"Abrahamic Covenant"

Victory Can Be Yours!

Article #50 – “Abrahamic Covenant”

               We concluded last week with Jesus stating that he was leaving the house of Israel desolate.  That is not the end of the story.  God made a promise to Abraham that the nation of Israel will spend eternity in the land God promised to the descendants of Abraham.    This promise included the following four items: (Gen. 12-15)

1.       A great nation (land and people)

2.      Make his name great (progeny, many descendants)

3.      Abraham would be blessed (materially and spiritually)

4.      All families of the earth will be blessed (through Jesus Christ)

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  He believed all the promises that God had made him but he needed some assurances.  Every covenant or contract must be ratified and Abraham wanted assurances that what God said would be carried out.   “He said, ‘O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?’  So He said to him, ‘Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’  Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.” (Gen. 15:8-10)   In those days, people ratified contracts by exchanging bags of salt and other meaningful ways.  The most significant covenants were ratified by laying sides of animals on each side of a pathway between them and then the two parties to the covenant would pass between the animal halves to ratify the agreement.  If either party broke the agreement, they would suffer the same fate as the animals used in the ratification process.  What was different and most important about this ratification was that God caused Abraham to fall into a deep sleep and God Himself passed between the animal halves signifying that the convent could only be broken by God.  There was nothing that Abraham could do to break the covenant.  “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:’” (Gen. 15:18)

               Israel later was scattered around the world because of disobedience to God.  Everywhere they have lived they have been persecuted and hated.  But they have never lost their national identity.  Any other nation scattered as the Jews were would not have maintained national identity.  In 1948, they were made a nation again. They have survived under the most difficult times imaginable with constant threat of annihilation.  Our country has been the most supportive of all nations but lately have been more supportive of their enemies.

There are so many things that have taken place and will continue to take place until God’s ultimate plan comes together.  But, when it does, the descendants of Abraham, the nation of Israel will own, occupy, and enjoy the land that God promised some six thousand years ago and described in Genesis twelve through fifteen.  It seems as though most of the people in this country and certainly those in leadership do not understand or, do not believe what the Bible says about Israel.  If they did, our approach today would be to support Israel totally instead of supporting their enemies.  Let us remember, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” (Gen 12:3a)  This may sound like a political statement but I can assure you that it is purely a spiritual one.  AMEN!

You, too, can have victory in Jesus!  More to come.

Lowell Parrish