Genesis 17:1-5
The events of this chapter took place 24 years after God’s call of Abram. He was now 99 years old and his son, Ishmael, was 13 but the child God had promised had still not arrived. It seems that Abram had settled for the idea that Ishmael would be his heir (see v.18) but God had not changed His mind. Once again, He appeared to Abram to teach him more of Himself and His purposes, which he did by revealing two new names, one for Himself and one for Abram.
Many of us today view a person’s name merely as a form of address – a way of distinguishing one person from another – but, for the people of ancient Israel, names held great significance. They believed that to know someone’s name was to know that person’s character and nature. The name revealed the identity of an individual.
Over the Old Testament period God introduced Himself to men through a series of names. Here in v.1 we see the first use of the name El Shaddei, “God Almighty” or “The All-Sufficient One”. God was saying that He was more than enough to meet every need and overcome every challenge. He would fulfil His word, no matter how impossible it looked. That was true for Abram in his situation and it is just as true for you in yours. Whatever your need today, God is big enough to meet it. The obstacles you see are nothing to Him. His power is absolute and His resources are unlimited.
But God had not finished with new names. He went on to change Abram’s name to Abraham (v.5). While Abram means “exalted father”, Abraham means “father of a multitude”. What a statement of the Lord’s intent. From now on every time Abraham introduced himself, he would be agreeing with God that he was a father of a multitude. Every time someone addressed him they would be declaring the same thing. His new name was an acknowledgement that God was faithful and would deliver what He said.
Who does God say you are? He may not have have revealed a new name to you yet, (though He will, see Revelation 2:17, 3:12) but, if you have been born again, you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have a new identity as a child of God (John 1:12, Romans 8:14-16), you are a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), you are seated in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2:6) and a part of His body on the earth (1 Corinthians 12:27). You have a kingdom assignment to bring reconciliation between men and God (2 Corinthians 5:18) and you have been equipped with His Holy Spirit to do the same kind of supernatural works that Jesus did (John 14:12).
Is that how you see yourself? Many of us still view ourselves as we used to be, before we came to Christ but, like Abraham, we will not fulfil our calling until we see who we are. God says what He means and does what He says. Let us make sure that our view of our identity and purpose lines up with His.
Prayer
Almighty God,
Thank You that You are sufficient to meet my every need. Help me to trust You in every situation even when I cannot see my way through the obstacles before me. And thank you that, because I am united with Christ, I have Your sufficiency on the inside of me. Help me not to focus on my human limitations but to see myself with the eye of faith as the supernatural being that You say I am.
Amen.
Copyright © 2026 Jill Partis. All rights reserved.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV), unless otherwise indicated.
This material is provided for personal reflection, ministry use, and educational purposes.
No part of this article may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether print or electronic, except as permitted below.
Limited reproduction is permitted for non-commercial use, provided that proper attribution is given. Attribution must include the author’s name, Jill Partis, and https://bearing-kingdom-fruit.com/ clearly acknowledged at the conclusion of the reproduced material.
Leave a Reply