The Abrahamic covenant has three components: the promise of a nation of people, a geographical land, and a government headed by Israel's King, the Messiah.
Les Feldick consistently teaches that God made three promises to Abraham in the covenant. First, out of Abraham would come a nation of people, the nation of Israel. Second, God would place that people in their own geographical land, the promised land. Third, because a people in a land need a government, God Himself would one day come and be their King and Messiah.
Genesis 12:2 — God's first promise to Abram — 'I will make of thee a great nation' — is the foundational nation component of the covenant.
Genesis 15:18 — The record of God making a covenant with Abram and giving the land to his seed is the land component.
Isaiah 9:6 — Isaiah's prophecy that 'the government shall be upon his shoulder' identifies the King-Messiah component of the covenant.
The covenant promises to Abraham are recorded in Genesis. In Genesis 12:2 the LORD said, 'And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.' In Genesis 12:7 the LORD appeared unto Abram and said, 'Unto thy seed will I give this land.' In Genesis 15:18 the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.' The same land promise is recalled in Exodus 6:8, where the LORD said, 'And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.' The expectation of the King and government is carried in the prophets: 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace' (Isaiah 9:6), and 'Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever' (Isaiah 9:7).
Les Feldick teaches that the Abrahamic covenant has three components, which he frequently calls three promises or 'three basic premises.' He lays out the logic this way: God promised that out of Abraham would come a nation of people — the nation of Israel. Because a nation needs a geographical area, God promised them the land. And because a people in a land must have a government, God promised that one day He Himself would come and be their King and their government. Les stresses that this government is not an ordinary government — not even kings like David and Solomon — but God Himself in the person of the Messiah, the Christ, who would be their King, their Redeemer, and their Savior. He connects this to the book of Matthew, where Jesus is referred to as the King of Israel, and he describes the final outcome as a glorious kingdom not in heaven but on earth. He also teaches that within these three promises all the other covenants are involved, and that the nation and land components were consummated in time while the government under the King awaits its future fulfillment.
Les Feldick teaches that the Abrahamic covenant consists of three basic promises. First, God promised that out of Abraham would come a nation of people — the nation of Israel, distinct from all other races. Second, God promised that this nation would be placed in its own geographical area of land, the promised land. Third, God promised that the people dwelling in that land would have a government, and that one day God Himself would come and be their King and Messiah.
Les Feldick reasons from the covenant itself: you cannot have a nation of people unless they have land to live in — a geographical area. So the second promise of the covenant is that God would give Abraham's descendants a piece of the earth's surface, the promised land. He reminds his listeners that God swore to give the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that the same land promise is repeated throughout the Old Testament.
According to Les, once you put people within a geographical area they have to have government. The third part of the Abrahamic covenant is that God would come and be their King and their government. He emphasizes that this is not an ordinary government — not even kings like David and Solomon — but God Himself in the person of the Messiah, the Christ, ruling over a glorious kingdom on earth. This is why in the book of Matthew the Lord is referred to as the King of Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that within the three promises of the Abrahamic covenant, all the other covenants are involved. He also notes that the first two parts — the nation and the land — were consummated in due time, while the third part, the King coming to rule over a glorious kingdom on earth, remains the future expectation.
The Nation Pulled Out of Adam's Race
Les shows that at Genesis 12 God pulled Abram out of the one race of Adam to begin the nation of Israel — the first component of the covenant.
The Threefold Covenant Structure
Les explains the logical sequence of the covenant: a nation of people, a geographical land, and the government a people in a land must have.
Three Promises: Nation, Land, King
Les lists the three promises — nation, land, and government — and adds that the promised King is also the Messiah, Redeemer, and Savior.
The Covenant in a Nutshell
Les summarizes the covenant: Abraham would become a nation, be placed in the promised land, and God would come as their government epitomized in the King, the Messiah.
Genesis 12 Promise of Nation, Land, King
Les again sets out the three promises — a great nation, a geographical area of land, and God coming as king and government.
Two Parts Fulfilled, Kingdom Still Future
Les describes the three parts of the covenant, noting the first two were fulfilled and the third awaits God coming as King over a glorious kingdom on earth.
The Land Promise Repeated
Les shows the land promise continuing on to Isaac and Jacob: God swore to bring Israel into the land promised to Abraham.
God Himself as King in the Messiah
Les describes the three 'basic premises' of the covenant and stresses that the promised government is God Himself becoming King in the person of the Messiah, the Christ — the reason Jesus is called King of Israel.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
This is the foundational nation promise of the Abrahamic covenant.
Genesis 12:7: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
This verse records the land promise given to Abram's seed.
Genesis 15:18: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
This verse records the formal covenant in which the land was given to Abraham's descendants.
Exodus 6:8: And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
This verse shows the land promise being reaffirmed to Israel in the time of Moses.
Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This verse points to the promised King whose shoulder would bear the government — the third component of the covenant.
Isaiah 9:7: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
This verse describes the eternal kingdom over which the promised King will rule.
The three components are a nation of people, a geographical land, and a government. God promised Abraham that out of him would come the nation of Israel, that this nation would be placed in the promised land, and that God Himself would one day be their King and Messiah.
Yes. Les Feldick points out that God swore to give the land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that the land promise is bound up with the covenant. Scripture records the same promise in Genesis 12:7, Genesis 15:18, and Exodus 6:8.
Les teaches that the nation and the land were consummated in time, but the third part — God Himself coming as King over a glorious kingdom on earth — awaits the future.
Yes. Les says the government promised in the covenant would be epitomized in the King, the Messiah, the Christ, and that God Himself would become their King in the person of the Messiah.
Watch the Teaching: God’s Plan for Israel vs. Gentiles: Understanding the Abrahamic Covenant