Genesis: The Abrahamic Covenant Now
What About Me?
When looking at our study from earlier this week, we can see a beautiful picture of God’s sovereignty and providence over all of mankind through the covenant He made with Abraham. We noticed how Abraham was selected to be the father of God’s chosen people Israel, and we were able to conclude that the reason he was selected was because of no merit of his own. What we have recognized through the story thus far in Genesis, is that no matter what God’s plan is, it will come to pass. Sinful human beings may always attempt to overthrow these plans by disobeying the Lord and choosing their own path, but God will always fulfill what He sets out to fulfill. This is why in His covenant He makes with Abraham, God is sure to let us know that there is nothing Abraham did to deserve this covenant with God and there is nothing Abraham can do to end this covenant between him and God. This is an amazing aspect of God’s character that we have seen in the Old Testament, but what does that mean for us today? Is there anything for believers in this day and age to take away from the covenant that God made with Abraham so many years ago? I believe there is. As John Piper points out, “Contrary to all human expectations, for his own wise purposes, God set his favor on a single man, Abram, and commenced an amazing 2,000-year history that would, in the fullness of time, bring forth Jesus Christ the Redeemer for all the world.” This is a very broad overview of why this covenant is so vital for us to take notice of. With this in mind, let’s dive in.
The Great Nation
To start, we must go back and look at what God told Abraham in His original covenant with him in Genesis 12 & 17. Specifically, we’re going to look at the middle of the covenant in Genesis 12:2 “And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing;” This is the passage that shows this covenant is meant for more than just Abraham and the people of his day. The line ‘great nation’ goes beyond the timeframe of just when Abraham was alive. It might not have been noticed by Abraham when this covenant was made or by those who were alive in his day, but this line shows us that the promise God made to Abraham would affect the people who were going to come forth from this man for generations to come. The nation of Israel is of course who we see become God’s chosen people and these people are chosen by nationality. Now right now you are probably thinking, ‘But I am not of the nation of Israel’, and you’re not alone. When many people read this passage, it’s easy to think that out of context, God just intended to save Israel and that’s all. But when we look at the fulfillment of this covenant, we see that God did not mean for this ‘great nation’ to be a literal geographical nation. Paul actually addresses this exact question for the Romans in Romans 9:6-8 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” Paul is essentially saying here that being a certain nationality or descendant from Abraham himself isn’t what makes you an heir to the promises of this covenant, but something else. What is this something else? That’s where the second part of this covenant comes in.
Fulfilled In Christ
Genesis 17:7 says, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.” God intends this covenant to be for all generations after Abraham and not just for the current people in his day and age as we’ve discussed already. But what do we see God specifically say here as part of the everlasting covenant? He will be our God to Abraham and all his descendants after Him. This is the promise. Now how is God going to make sure He is the God of all the descendants of Abraham when the story of Genesis thus far is how mankind has continually failed God time and time again? This is where the covenant made with Abraham and the gospel of Jesus Christ beautifully meet. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that this covenant is ultimately fulfilled for all time. The way that this covenant will be an ‘everlasting’ one, and the way this covenant will make God our Lord for all those who come after Abraham, is through the gospel. Anyone who repents and believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ has officially taken part in the fulfillment of this covenant.
Not only can we see it when this promise was originally made to Abraham in the Old Testament, but we can see it even more clearly as Paul breaks it down in the New Testament for those believers who came after Christ fulfilled His purpose. When we see the connection made between Old Testament covenants and New Testament fulfillment of said covenants, we see a beautiful picture of God’s holiness and the perfection of His word. It always makes me sad when people look at Old Testament covenants like the Abrahamic Covenant or the Mosaic Covenant and they believe they have nothing to learn from it because the law of these covenants no longer applies to them. While the rules and orders of these covenants may no longer be applicable to us today, the promises of them and the fulfillment of them are certainly a part of our lives today and they show us and remind us just how great God is. That is exactly what we see here in this covenant made with Abraham and it’s exactly why this promise is important for us today. Those of us who have repented and believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ are the fulfillment of this covenant and we are part of God’s chosen people. This is why we are considered children of Abraham. It’s not just a cute childhood song you sing in church, it is a real promise that you yourself are partaking in when you trust Christ as your Lord and Savior. I hope and pray that as you read Genesis and the whole Old Testament for that matter, you don’t overlook covenants like these but would rather see the beauty in them. May God open your eyes to these amazing promises and bless you as you become part of the great nation of God’s people.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] Piper, J. (2023, November 8). The Covenant of Abraham. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-covenant-of-abraham
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