The Call of Abraham and The Abrahamic Covenant
- Understanding the Abrahamic Covenant is crucial to Bible Study.
- The Abrahamic Covenant lays the foundation for all future covenants and sets the theme for the entire Bible moving forward into eternity. God’s promises and the prophetic plan would climax with Israel as the preeminent nation on earth with their promised King (Jesus Christ) ruling on earth from His father’s throne in Jerusalem forever. It is at this time that the Gentile nations would be blessed by and through Israel. And at the foundation of it all, is the “Abrahamic Covenant”.
It is impossible to understand the New Testament without KNOWING THE OLD TESTAMENT.
2000 BC
Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 24:7
Written by Moses
The Abrahamic Covenant are irrevocable promises God made to one man Abram or as we know him today Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant is first mentioned in Genesis 12.1-3 and confirmed it in Genesis 13.14-17; 15.1-21; 17.1-27; 22.17-18; 26.1-5; 28.10-17; 32.12; 48.3-4; 50.24. It was reiterated many times throughout the Old Testament (cf. Exodus 2.23-25; 3.6-8, 17; 6.4; 12.25; 13.5, 11; Judges 2.1; 1 Chronicles 16.13-18; 2 Chronicles 20.7; Psalm 105.6-11; Jeremiah 24.6; 31.35-37; 32.40-41; Amos 9.15; Isaiah 60.21).
Unlike the Mosaic covenant which was conditional, (Deuteronomy 28:1) the Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional promise made by a sovereign God. God’s promises to Abraham were repeated to Abraham’s sons Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28:14-15).
The Abrahamic Covenant lays the foundation for all future covenants and sets the theme for the entire Bible moving forward into eternity. God’s promises and the prophetic plan would climax with Israel as the preeminent nation on earth with their promised King ruling on earth from His father’s throne (2 Samuel 7:12-16) in Jerusalem forever. (Zechariah 14:9) It is at this time that the Gentile nations would be blessed by and through Israel (Isaiah 2.4, 11.10, 42.1-7, 49.5-7, 60.1-3 cf. Isaiah 61.4-7, 62.1-5; Zechariah 8.20-23).
God’s Promises to Abraham
‘Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.’
Genesis 12:1-3
| God will make Abraham a great nation | Genesis 12:2 |
| God will bless Abraham | Genesis 12:2; 22:17 |
| God will make Abraham’s name great | Genesis 12:2 |
| God will make Abraham a blessing to the whole world | Genesis 12:2,3; 22:18 |
| God will bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants | Genesis 12:3 |
| God will curse the one who curses Abraham and his descendants | Genesis 12:3 |
| Eternal land grant from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates | Genesis 12:6-7; 13.:4-15, 15:7, 17:7-8 |
| God will give Abraham innumerable descendants | Genesis 15:5; 13:16; 17:2; 22:17 |
| God will make Abraham a father of many nations | Genesis 17:4-6 |
| God will establish this covenant forever | Genesis 17:7 |
| Circumcision was the sign of the covenant | Genesis 17:10-14 |
| Established through the line of Isaac/Jacob, not Ishmael | Genesis 17:19-21; cf. Romans 9:7 |
| Abraham’s seed will overcome its enemies | Genesis 22:17 |
God is Always Faithful
In Genesis 15:7-21, Scripture delineates a ceremony performed in ancient times where both parties would walk between animals that have been sliced in two. By walking between the divided animals each person agrees that they too would be sliced in half if they did not hold up their end of the promise. In Genesis 15:17, God puts Abraham to sleep and it is the Sovereign God alone that performs this ceremony demonstrating that He alone is responsible for fulfilling the covenant. Despite the failure of Abram’s descendants, God would not fail. He will keep His promise.
‘My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. Nevertheless, My loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.’
Psalms 89:33-37
In Conclusion
The Abrahamic Covenant was sovereignly established and is eternal. It was God that did all the promising. Throughout the passages above, i.e., Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, 22 God repeatedly declared, “I will”. God promised that he would sovereignly accomplish the provisions of His covenant. Since God has stated it was an everlasting covenant, it is impossible, unless God’s sovereignty is abrogated, for it to be nullified or fail. Many in Christendom hold the belief that the Abrahamic Covenant was conditional. Such a conclusion can be reached only by calling God a liar.
Thank you for reading.
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God Bless,
Mesa Bible Study
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