The Abrahamic Covenant

     God burst into the lives of an older, childless couple, Abram and Sarai, with words of strong determination: I will make you a great nation; I will bless you” (Gen. 12:2).

This gracious promise was unconditional. God would multiply Abram’s descendants and give them the land of Canaan (13:14-17). He formalized His promise to Abram as a formal agreement between a superior king and an inferior servant (15:1-21). Finally, He swore by Himself that He would do it (22:15-18). His Word was irrevocable.

     Yet within His unconditional promises, God made demands. He commanded Abram and Sarai to leave their home and their extended family to go to a new land (12:1). He commanded them to be a blessing to others (12:2), to walk before Him and be blameless (17:1), and to circumcise the males in their household as a sign of the covenant (17:10). Although God's promises were unconditional, Abram’s temporal participation in God's blessing was conditioned on His faithfulness and His obedience to God's commands. Abram withstood the test He believed and obeyed (15:6; 22:1-18).