THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT

        After the flood, God placed Noah and his son on land that had been completely cleansed from sin and gave him the Noahic Covenant.  One of His requirements is found in Gen 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  Because of Noah's getting drunk and Ham's disrespect of his father, man once again began to sin.  Nimrod, from the lineage of Ham, led a rebellion against God's command to replenish the whole earth by drawing the people together a Babel.  There the people began to build a tower to reach unto heaven.  (Genesis 11:1-4)

        God saw that man was in unified rebellion and would soon deserve universal judgment; therefore, He stepped on the scene at Babel and brought man's evil unity into confusion. (Genesis 11: 5-9)

        It was while the families were developing into nations in their respective places, speaking their respective languages, that God shows the next person with whom He would make another covenant.  He was from the lineage of Shem, and his name was Abram.  You can find the lineage of Shem in Genesis 11: 10-32.

(Genesis 12:1)

    1.  The Promises of Blessing:

        A. Personal blessing (Genesis 12:2)

            God said to Abraham "I will bless thee" indicating His desire to show favor to Abraham himself.  The promise was confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), To Jacob (Genesis 28:4) and to Israel (Deuteronomy 28:11).

            God blessed Abraham with material prosperity. (Genesis 13:2; Genesis 24:1) and physically with many children (Romans 4:16-21).

        B.  To bless others: (Genesis 12:2)

            God also said to Abram "Thou shalt be a blessing."  God made it clear to Abraham that the purpose of being blessed was so he could be a blessing to others.

                1)  His household (Genesis 14:14)

                2)  He gave his nephew Lot the best land (Genesis 13:12)

                3)  He rescued Lot from his abductors (Genesis 14:16)

                4)  He pleaded with the Lord for Sodom for Lot's sake. (Genesis 18:22,23)

        C.  Blessed by others (Genesis 12:3)

            God promised Abraham "I will bless them that bless thee."

        D.  Messianic blessing:  (Genesis 22:17,18)

            God promised Abraham "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."  This was the greatest promise of blessing because this involved the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and was fulfilled in the New Covenant.  The Bible tells us that Christ is the Seed of Abraham.

        E.  Blessed with a great name:

            As we have already read in Genesis 12:2, God said He would "make thy name great."

            At the time of circumcision (Genesis 17:5)

            He was associated with God (Genesis 26:24)   

            In the 8th chapter of John, many nations claim to be his children.  His name in honored among Islam, Judaism, and Christian religions.

            His name was known for his faith (Romans 4:1-3)

        F.  The blessing of many seed:

            As the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16)

            As the stars of heaven (Genesis 15:5)

            The father of many nations (Genesis 17:4)

            The nations which cam from Abraham through Hagar and Ishmael were predominantly the Arab nations (Genesis 21:13)

            (Genesis 25:16)  The nations which came from Abraham through Sarah and Isaac were the United Kingdom and Nation of Israel, and after the division of the nation, the House Of Israel and the House of Judah.  Abraham also had sons through Keturah and his concubines after Sarah's death, making other nations that trace their ancestry back to Abraham.

            Since Christ is a descendant from Abraham, that would make the Church a holy nation.  The Church is the true and spiritual Israel of God.  (Galatians 6:15,16)  In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile but all believers are now the seed of Abraham.  (Galatians 3:28-29)

        G.  Blessing of land:

            God promised Abraham that his seed would nave a land to dwell in.  God set the bounds of other nations according to the number of the children of Israel.  (Deuteronomy 32:8)

            God promised to show Abraham the land that he would give his seed forever.  (Genesis 13:14-15)  All the land of Canaan would be an everlasting possession. (Genesis 17:7-8)

        H.  Blessings of victory over enemies:

            (Genesis 22:17)  The spiritual fulfillment of this promise can be found in (Matthew 16:18) ... and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

    2.  Promises of Cursing:

        Because the Abrahamic Covenant is distinctly a covenant of blessing, the only curse attached to it is actually a blessing for Abraham and his seed.  God said to Abraham "I will curse him that curseth thee."

    3.  The Terms of the Covenant:

        Faith (Romans 4:3)

        Obedience (Genesis 22:10; 26:5)

    4.  The oath of the Covenant:

        The Abrahamic Covenant was one of the few covenants that hand an oath attached to it to make it irrevocable.  (Galatians 3:17-18)

    5.  The blood of the covenant:

        When God gave the covenant promises to Abraham, He commanded Abraham to sacrifice five special offerings (an heifer, a she-goat, a ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.)  Abraham was to divide the animals in half and lay the pieces, with the birds, in two rows.  God Himself, as a burning lamp and smoking furnace, passed between the pieces of the sacrificial body and blood and thus ratified the promises of the covenant.   (Genesis 15:9,10,17,18)

        God also asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as the supreme test of faith.  Isaac was the promised seed.  God asked Abraham to do typically what He Himself would actually do with His only begotten Son on Mt. Calvary.

    6.  The seal of the Covenant

        This is known as the "covenant of circumcision" because its seal was the rite of circumcision.  (Acts 7:8).  Circumcision was the outward evidence of the inward commitment to the terms of the covenant.

    7.  The importance of this rite:

        So important was the rite of circumcision that God sought to kill Moses for failing to bring his own family into covenantal relationship with God by circumcision.  Moses could not deliver the people of Israel on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant when his own family did not have the seal of that covenant. (Exodus 4:24-26)

        Also no stranger or Israelite could partake of the Passover Feast unless they had the seal of circumcision.

   8.  The fulfillment:

        The Abrahamic Covenant focused on the external aspect of circumcision; however, we are now covered under the New Covenant which focuses on the internal application of circumcision of the heart.  This circumcision is not made externally by hands but inwardly by the Spirit.