The Kingdom of Covenants

Abrahamic Covenant

Reasons for Covenants

• Gods Original intent: A perfect man in the image of God ruling over a perfect world as God’s representative.

• Man’s rebellion: corrupted mankind & the world, both spiritually and physically.

• God’s Goal in History: Restoration of man and world to a perfect state.

• Gods means: To create a perfect instrument to restore the blessing to the whole world.

Structure of Book of Genesis

– Genesis 1-11: Downward progression– Genesis 12-50: God's Perfect Plan--God intervenes

in order to begin process of restoration to His original ideal: a perfect people in a perfect world.

Genesis 1-11 Genesis 12-50

Whole world One family

Sin with ocasional faithfulness Faithfulness & Sin

Judgment Blessing

Emphasis on death Emphasis on life & preservation

2000+ years 300 years

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them”

Elizabeth Elliot

Giving of Promise (12:1-3)

• Blessing to Abraham– LAND– SEED, cf. Verse 7

• Blessing through Abraham– BLESSING, reaffirmed many times later

Cutting of the Covenant (15:1-21)

• Restatement of covenant aspects (1-8)– V4-6: Seed– V7-8: Land

• Covenant blessings delayed (12-16)• Three types of Ancient Covenants (9-17)– Shoe covenant– Salt covenant– Blood covenant

Shoe covenant (Ruth and Boaz)

Salt Covenant (2. Chr 13:5)

Blood Covenant (Jer 34:12-20)

Cutting of the Covenant (15:1-21)

• Cutting of Covenant– God is the one who passes through (Ex. 13:21)– Promise now confirmed through oath

• Demarcation of Covenant (18-21)

Sign of the covenant (Gen 17)

• God expects response – „walk with God“• New detail: The nature of the blessing is

spiritual – a personal & national relationship with God– „God of Israel“

• V9-11: Circumcision is the Sign– Expression of faith– Father‘s responsibility (cf. Ex. 4:24-26)

Sharers of the covenant (Gen 17)• Two aspects of covenant– Physical descendents– Spiritual aspect: Desire to participate in the

covenant, demonstrated through circumcision• Jeremiah 9:25-26

Continuity of the Covenant (Gen 17:22-27)

• The Covenant confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4)– Not Ishmael - the traditional father of the Arab

peoples. Cf. Rom. 9:6-8.• The Covenant confirmed to Jacob (Gen. 35:9-

12)– Not Esau (Edom, cf. Ezek. 35-36)

• The Covenant confirmed to the nation of Israel (Exod. 6:2-3,7-8)

Abrahamic Covenant References: Gen 12: 1-3, 15:1-21, 17:1-22

Question: What?

Gen 3:15

Conclusion

• God's Original Intent: A perfect man ruling as God's representative over a perfect world.

• God's Means: To create a perfect instrument to restore the blessing to the whole world: Israel.

• Characteristics of the Abrahamic Covenant:– An Unconditional Covenant– A Spiritual Covenant– A National Covenant

Discussion questions

• Abraham asked God for a token/sign of his promise. Can we ask the same from God today?

• Does God’s treatment with Moses disobedience (Ex. 4:24-26) of not circumcising his son reveal us anything about the way God views baptism?

• God expected Abraham to have a response to his unconditional covenant (Gen. 17:1) and he expects us to respond to the message of the cross (Eph. 2:8-10). In what ways has God recently challenged you to “walk with him”?