The Abrahamic covenant is God's unbreakable, irrevocable agreement with Abraham in which He promised a great nation, a land, and a King — the Messiah.
Les Feldick identifies Genesis 12:2–3 as the Abrahamic covenant. He teaches that this covenant is from God to man and therefore cannot be broken or rescinded. Its promises center on Abraham's descendants becoming a nation in a specific geographical land, with God Himself eventually reigning over them as King in the person of the Messiah.
Genesis 12:2-3 — This is the passage Les explicitly identifies as the Abrahamic covenant, recording God's foundational promises to Abram.
Matthew 1:1 — The New Testament opens with Jesus Christ as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, tying the covenant directly to Christ.
Genesis 12 opens with God's call to Abram. In verses 2 and 3 God promises: "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: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Exodus later shows God acting on this remembered pledge: "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."
Les Feldick identifies Genesis 12:2–3 as the Abrahamic covenant and stresses that a covenant in Scripture is from God to man, making it unbreakable and irrevocable. He summarizes the covenant's promises as three basic premises: God would make Abraham's descendants a nation of people, place them in a geographical land, and one day provide them with a government in which God Himself would be their King in the person of the Messiah, the Son of God.
Les identifies Genesis 12:2–3 as the Abrahamic covenant and tells readers to circle or underline them. The verses record God's promises to Abram: "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: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Les summarizes the covenant as three basic premises: a nation of people, a geographical area of land, and a government over that people. That government would reach its ultimate fulfillment when God Himself becomes their King in the person of the Messiah — the Christ. He adds that this King must also be their Redeemer, providing a solution to the sin problem.
Les says Matthew 1:1 immediately disproves the idea that the New Testament starts something totally different: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." The covenant with Abraham explains why the New Testament opens with these titles and why everything up through the Gospels and into Acts is based on that covenant.
Les teaches that a covenant in Scripture is always from God to man, not an agreement that depends on man's performance. Therefore the Abrahamic covenant is unbreakable and irrevocable. He also notes that every covenant God made with Israel, such as the Davidic covenant, is within the bounds of the Abrahamic covenant.
Matthew 1:1 — Son of David, Son of Abraham
Les uses Matthew 1:1 to show that the New Testament opens by connecting Jesus Christ to the Abrahamic covenant, proving the New Testament is not a total break from the Old.
God remembered His covenant
Les explains that the Abrahamic covenant promised a great nation, a geographical area, and a King — and that everything in the Gospels and Acts is based on that covenant.
Genesis 12:2–3 is the covenant
Les identifies Genesis 12:2–3 as the Abrahamic covenant and explains that God's covenants are from God to man, unbreakable and irrevocable.
A nation, a land, and a King
Les summarizes the covenant as God's promise to make Abraham a great nation, place them in the land, and one day come as their King and government.
The Davidic covenant within the Abrahamic
Les teaches that every covenant God made with Israel, including the Davidic covenant, is surrounded by and within the bounds of the Abrahamic covenant.
King and Redeemer
Les shows that the Abrahamic covenant promised not only a King and Kingdom but a Redeemer to solve the sin problem — a truth Israel often neglected.
Three basic premises
Les lays out the Abrahamic covenant's three basic premises: a nation, a land, and a government where God Himself reigns as King in the person of Messiah.
Blessing to all nations through Abraham's seed
Les connects the Abrahamic covenant to the promise that in Abraham's seed all nations would be blessed, and to Israel's role as the people entrusted with God's oracles.
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:
The foundational promise that Abraham's descendants would become a great nation.
Genesis 12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The promise that all families of the earth would be blessed in Abraham.
Exodus 2:24: And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
God acts on His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when Israel groans in Egypt.
Matthew 1:1: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
The New Testament opens by tying Jesus Christ to David and Abraham, the covenant line.
Genesis 22:18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Repeats the blessing to all nations in Abraham's seed.
Romans 3:2: Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Paul lists Israel's privileges, including the oracles of God, within the covenant context.
Les points to Genesis 12:2–3 as the Abrahamic covenant. In those verses God promises to make Abraham a great nation, bless him, and bless all families of the earth in him.
No. Les explains that the covenant is from God to man and is unbreakable and irrevocable, so it does not depend on what man does to remain valid.
Yes. Les teaches that the covenant promised that God Himself would one day become Israel's King in the person of the Messiah, who would also be their Redeemer.
Watch the Teaching: Why the New Testament Starts With Abraham — Matthew 1:1 Explained