The covenant with Abraham

God fulfilling a promise

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

            Abraham made a solid treaty with God concerning a covenant that was made, establishing the seed of Israel, God's chosen people. As Abraham was on a mountain when the covenant was settled, it was made to him by God as a covenant of promises. First, God promised kindness and good-will to Abraham. In Genesis 15:1, there was a declaration of the purposes of God's love toward Abraham in two different ways; one, that He would give Abraham a numerous issue, two, in verses 2-6, that He would give Abraham Canaan for an inheritance. 

           Either an estate without an heir, or an heir without an estate would have only been a half-comfort to Abraham, but God ensures both an estate and an heir to him, the promised seed and the promised land; comforts indeed to Abraham. Both of the two invaluable things that God promised and delivered on toward Abraham was Christ and Heaven.

            God made this covenant with Abraham after the famous act of generous charity had been performed by Abraham (rescuing his friends and neighbors out of distress not for price or reward). Then God visited Abraham of which the conversation and actions of Chapter 15 came to pass. God told Abraham that He was his shield and great reward. Abraham, wondering what reward God would give him, made notice that he had no son, but one from his house, a steward named Eliezer of Damascus, was his heir.

            God assured Abraham that Eliezer was not to be his heir, but one that would come from Abraham himself, instead. Now Abraham was an old man by today's standards. He was almost 100 years old when God made the covenant with him, that his seed would be the Jewish origin. Before the time of Noah, Abraham's ancestor, people easily lived to be over 800 to 900 years old. God made sure that man only lived for about 100 to 150 years old after the flood. Abraham had a hard time understanding how a man of his age would be able to conceive a child, not to mention, his wife, Sarah was well in her 90s as well.

            God then assured Abraham in Genesis 15:5 as "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 see be."

            From that day forward, Abraham believed the Lord and counted it to God for righteousness. God told Abraham that He brought him out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees to Caanan to give him the land as an inheritance. God then told Abraham to make burnt sacrifices unto Him of a three year old heifer, a three year old female goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.

            Abraham followed God's instructions. He divided each of the animals and gave them up as an offering to God. He did not cut the birds in two, however. This was of no consequence in the sacrifice. The blood of the heifer, goat and ram was enough to suffice the offering to God.

            That night, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Abraham. Verse 12 says that while Abraham slept, a "horror of great darkness fell upon him."

            There, God told Abraham that his seed would be a stranger in a land that was not theirs, and that they would serve the inhabitants of that land and would suffer for 400 years. God also told Abraham of the judgement that would fall upon those they served. He assured Abraham that after their suffering was over, that his seed would "come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy father's in peace. Thou shalt be buried in a good old age." God was referring to the Jew's captivity in the land of Egypt, as they would suffer under the Egyptians as slaves for 400 years, before being released to inherit the promised land of Israel 40 years later.

            He then told Abraham about the great battles that would be fought against the Amorites as His judgement for the Amorites iniquity. As Abraham awoke and was leaving the mountain after his talk with God, the covenant was made that Abraham's seed would inherit the land from the Nile unto the Euphrates. The Jews would also inherit the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites, Caananites, Girgashites and Jebusites; the land we now know as Israel (or Palestine) today.

               God wants to make a covenant with us. In our families, God wants to prosper us all in the goodness and righteousness of His glory. He wants to make us His children. He wants to make us His chosen race, as he did with Israel. He wants us to desire that in return as well. God does not force His way into our lives. He gave us a free will to choose His Son, Jesus, as our propitiation, or the one worthy sacrifice that could rescue us from the sinner's hell that we have earned, but don't have to suffer. The sacrifice has already been made. Choose this day whom you shall serve. Make it Jesus.

R. Douglass Mahaffey -  Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.