Skip to main content

God & Abraham: The Abrahamic Covenant

Image
By A.M.
https://pixabay.com/en/users/Kaufdex-2137215/

 Bible Reading: Genesis 12

Marked: Genesis 12: 1-3
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

We officially call it the "Abrahamic Covenant" today but it was simply God exercising His Sovereignty and innate right to choose from among His creation. In generosity, God chose Abraham to inherit a land. He chose Abraham to be most especially blessed. He chose Abraham to father a nation that will be blessed because of him. He chose Abraham and his descendants to be channels of blessing in which all others will share in his blessing and will be granted blessings because of him. He chose Abraham and declared justice and protection upon him and his; that those who wrong him will be brought to justice.

At the age of 75, God made an exclusive choice to set Abraham (then called Abram) on an exclusive journey. He granted things that only Abram and Abram's would get to have and experience. He brought his wife and Lot to co-experience God's plan for His life. They went with their possessions and servants. Along the way, God gives insight to just how further down the line His promise of blessing will go. He divulges to Abraham that Canaan will be gifted to his descendants. There in Canaan, God appeared and communed with him. In Bethel, Abram presented himself and communed with God. In both places, an altar was built and there was worship.

 Problems may cause us to stop worshipping.
Come verse 10, we find a setback. Abram realises that God's promise did not shield him from problems. A famine brings him "back to reality," he is not so privileged and special after all. Just like everyone else, he couldn't find provisions for himself and his family. Did this shake his trust in the Lord? We don't see Abram building an altar to consult God and find reassurance from him. Neither do wesee God stepping in and providing the assurance Abram needed. This was a two-way test of trust, an opportunity to show just how trusting Abram is and an opportunity to show just how reliable God is.

Self-reliance always breeds more troubles.
Abram decided to work out his problem alone and his first solution included deception. He felt the need to deceive because he perceived that nothing else can be done. He believed Egypt will solve his problems for him and He believed God cannot work things out in Egypt. Somehow, Abram felt God's sovereignty and abilities do not work in Egypt. After all, God couldn't do anything about the famine in the land.

With the best solution Abram could come up with, he realised there was danger ahead. He was married to an extremely beautiful wife and he knew that meant death for him. In his decision to present Sarai as his sister, he understood this meant opening her up to be possessed by another man. In that decision, Sarah lost her only protection against other men claiming and touching her womanhood. Clearly Abram knew it was wrong for he had to persuade her that it was for her own good that Abram "had to" deny being her husband.

God will always keep His promises.
God steps in to save us from ourselves.
Verse 17 says "The Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife." Nobody was saying anything, not Abram, not Sarai so God had to be the one to let Pharaoh know the truth. In this part of the story, God could have allowed Abraham and Sarah the consequence to his lack of faith. However, God saw fit to preserve the exclusivity of his line. God protected all aspects of His covenant with Abraham. God vowed to make of him a great nation through his wife.

 God also saw fit to preserve the sanctity of their marriage. It was clear that Abraham was a one-woman man and God honored Him for that. Surely, a man who is faithful to one wife doesn't want anybody else touching his woman. Abraham had much to thank God for when He stepped in. And so did Sarah.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for visiting. Love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments box!

Popular posts from this blog

Container Gardening: Planting KangKong in Pots (Water Spinach)

By A.M.
Kang kong is a well-known leafy vegetable used in many Philippine dishes. It is quite easy to grow they say. There was a time when you can find kangkong patches on most streets in the neighborhood. It is also called water spinach or swamp cabbage. It thrives in wet, moist areas. Many grow it solely in water. It quickly grows under sunny spots but carers should keep the soil moist. Else, it may die. Some tips: Not much intstructions on planting. Just bury the seed and keep the soil moist or muddy.  Kangkong grows all year round. Cut maybe an inch or two above the soil for continued regrowth and harvesting. Winter may see your plant dying but often, it regrows by spring. You may fertilize with nitrogen twice a month. You may harvest whole plants at about 1 to 2 months. Kangkong has the tendency to spread. Grow in a container for easy maintenance or harvest whole plants to control your supply. It is best to use potting soil for your containers. Putting regular soil in res...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Am I Sleepy During the Day?

By A.M.
What's causing your eyes and brain to shut down during the day? Why can't you keep your eyes open just when you really need to get some work or reading done? If you’ve been asking yourself, “ Why am I sleepy during the day ?” or struggling with that mid-morning or afternoon crash, you’re not alone. Millions of people deal with daytime sleepiness that makes it hard to focus, stay productive, or even enjoy daily activities. The good news? Most causes are simple and fixable once you know what’s behind that drowsy feeling. Too Many Carbs – A Common Cause of Daytime Fatigue If you're not careful, you can over-consume carbohydrates. And when you're takin in more carbohydrates than you can burn, you will get sleepy. Dr. Libby says it's either because your insulin levels are high or you might be gluten intolerant. Eat pasta, bread, potatoes and rice in moderation and space them properly. Studies show that a meal high in refined carbs can spike your blood sugar, followe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Choose Gratitude!

By A.M.
Gratitude is how you deal with worry and anxiety. Gratitude helps you get over yourself. As Christians, we are called to practice gratitude every moment, not just when life is going smoothly but especially in the hard moments. Gratitude anchors our hearts to God’s faithfulness and reminds us that we are never alone. Gratitude Helps Us See Beyond Ourselves Somewhere in the world, in this very moment, someone is dying without Jesus. Someone is living it tough. They’re without hope, unaware that God is nearby, ready to save. As followers of Christ, cultivating a heart of gratitude keeps us sensitive to these realities, pushing us to pray, share the Gospel, and love others intentionally. It also moves us to keep appreciating our salvation and security in Christ, now and whatever happens in the future. People are out there, wrestling with the purpose of life. They have never known the presence and loving touch of the One True God. They have yet to experience a relationship with the Only ...
Post a Comment
Read more