When God first appeared to Abraham in Genesis 12, He gave him three distinct promises: a land, a seed, and a blessing of all the nations. We spent the past few weeks exploring all that was entailed in these three promises, and we ended last time with a reminder from Hebrews 11:13, that Abraham never saw the promises truly fulfilled in his lifetime, but rather saw them only in bits and pieces. He lived in the promised land, yet as a foreigner. He had several offspring throughout his life, yet only his son Isaac received the covenantal blessing. Yet even this did not happen immediately after receiving the promise, as it took 25 years for Sarah to finally conceive and give birth to Isaac. It would be during this time of waiting that God would once again appear to Abraham in Genesis 15 to make a covenant with him, but before we dive into the covenant-cutting ceremony itself, we need to take a step back and consider the overall context.
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The Davidic Covenant - God’s Promise of an Eternal Throne
For the past couple of weeks, we have endeavored to explore all the background information that played a role in setting the stage for the establishment of the Davidic Covenant. To summarize, we noted how the establishment of an earthly throne was the result of God’s eternal plan carried out through (and in spite of) the sinful intentions of men. Whereas the people of Israel failed in their choice of a wicked king named Saul, God succeeded by choosing for Himself a king, a Bethlehemite named David, whose life was characterized by faith and obedience. We ended last week’s blog with the account of David’s desire to build a house for the Lord, and how God subsequently responded to that desire when He spoke to the prophet Nathan.
Keep Reading The Davidic Covenant, Part 2: David’s Rise to the Throne
When you think of King David, what comes to mind? Perhaps you’re reminded of the frequently quoted verse that describes David as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), or his humble origin in a little town called Bethlehem. Maybe you right away jump to the famous account of David slaying Goliath, or David’s experiences when he was on the run from King Saul. If you’re one who is musically inclined, you might be especially appreciative of the many psalms that David wrote.
Keep ReadingDependence...As a Son
What is a Christian? With this question, J.I. Packer opened his chapter on adoption in his masterpiece, Knowing God. In answer to that, he says, “The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God; IVP 1993, 200).
Keep Reading Introduction to the Davidic Covenant - Part 1: Israel’s Desire for an Earthly King
From the earliest days in Israel’s history, there was a promise of a coming king who would rule over the people of Israel. When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17:6, He promised that “kings will come forth from you.” Later in Genesis 49, when Jacob prophesied concerning his sons, he said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (v. 10). Long before the days of King Saul, long before the time of the judges, and even before Moses was born, God not only promised a future king for Israel, but even specified the tribe out of whom the king would come!
Keep Reading The Mosaic Covenant Established at Mt. Sinai
When you hear the term “Mosaic Covenant”, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of the Levitical priesthood, or the Law…and you would be right. Those are most certainly major themes of the Mosaic Covenant. But what if I told you that another theme of this covenant is the relationship between God and His people? In fact, the Bible makes a very clear connection between this covenant and the Abrahamic Covenant, where God chose Abraham to be the one through whom the whole world would be blessed.
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As we continue our study of the Abrahamic Covenant, one thing becomes readily apparent: history is moving in a certain direction. God’s plan continues to unfold in the great drama of saving sinners from His wrath that they justly deserve. The promises God made to Abraham in Genesis 12, which would later become formally established in a covenant-cutting ceremony, all point us to the one descendant of Abraham through whom all the promises would be completely fulfilled: Jesus Christ. So far, we have talked about two of those promises: a land and a seed. Today, we will be discussing the third and final promise laid out in our text in Genesis 12; namely, the universal blessing, paying particular attention to the text in bold.
Oct 15
2024
The Abrahamic Covenant: The Promise of a Seed
When God appeared to Abraham in Genesis 12, He made three distinct promises that would serve as the backbone of the Abrahamic Covenant: a land, a seed, and a blessing. Last time, we talked about the promise of the land that God would give to Abraham’s seed, and we ended our discussion with the singular and plural natures of the seed to whom the Promised Land belongs. Now, we turn our attention to the promise of the seed that would come from the loins of Abraham: who this seed would be, and how the identity of this seed fits in the redemption arc. To begin, we will once again be looking at Genesis 12, focusing particularly on the text shown in bold.
Oct 8
2024
The Abrahamic Covenant: The Promise of Land
When it comes to events that change the course of human history, we often think of various wars, natural disasters, famines, and plagues. Certainly, these are major events in and of themselves, but what if I told you that there was a single event experienced by one ancient Mesopotamian man that overshadowed all of these? In the next few blogs, we will be talking about that very event: the day when God appeared to a man named Abraham and promised him a land, a seed, and a blessing for all the nations.