The Land

 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." - Hebrews 11:8 KJV

It takes courage to turn your back on Satan. I sometimes wonder what prompted the obedience of faith that Abram displayed by leaving Ur. He was apparently from a very wealthy family and likely attributed their success to the homage paid to their pagan gods.

Yet, as we have seen, Abram was shown great things by Jehovah that convinced him to turn to God from idols. In the promise of land, seed and blessing, Abram was also shown a man who is the very portal or bridge connecting heaven to earth that pagan rituals were intended to produce. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." - John 8:56 KJV

Pagan sacrifices were costly and grisly affairs that were never enough to satisfy the blood lusts of these ancient deities. Much of Christendom today has not moved very far away from this need for continual sacrifice in order to satisfy the consuming fire of Jehovah against sin. Many give up on Christianity because the enemy of our souls deceives us into thinking that we must earn our salvation by ritual service and prayers. 

Others are deceived into thinking that with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Yet the God of all grace and comfort offers the promise of a righteousness that does not originate with us. Some call this an 'alien righteousness' because it is foreign to our sinful nature, yet freely bestowed upon any and all who place their trust in the finished work of Christ Jesus.

At the cross, Jesus endured the fiery wrath of God against sin when He was made sin for us. The eternal God executed an eternal sentence upon the eternal Son in the darkness of Calvary. So gracious is our God that simple faith in the sufficiency of that sacrifice removes the death sentence from us. This one sacrifice for sin forever bestows upon the repentant sinner the only righteousness that satisfies the Holiness of God.

Gen 15:7,8,18; What we find in these unconditional promises given to Abram is that they declare literal places, literal promises and a literal nation that would descend from Abram. These promises of Land, Seed and Blessing are related to the continuing city that Abram was shown. It is a city that would later in history be revealed as the New Jerusalem ruling over and connected to the very land that God was revealing to Abram.

The first use of the word Covenant is given to us in Gen 15:18. It is a very big deal because it reveals to us the God is obligating Himself by means of a binding legal contract to accomplish His promises. These promises were all very literal and not ethereal. They are unconditional guarantees that God obligated Himself to fulfill through Abram and his descendants. Through faith, Abram and his descendants would claim them. 

The land, in particular was set aside as the place where God had chosen to place His name. It is from that place that God's portal to heaven would be established for the ultimate blessing of all nations.

In Gen 15:1-6 we see that God Covenants Himself to bring personal blessing to Abram and his innumerable descendants. This blessing includes cursing those that curse him and blessing those that bless him. God began to fulfill this promised blessing to Abram and Sarai by granting them a child even though they were both very old. As heir to this covenant, their child became the conduit of the promised seed who brings untold blessings to all nations.

In Genesis 13:1-4 we find that, in addition to blessing, Abram was caused to dwell in the land that he had personally examined.  It is literal geography that was presently occupied by literal people groups that were under the curse imposed upon the descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Genesis 9:18-27).

What we find in this land promise is that it has remained unfulfilled unto this day. This is largely due to blocking maneuvers by Satan. Through external opposition and internal corruption the descendants of Abram and Sarai have never realized the full extent of the promise. That fulfillment is reserved for the appearance of Messiah Himself.

The sad reality is that these futile contests for that land that we see today will not end until the nation of Israel is made ready to receive her King. Although Messiah appeared once to bring the nation her salvation, He was, as the prophet Isaiah would declare Him to be: "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." (Isaiah 53:3) The descendants of Abraham 'hid as it were their faces from Messiah and did not esteem Him'. 

As we shall see, a later covenant made with Israel through Moses would specify the terms by which Israel could take possession of the land. One of those terms is that they would accept the King of God's choosing. (Deuteronomy 17:14,15) Their failure to do so prevents the land promise from being realized even to this day.

In Genesis 15:1 This covenant of land, seed and blessing is guaranteed by God Himself. God is obligating Himself to Abram’s posterity to be a shield of protection and their bountiful provider. This guarantee is independent of their behavior even though their enjoyment of the covenant is dependent upon their behavior. This is why it cannot be fully realized until Messiah is received as King.

In Genesis 15:4,5 Abram is given the evidence of that blessing through the impossible birth of a son from he and Sarai. Then, in 13:15-17 Abram is invited to claim the land for his posterity

From the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates is approximately 950 miles. However, the largest expanse of Israel in comparison to the land promised was experienced under the reign of David and Solomon and that was perhaps only a quarter of the land mass promised to Abraham and His descendants. 

We see the following elements of the Abrahamic covenant:

• It is independent of man and it is guaranteed by God obligating Himself to its fulfillment;
• Land Seed and Blessing promises remain partially fulfilled;
• The Abrahamic covenant forms the basis of the sub-covenants. These elements of the Abrahamic Covenant are not changed or modified but amplified in the sub covenants promised through Moses, David and Jeremiah;
• The Mosaic covenant spells out the conditions for remaining in the land. In so doing, it points to Christ as the righteous seed needed to fulfill the land promise.
• The Davidic covenant declares the Royal Seed through whom the nations of the earth will be blessed.
• The New covenant blesses the world with the knowledge of God. In this interim age, it is through the church, but in the Kingdom age this blessing comes through the nation of Israel under their Righteous King.

Every covenant that God makes is accompanied by a sign. Each of these signs are given to be perpetual reminders of the covenant that God has entered into with a specific group of people.

• To Noah, the promise of perpetuity of the earth is given the sign of the rainbow: 
• To Abraham, the promise of the perpetuity of his seed is the sign of circumcision; 
• To Moses, the promise of a righteous seed is confirmed through the giving of the law; 
• To David the promise of a Royal seed is confirmed by his crown of authority.
• The New covenant is memorialized by the bread and wine.

All of these signs accompany the recognition by Israel that Jesus is their promised Messiah. In that day, the groaning of creation will cease, the cutting off of corrupt flesh will be accomplished; the righteousness of the law will be magnified; The authority of David's throne will be established in Jerusalem and all nations will be blessed by communing with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

smc