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The Abrahamic Covenant
Bible Study
Montvale Baptist Church
Gen 12:1-2
1 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:
2 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:
There are six distinct covenants with promise that God made with man:
1. The Noahic (Gen. 6:18; 9:8-17);
2. The Abrahamic (Gen. 15:1-21; 17:1-22; 26:2-5, 24: 28:13-17);
3. The Mosaic (Exodus 19-20, 24);
4. The priestly (Numbers 25:10-13);
5. The Davidic (2 Samuel 7:12-16);
6. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Five of these covenants are literal, unconditional and everlasting, and one, the Mosaic covenant, is conditional and temporary.
The word “covenant” which is an agreement that binds two parties together, first appears in Scripture with the introduction of the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 6:18; 9:9, 11-13, 15-17). In this covenant God unilaterally covenanted with Noah prior to flood to preserve the human race and animals from total extinction (Genesis 6:18), and after the flood to provide mankind with a promise that He would never again destroy mankind or the whole earth by means of another worldwide flood. While this covenant is not mentioned in the New Testament, is unconditional and everlasting and is signified by the rainbow (Genesis 9:12-17).
In the Noahic Covenant grace is mercifully and compassionately extended to the entire human race. In other words, God made the promise never again to destroy the world by the means of a worldwide flood. There was nothing man had to do to hold up the covenant. God placed no restrictions on man. God asked for no type of payment from man. There was nothing man did to enact the covenant and nothing man can do to cause God to resend the promise. Also by this covenant God also kept alive a seed that would eventually be the blessing to all the world, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God, unlike man, never breaks a promise nor does He ever lie. Therefore, the promises of God are absolutely true and certain. If God promises, it will be done.
In Genesis chapter 15, God made the sacred Covenant with Abraham.
Gen 15:1-21
1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
The terms of the Abrahamic Covenant are stated or reaffirmed at least eight times in the Old Testament.
The sign of the Abrahamic Covenant was circumcision.
The Abrahamic Covenant is literal, unconditional and eternal.
The covenant is to be taken literally, not spiritualized and therefore applied to others outside the physical seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Spiritualizing the Abrahamic Covenant leads to the confusion of the clear distinction between Israel and the Church.
It is unconditional in that there was nothing Abraham had to do to cause the covenant to become effective. God made the promises to Abraham and his seed.
Eventually the whole world would receive the blessing contained within the Covenant. And, it is an everlasting Covenant. The passing of time does not weaken or void the promises God made to Abraham and the promises He reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob.
The Abrahamic Covenant contains three distinct promises concerning:
(1) The Land;
(2) A Physical Seed;
(3) A Blessing.
Who is this Seed of Abraham?
Gen 17:1-21
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Notice verse 19. It clearly states that the covenant will be with Isaac and it will be an everlasting covenant. The promised seed would run through Isaac and his seed after him, not Ishmael.
Gen 22:1-18
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Here God promises a great blessing, and a countless number of descendants. It is of the utmost importance that verse 18 is studied. Here God promises that through the seed of Abraham and Isaac that “all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
That means us!
That’s right even the Gentile nations will be (and have already been through the Promised Seed Jesus Christ) blessed.
Even though God was now dealing with one family, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this family would become a mighty nation.
Even though the land was promised to the promised seed of Abraham (which is the physical seed of Abraham through Isaac and then Jacob and his sons) in verse 18 of Chapter 22 of Genesis God makes a provision for the entire world.
Even during the time God is dealing with His Chosen People, Israel, He never forgets the rest of the human race. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). Since all men are sinners, that is, we all have a sin nature. (The imputed sin nature from our father Adam.) We are all in need of salvation. In Genesis 22:18 God continues His promise of a Redeemer. All, Jew or Gentile, are under the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant (although the Church is not Israel, nor does the Church have any promise of the Promised Land of Israel).
Gen 25:21-26
21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them., Isaac asked the LORD for a child (verse 21) and the LORD answered and Rebekah conceived. Looking further into the text God stated clearly which of the twin boys would continue the promised line. Once again God makes it quite plain which son was to carry the blessing. In this case it was Jacob. Even though Esau was Jacob’s favorite, and Jacob was planning to give his blessing to Esau, God’s perfect will was for the line to go through Jacob and his future sons. The twelve sons that would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Gen 28:10-22
10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee., Here again, God reaffirms His choice as to the Promised Line. It is clearly Jacob (who would become Israel). In (14) And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
God reaffirms all three portions of the Abrahamic Covenant with Jacob, land, seed and blessing. This establishes the absolute line of blessing. This is the family that God will use to bring about His Chosen People, Israel.
So, now it is Biblically established who is the Physical Seed of Abraham in regard to the Abrahamic Covenant. It is true that Abraham was the father of many nations, but only one would be the line through which God would work in bringing forth the Messiah, the Savior. Further it is this physical seed that is to possess the Promised Land.
The land belongs to the seed of Abraham, that is the seed that is the line of promise.
Remember the line of the promised seed, the line through which God confirmed His covenant. God made the covenant with Abraham, then to Isaac and then with Jacob. And who was Jacob? Israel. Who does the land belong to? Israel.
Throughout the long years following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the Jewish people have been scattered across the globe. Yet, even during this time of dispersion they have remembered the Land of Israel as their “Home.” Each and every year at the close of the Passover the Jewish people proclaim, “Next year in Jerusalem!” They are looking ahead to the regathering of all the Children of Israel to the Promised Land, the land of Israel. This brings us again to our question, who land is it.
Naturally, the answer is God. God as owner of the entire universe and all that is in it, can give to anyone of His choosing any land He so desires for His perfect plan. The Bible records clearly who holds the “Title Deed” to the Promised Land of Israel. Using
This is the Land of Canaan, not Palestine. Palestine is only a one hundredth past of the original grant. It consists of a small strip of land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea and from Dan to Beersheba, which is the distance of 150 miles. The original grant God gave to Abraham and to his seed is much larger than the land of Israel today. Israel today is just one percent of the land of Canaan.
Gen 13:14-17
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
In these verses there is a clear statement from God that the Land of Canaan was given to Abraham and his seed. This was given Abraham before he had “a seed.” Now let us look at how long this “title deed” for the Promised Land was to be in effect.
If God says forever, then the possession of the land by Israel is forever.
Even if most of the Jewish people were scattered throughout the world, the land of Israel was legally theirs whether or not they were physically living there or not. If you own a home, even if you do not live there the home is still your possession. In Genesis 15:18 the Covenant is repeated. "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:”
There are two important facts to be seen in this verse. First, God says it is already done:
Secondly, the boundaries are given is detail, much as would be recorded in legal papers if you were buying property today. God uses fixed geographical areas such as rivers, whereas today we would use a surveyor’s report to establish boundaries.
The Covenant is again confirmed in Genesis 17:7-8 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Turning our attention now to Genesis 17:19-21 we will see exactly who God planned to have legal possession of the Promised Land.
"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”
Notice God’s answer carefully. It is clear that God does not, in any sense, recognize the son of the bondwoman, Hagar, as the promised seed. God will establish His covenant with Isaac only: "I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him". It is Isaac and only Isaac that God chooses to confirm His covenant through. This settles the question of the land and the covenant in regard to Isaac and Ishmael.
Isaac is now the son of promise. Ishmael must go. God Himself is saying that the tent of Abraham is too small for both Isaac and Ishmael. It is the decision of God that Ishmael must go.
Ishmael became aware of his position. He must have known that God had decreed that only Isaac, his half brother, was to be the line of the Promise, Ishmael did not like it. As we see in Genesis 21:9 Ishmael begins to mock. With this mocking Ishmael insults the Word of God. He further insults the faith of his father, Abraham. He further insults God. Paul calls this “mocking” by Ishmael persecution.
Gal 4:29-30 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Here are two covenants, one of Law and one of Grace. In Scripture Isaac represents grace but notice here that Ishmael is here pictured as the Law, and the flesh.
The result is that the law must go. Ishmael had to leave the tent of Abraham, and Sarah tells him just that. Abraham was deeply grieved, but he obeys God and the Lord settles the matter in 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
The Covenant was reaffirmed with Jacob. This established forever the ownership of the Promised Land.
In His Service,
Melvin
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