These 3 chapters are bookended with Gods covenant promises to Abram in 15 and 17, with an interlude of unfaithfulness on Abram's part in 16.
He will have descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram believes God (15:6), and that faith God counts as righteousness. Abram has to do a fair bit of work on his end to establish covenant with God, cutting up the animals and driving away the vultures to preserve them. Just as we have to do a fair bit of work in getting to church to renew covenant with God.
But in chapter 16, Abram's faith falters. We don't know how long after chapter 15 this was, but it doesn't seem it was very long. (Abram was 75 when he left Haran and is 100 in chapter 17.) He listens to his wife, to bring about God's promises themselves. Sometimes a wife is a source of wisdom; other times she may mislead a family away from faithfulness if left unchecked.
God restates His promise in chapter 17, 13 YEARS after Ishmael is born. He's given Abram and Sarah 13 years to realize they may have done the wrong thing, and now He confirms it. The child of promise isn't Ishmael but Isaac to come. We have to keep our faith in God's future action, not in whatever we can do in the present to make it happen.
The animal cutting ritual back in chapter 15 was culturally known. Each party to the contract would walk through the pieces in the blood, showing that if they broke the contract, the other party could do that to them. Cut them up and walk in their blood. God goes through, but does NOT have Abram do so. He promises to shed His own blood if God or Abram breaks the covenant. He keeps this promise at the cross of Jesus, who shed the blood of God to atone for us covenant breakers.
When we falter in our trust in God's promises, He returns to us with more of the same promises. He is greater than our hearts, and is intent to bless us in spite of our failure to trust Him fully. Which we always fail to do. Our trust is not in our faith, but in God's promises.
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