259. THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH ABRAHAM

"In thee shall all nations be blessed"

 

The covenant which God made with the fathers of Israel, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, constitutes the second great foundation upon which all of the Divine revelation is built. The first great covenant was made in the garden of Eden following the entry of sin into the world. God then pro mised that a seed would be born of woman who would destroy sin and restore the harmony that once existed between Himself and Man (Gen. 3:15). The third great covenant was made with King David about one thousand years after the covenant was made with Abraham. He was told that one would arise of his seed who would be the Son of God and who would reign on his throne forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Lk. 1:30-33).

Our aim in this lesson is to show how the promises made to Abraham comprise the gospel message, and how they are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

 

Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:12-18; 22:16-18; Gal. 3

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM.

The fundamental importance of the covenant which God made with Abraham can be seen from the fact that Paul called its message "THE GOSPEL": "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the GOSPEL unto Abraham, saying, 'In thee shall all nations be blessed'." This being so, we would expect to find further evidence from the writings of the apostles that their hopes centered upon its fulfilment. There is much evidence to show that this was so: Paul looked to the day when, as "Abraham's seed", he would inherit the land of Canaan for ever (Acts 26:6-8). He did not believe that he would go to heaven at death. In fact he taught that the gospel's hope revolved around the "covenants of promise" and that out side their fulfilment there was "no hope" (Eph. 2:12).

As we might expect, the covenants related to Jesus Christ. The very first words of the New Testament inform us that Jesus Christ was the seed of Abraham and David: he is the one through whom the promises made to them would be confirmed (Mat. 1:1; Rom. 15:8).

 

DETAILS OF THE PROMISE.

Abraham's hope was fixed on the future. He looked for the coming kingdom which would be governed by his seed, and although he possessed goods and flocks and herds, he never allowed them to distract him from his eternal hope. He embraced the promises, was persuaded of them, and confessed that he was a stranger and pilgrim in the earth (Heb. 11:13).

The details of the promise were gradually unfolded in the life of Abraham. It is interesting to note that faithful obedience on Abraham's part was rewarded with further details of promise and by stronger assurances. We shall now list the places, in order, where God gave Abraham these details and note the progressive nature and the cir cumstances of the revelations.

The details are numbered for the sake of simplicity and added details only are mentioned under each new place name. In this way we shall make a comprehensive survey of the promise.

 

Genesis 12:2-3: At UR and HARAN the initial promise was made.

1. Abraham was promised that he would become a great nation and that his name would become great.
2. God would bless those who blessed Abram, and curse those who curs ed him.
3. God promised that in Abram all families would be blessed.

 

Genesis 12:7: At SICHEM or SHECHEM, after Abram left Haran and had crossed the River Euphrates and entered the land of Canaan. There mention is made for the first time of "his seed" and the "land of pro mise". Abram was promised that:

 

4. He would have children who would inherit Canaan: "Unto thy SEED will I give THIS LAND."

 

Genesis 13:14-17: These details were given at BETHEL, following his unselfish attitude towards Lot.

 

5. ABRAM and his seed would inherit the land FOREVER.
6. He is told for the first time that his SEED would be MULTITUDIN OUS.

 

Genesis 15: Following his implicit faith in God's promise of multitudinous seed, though at the time he was childless, Abram was rewarded AT HEBRON:

 

7. GOD MADE A COVENANT by sacrifice with him.
8. God DEFINED THE BOUNDARIES of the land of promise (vv.18-21).

 

Note that Genesis 15:13-16 relates to Abram's immediate descen dants, to their affliction in Canaan and Egypt, and also to their deliverance under Moses in the fourth generation.

 

Genesis 22:16-18: In the LAND OF MORIAH (v.2), after Abraham showed how great his trust in God was when called on to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, God rewarded him as follows: €

 

9. His seed would POSSESS THE GATES OF HIS ENEMIES, i.e. be victorious over his enemies (Psa. 110:1; Isa. 60:12; Gen. 3:15).

10. IN HIS SEED all nations would be blessed.
11. The promise was confirmed by an OATH, "By myself have I sworn..." (Heb. 6:13-18).

 

EXPLANATION OF THE PROMISE.

1. The True Seed of Abraham.

Jesus Christ is the promised seed of Abraham through whom the bless ings will be fulfilled. Note that the following quotations prove this € Matt. 1:1; Gal. 3:16.

The land was specifically promised to two people, Abram and his seed, Christ (Gen. 13:15), as an everlasting possession. They were given what we would call today "title deeds". The question arises, how can others share the promise?

By baptism into Christ we can become part of the "body of Christ". Hence, seeing Christ is Abraham's seed, we too can become his seed and "heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:26-29). Baptism constitutes one "IN CHRIST", who is in turn Abraham's seed, and the terms of the pro mise are, "IN THY SEED shall all nations be blessed." Baptism, then, is the gateway to association with the hope of the promises made to the fathers.

Abraham's seed has a singular aspect, referring to Christ, and also a multitudinous aspect € those baptized into Christ.

 

2. The Natural Seed Of Abraham.

Fleshly descent from Abraham does not confer upon one the right to inherit the land. Faith was the great quality of Abraham's life which com mended him to God. Faith and obedience then are the "family characteristics" which link Abraham with his children (Gal. 3:7-9). These children are drawn from "all nations" (cp. Acts 15:14).

Notice how John the Baptist (Mat. 3:9), the Lord Jesus (Jn. 8:33-40), and Paul (Rom. 9:6-13), all repudiate that fleshly descent from Abraham entitles one to inherit the promises.

 

3. What is the Blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant?

1. Firstly the "blessing" relates to JUSTIFICATION OR FORGIVE NESS OF SINS for all those who are baptised into Abraham's seed, the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:8; Acts 3:25-26).
2. Secondly, those who are so justified will inherit the "hope of the pro mises," which entails eternal life in the Kingdom of God (Gen. 13:14-17; Gal. 3:29; Mat. 5:5; Rev. 5:9-10; Rom. 4:13-14).

 

4.   The Basic Doctrine of the Covenant € Resurrection.

Resurrection to life from death is the underlying doctrine, without which fulfillment of the promise would not be possible. Resurrection is "taught" by promising something that necessitates it; how can mortal man be promised an eternal inheritance without being brought from the grave and given eternal life? Refer to the following quotations about the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, all of which imply that inheritance is through the resurrection (Heb. 11:12-16, 35, 39-40; Acts 26:2-9; Lk. 20:36-38; Rom. 4:13).

 

5.     The Spirit of the Promise.

The Covenant was a spontaneous GIFT from God. It was neither merited nor earned, for what could any man do to deserve an eternal possession of a land? God said, "I will GIVE the land to thee forever." The promise was given to Abraham on the basis of his faith and obe dience. It was not obtained by "works of law" but by "grace", so that "no flesh might glory" in God's presence (Eph. 2:6-8).

 

6.     The Promise Confirmed by Covenant and Oath.

In ancient times a covenant was solemnized between two parties by each passing between the pieces of a sacrifice and then eating together. Covenants were very serious matters, being unchangeable. If broken the guilty party would in turn virtually become the sacrifice and be "cut asunder". To assure Abraham of the promises, God made a covenant with him (Gen. 15:9-18; Psa. 50:5-8; Jer. 34:8, 18; Isa. 42:6; Mat. 26:28; 24:51 "testament" = covenant).

 

To His covenant God added an oath, which involved His very ex istence, to show to Abraham the "immutability (unchangeableness) of his counsel." Thus the promises were confirmed in the most solemn and bin ding way possible (Heb. 6:13-18; Gen. 22:16; Mic. 7:20; Psa. 105:8-9). It was not until the Lord Jesus came that the covenant was in reality con firmed, for only through his death could it be fulfilled (Rom. 15:8).

 

7.     The Covenant has Not Yet Been Fulfilled.

Some say that when Israel inherited the land of Canaan under Joshua the covenant was fulfilled. That this is not true can be seen from the following:

 

1. Its terms have NEVER been fulfilled (Heb. 11:13, 39; Acts 7:5).
2. God's prophets declare that fulfillment will be AT CHRIST'S RETURN (Acts 3:20-21, 24-26).

 

There would be no mention made of a future fulfillment after Joshua caused the people to inherit the land, if he had in fact fulfilled the terms of the covenant. Compare Micah 7:20, written 1300 years after it was given; Luke 1:72-73, written 2000 years after it was given; Romans 15:8, written 2050 years after it was given.

 

8.      Israel and The Inheritance Under Joshua.

From Note 7 it is clear that the promise was not fulfilled by Joshua. There was however, a token or typical fulfillment (cp. Deut. 9:5; 10:22; Joshua 21:43-44). In particular the terms of Genesis 15:13-16 were fulfilled.

Also under the Law of Moses the land remained God's, and the Israelites were merely strangers and sojourners, having no right to sell the land. They did not possess the "title deeds" (Lev. 25:23; Rom. 4:13), which were in fact promised.

 

9.      The Promise Was Also Made to Isaac and Jacob.

The same promise was made to Isaac and Jacob, Abraham's descen dants (Gen. 26:3-4; 28:3, 13-14; Heb. 11:9).

 

LESSONS FOR US:

• Abraham, believing God, looked for a future inheritance in the land of Canaan.
• We can become Abraham's seed by faith in Christ.
• Baptism into Christ enables us to be justified from sins and to become heirs of the promise to Abraham.
• We cannot earn God's gift of salvation. God gave Abraham the promise and so rewarded faith. Grace can operate only when we come to God in humble trust.
• God has given the greatest assurances possible that He will fulfill His word to Abraham € a covenant and an oath. World history is headed in this direction as can be seen from the restoration of the Jews to Palestine.

 

REFERENCE LIBRARY:

"Elpis Israel" (J. Thomas) € Part Second, Chapter 2

"Christendom Astray" (R. Roberts) € Lecture 9

"First Principles Bible Marking Course" (C.S.S.S.) € Pages 57-62

 

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:

1. What is the blessing referred to in the words of the Abrahamic cove nant: "In thee shall all nations be blessed"?
2. How did God give Abraham an assurance that His promise to him would not fail?
3. List the main points of the promises to Abraham.

 

ESSAY QUESTIONS:

1. Outline the details of the promises to Abraham. How do they relate to Christ, and how can we become involved in them?
2. Show how the promises to Abraham relate to Christ, and all nations.
3. Paul says that the gospel was preached before to Abraham in the words: "In thee shall all nations be blessed" (Gal. 3:8). Explain.