Genesis 17:1

Genesis 17:1 means that God appeared to the ninety-nine-year-old Abram, revealing Himself as the Almighty and calling him to a life of faithful walking and wholehearted integrity. Years have passed since the earlier promises, and now God renews His covenant with a fresh disclosure of who He is and what He asks.

God introduces Himself as "the Almighty God" -- the One whose power is sufficient for every promise, even the birth of a child to an elderly couple. This name answers any doubt that may have grown over the long years of waiting. On the basis of His power, God gives Abram a twofold call: "walk before me, and be thou perfect." To "walk before" God is to live one's whole life in His presence, conscious of His nearness. To "be perfect" is to be wholehearted and undivided in devotion -- not flawless in the sense of sinlessness, but complete and sincere in commitment. The verse holds together God's sufficiency and human responsibility: because God is Almighty, Abram can trust Him fully; and because God is his God, Abram is called to live wholly for Him.