The Abrahamic Covenant
“So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt[a] to the great Euphrates River— the land now occupied by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21 NLT
The Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis, starting in chapter 12, when God called Abraham from his home and promised to make him a great nation. It was a turning point in the life of Abraham because God was calling him to an unknown place. Abraham needed faith to trust that God would be with him.
God’s Promise
Since the fall (Genesis 3)
God has had a plan to redeem a sinful world to Himself. God planned to send His Son Jesus to take on the world’s sins as payment. Christ bore all of our sins. The story of redemption is a progressive story throughout the Bible.
The Abrahamic Covenant continues the story of the redemption of how God would redeem lost and sinful people to Himself. God promised to make Abraham a great nation, give him land, and bless him. So, all the families on the earth would be blessed through Abraham. This covenant was unconditional. As a sign, God required all males in Abraham’s line to be circumcised. It marked them as a physical sign that they were part of God’s blessing.
Promise Kept
As we continue to read the Bible, we see the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. Abraham’s descendants grew into a nation. God gave them land, and God blessed them. While Abraham did not see the fulfillment of this promise, God reiterated it to Isaac and Jacob. After many generations, we see this promise kept by God.
What does this mean for us today
God promised to bless Abraham and his family; therefore, all of the earth would be blessed through Abraham.
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NLT
The blessing of Abraham extends to us. The blessing is the offer of salvation. God’s redemptive plan is fulfilled through the line of Abraham. Speeding up the timeline, David is a descendant of Abraham, and Christ is in David’s bloodline. The promised Redeemer provided us the blessing of salvation through His death on the cross. The whole world can be blessed through the saving power of Christ.
Reference
Got Questions: What is the Covenant?
The Divine Covenants by Arthur W. Pink
