and beloved.

• Circumcision as the Cutting Away of Fleshly Reliance:
  Circumcision signified cutting away the flesh—relinquishing self-reliance and worldly confidence to belong exclusively to God. In the New Testament, Paul speaks of "circumcision of the heart" (Rom 2:29). Furthermore, Abraham obeyed "the selfsame day," showing that true faith responds with prompt and unreserved obedience.

🎵 Response Song :  

🙏 Closing Prayer

O Sovereign, Almighty, and Ever-Faithful Heavenly Father,

As we read Genesis Chapter 17 today, our souls bow in awe of Your name, El Shaddai—the God Almighty.

Thank You for showing us that when our strength ends, Your divine power begins. Forgive us for the times we try to fulfill Your promises through our own fleshly logic and human effort. Circumcise our hearts today, stripping away our pride, self-reliance, and fear.

Thank You for giving us a new identity in Jesus Christ. Grant us the faith and prompt obedience of Abraham, so that we may walk before You wholeheartedly, trusting that what You have promised, You are fully able to perform.

In the precious and matchless name of Jesus, we pray, Amen!