17:9
The covenant was initiated by God and based primarily on what God was going to do. However, Abraham was not passive, he had a part to play as well. God involves us in His plans. Abraham, and his descendants had an obligation to keep God’s covenant. A fundamental feature of the gospel is that it is God’s work, His initiative, but that does not mean that we are passive. There is the absolute sovereignty of God and there is human responsibility. We have a habit of focusing largely, or even entirely, on one aspect at the expense of the other. So we either focus on the sovereignty of God at the expense of human responsibility, or we live as if it is all down to us.
17:10-12
The covenant of circumcision is now introduced. Circumcision was common at the time. Indeed, the Canaanites were considered rather odd because they did not practice circumcision. A fairly unique aspect of the Abrahamic covenant was that circumcision was carried out at a very early stage in life. Circumcision was to be a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham (and his descendants). So circumcision was not the covenant itself, but only a sign of the covenant. The promises in the preceding verses were the covenant itself.
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