PROMISE TO ABRAHAM – PART EIGHT
Monday – November 27, 2017
Welcome back to this amazing account of Abraham, Blood Covenant, and salvation. God is so good! Before we immerse ourselves in this critical to us account of Abraham let’s review our primary text from the wonderful Book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 6:12-15 (GW)
12 Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are receiving the promises through faith and patience.
13 God made a promise to Abraham. Since he had no one greater on whom to base his oath, he based it on himself.
14 He said, “I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants.”
15 So Abraham received what God promised because he waited patiently for it.
I have been focused on verse thirteen and the promise God made to Abraham. The more proximate promise related to a son, an heir, and by faith Abraham and Sarah received that promise. The child of promise was Isaac and we find the Seed of Abraham, the Savior (Messiah) of us all embedded in the promises to Abraham and Sarah. I left off last week talking about the Blood Covenant that was initiated with the surrogate blood of innocent animals between Abram, The Word, the Holy Spirit, and Jehovah. This same covenant would be tested and would some 2000 years later be ratified by the blood of a man, and the blood of God in the person of Jesus. We have reviewed that although the Old Covenant Scripture may appear to be referring to “seeds” pleural therefore the generations of offspring to follow Abraham it is not but referring only to Christ.
Galatians 3:16 (KJV)
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
The following passage is one of the more interesting as it relates to Abraham and the gospel. We generally don’t think of Scripture being the gospel until we hit Matthew 1:1 but the whole Bible is the gospel, the good news. Although we do not see it expressly noted in the Old Covenant Scripture, Jehovah (the Father) discussed (preached) the coming Messiah (the Seed) that would come by the Abraham’s faith. And as we can see that preaching started back in Genesis twelve.
Galatians 3:6-9 (KJV)
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Let us carefully consider the following passage especially verse twenty (20 = redemption) in view of his little adventure with Hagar producing Ishmael. We are still dealing with the consequences of that liaison, the whole Arab world, predominately the world of Islam, a huge part of the spirit of anti-Christ. Just look at how the angel of the LORD described Ishmael.
Genesis 16:12 (KJV)
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
None of us need to be Einstein to see this at work in the world today. None the less this is what God says of Abraham. We can determine from the following passage that God is talking about the Abraham of Genesis seventeen (victory).
Romans 4:17-22 (KJV)
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
As we read the preceding Scripture we can say to ourselves that we can easily remember episodes of Abram staggering. What about after he left Ur of the Chaldees and stopped in Haran. Then when he left Haran he took Lot contrary to the command of God. Then he ran into Egypt of his own volition and lied about Sarai. Then he ran into the tent of Hagar trying to help God out. Finally, Abram concludes as we enter the seventeenth chapter that he really needs to do it God’s way. This is not to say he did not walk in a measure of faith however he did not walk in the abundance God had for him. I believe Abraham and Sarah could have had Isaac twenty-five years earlier but they were following after the flesh and not the Spirit. God has been patient, Abram is finally ready to believe God without wavering. Through Abraham God wants a people who will preserve their history and the Scripture. And a people who through the Prophets would speak the will of God for redemption into the earth (Jesus). However, all of this is contingent upon this man Abram, named Abraham by God (Genesis 17:5). Not only is Genesis the first Book of the Bible with one being unity with God, and seventeen representing victory but the number five represents the Grace or goodness of God. That goodness of God is Jesus, the Messiah, who is the way for us all Jew and Gentile alike. The Scripture above from Romans four not only reflects the events of Genesis seventeen but the test of the Blood Covenant recorded in Genesis chapter twenty-two (light). Now turn to Genesis seventeen.
Genesis 17:1 (KJV)
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 17:17 (KJV)
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
When the italicized words are removed with the question mark from Genesis 17:17 and we treat it as an affirmative statement we see the crystallization, the final firming of Abraham’s faith. Will we decide in our hearts to be as father Abraham, and more importantly as our Lord Jesus Christ and choose to have unwavering faith?
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (GW)
24 The LORD will bless you and watch over you.
25 The LORD will smile on you and be kind to you.
26 The LORD will look on you with favor and give you peace.’
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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