2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
It occurred to me that the Lord wants me to do a better job explaining the layout of the Abrahamic covenant, so that is where we will begin today. As I said previously, this covenant has main promises: people; land; a king (government). We have already seen how Abraham, because of his faithfulness, was called out of Ur of the Chaldes, an idolatrous culture, eventually to Canaan. In GN 15:6, Abraham was deemed acceptable to God solely because of that faithfulness, the first man to be justified. In GN 13: 16, Abram was told that he would have as many descendants as specks of dust on the earth, i.e. a very large number. These specks represent the natural “seed” -Jews by birth. In GN 15: 5, Abram was told he would have as many descendants as stars in the sky, which could very well be depicting his “spiritual seed”-those people justified by faith. GA 3: 7, “You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.” In GN 17: 1-5, we get the full picture of this two-way promise about descendants for Abram. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. I will make My covenant with you and give you many descendants.’ Abram bowed down with his face touching the ground, and God said, ‘I make this covenant with you: I promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations.’” This is the same message God gives Abram in GN 12: 2.
The promise of land is made in several places in the Scripture. GN 15: 7, “Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘I am the Lord Who led you out of Ur of the Chaldes, to give you this land [referring to that described in GN 15: 18-21] for your own.’” GN 15: 18-21 describes the actual limits of the land that God by divine right gave to Abram and his descendants [known as the Jews]. “Then and there the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He said, ‘I promise to give your descendants all of this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River, including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizites, the Kadmonites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’” To put this in a modern context, this means all of modern Israel, Lebanon, a part of Syria, a part of Iraq, and a part of Jordan. It also includes that land known as the west bank that the Palestinians claim as their own. Now, I realize that what I’ve said here is very controversial, but I am simply relaying to you what is in the word of God. We can ask God individually to reveal to us how He feels about present day Israel occupying a strip of land against the Mediterranean Sea no bigger than the state of New Jersey in prayer. God’s promise of this land to Abraham is reiterated in GN 17: 8, “I will give to you and to your descendants this land in which you are now a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan will belong to your descendants forever, and I will be their God.”
The promise of a king, which is really more appropriately capitalized-“King,” appears in several places. It too is an important element of the Abrahamic covenant. JER 23: 5-6, “The Lord says, ‘The time is coming when I will choose as King a righteous descendant of David. That King will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. When He is King, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called, ‘The Lord of Our Salvation.’” 2 SAM 7: 12-16, [particularly 16] which is known as the Davidic covenant, is very much a part of this promise. God was speaking through His prophet Nathan to David at the time. “When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king [referring to Solomon] and will keep his kingdom strong. He will be the one to build a temple for Me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son. But I will not withdraw My support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king. You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. You dynasty will never end.’” Perhaps the most famous reiteration of this promise of a King is found in IS 9:6, “Unto us a Child is born, a Son is given. And the government shall be upon His shoulders. He shall be called, ‘Wonderful,’ ‘Counselor,’ Almighty God,’ ‘Everlasting Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace.’” IS 11: 1, “The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new King will arise from among David’s descendants-a shoot from the stump of Jesse [David’s father].” These are just a few of the Scriptures in which this hugely important portion of the Abrahamic covenant is mentioned.
Covenants with God are very serious commitments, both for us and for God. The Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional one. Abram is simply a spectator, albeit a willing one because of his faithfulness. God’s actual presence is symbolized by the smoking fire pot and flaming torch in GN 15: 17-a spectacular exhibition of God’s freely extended grace. “When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch suddenly appeared and passed between the pieces of the animals.” This remarkable event was the actual sealing of the Abrahamic covenant. Back in GN 15: 11, Abram drove off vultures. “Vultures came down on the bodies, but Abram drove them off.” These may have represented idolatrous Gentile nations that God wanted excluded from the nation He was establishing through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The pieces of animals being sacrificed may have represented Israel. This would make sense in view of the ancient Jewish practice of sealing a covenant by passing one’s hand between the thighs of the other party to the covenant to seal it. It is clear in any examination of the Abrahamic covenant that it has huge implications for us today and in the future.
PRAYER: O Lord, words are inadequate to describe Your sovereign and righteous power! Nor can they make known completely to us the depth of Your compassion and love for Your children. No promise that You have ever made is empty, meaningless, or will go unfulfilled. All shall happen in Your own perfect time. Promises that You made long ago are as important to us today and in the future, as they were to the people of the past with whom You made them. You reveal so much to us about Yourself and Your view of what is right through the word You have handed down to us. When we struggle to understand Your messages through the Scriptures and their impact on us but fall short, You command the Holy Spirit to explain them to us. We are often impatient, refusing to take the time necessary to expose ourselves to the full blessing of Your word and Your communication with us through prayer. Yet, You refuse to give up on us. We dedicate ourselves to spending more time reading Your word and communicating with You in prayer. The promise of people, land, and a King that was given to Abraham will not be forgotten. We will continue to meditate upon how it impacts our lives today and on the love that is behind these promises. We humbly offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, glory, honor, trust, obedience, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
At the Lord’s will, tomorrow we will continue examining other aspects of the Abrahamic covenant and other covenants. I can witness to the fact that God has never taken any action or given mankind any teaching that wasn’t based on the love He has for each of us. That is amazing. One might argue, “why does God allow Satan to punish?” It is never without the reason to exact justice and/or to teach mankind a lesson that will allow them to get back on the path of righteousness. With our limited human perspective, we may not understand why a particular negative contingency, illness, or death happens. But when we love and trust God, we will have the peace that comes from knowing that His agenda for us is always righteous. That is our loving Abba, Who is eager to be the central force for good in our lives. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn