God's Promise to Abraham

Read Genesis 12:1-9

Last week we began a series of devotions in helping us focus on God's revelation.  We might think that we should just stay in Revelation - it's a good idea to go back and begin with understanding what God has revealed and ultimately promises.

All of us know what a promise is.  We've made promises and promises have been made to us.  Some are kept and some are not; that's the nature of earthly promises, they are flawed because we are flawed.  However, when God makes a promise He keeps a promise.  We see this over and over again in scripture.

Possibly one of the most important promises ever made was God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-9.  Take some time and read God's promise to Abraham.  His promise has come to be known as the Abrahamic Covenant.  This promise is both eternal and unconditional.  At it's core we find three basic provisions:

1. First, there were personal blessings for Abraham
2. There were blessings for Abraham's descendants, or national blessings
3. There was a universal blessing, which would include all people

The personal blessings were that a great nation would come from him (his name would be great) and God would prosper him and give him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.  The national blessings would come through Isaac and Jacob and included the guarantee of national existence and greatness of the nation.  The universal blessing was that all nations would receive blessings through the physical descendants of Abraham.

This covenant promise required nothing more from Abraham than faith and trust to follow God.  God was offering Abraham blessings and we're told Abraham listened and left his country to a land God would show him.  We're told later in scripture that Abraham was a man who believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.  God wants us to know His promises, and then believe and follow.

We'll continue unpacking God's revelation to His people as we walk through this Abrahamic and other covenant promises of God.  For now, read again the passages in Genesis 12 and cross-references (Gen. 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-27; 18:17-19; 22:15-18) to get the bigger picture of God's promise to Abraham.