The promise is significant because through Abraham's descendants God brings the Messiah, makes a covenant nation, and blesses all families of the earth.
Les Feldick teaches that through this one man, Abraham, comes the Messiah, the Redeemer of all mankind. The promise also has a twofold meaning: an earthly seed like the dust of the earth (the nation of Israel) and a spiritual/heavenly seed like the stars. This is why Israel remains central in God's dealings and why Satan attacks the nation.
Genesis 12:2-3 — This is the initial covenant promise: God will make Abraham a great nation and through him all families of the earth will be blessed.
Genesis 13:16 — God promises Abraham's seed will be like the dust of the earth, pointing to his great earthly offspring through Isaac and Jacob.
Genesis 15:5 — God shows Abraham the stars and repeats the promise of a seed, which Les teaches refers to a spiritual/heavenly people.
Galatians 3:16 — The New Testament identifies the promised seed as Christ, showing the ultimate fulfillment of the descendant promise.
God's promise to Abraham about his descendants begins in Genesis 12:2-3: "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." In Genesis 13:16 God enlarges the promise: "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." In Genesis 15:5 God says, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." Galatians 3:16 later explains that the singular "seed" spoken to Abraham is Christ: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." The Scripture thus connects the promise of descendants both to a great nation and to the coming Messiah.
Les Feldick emphasizes that the Abrahamic covenant is central to all of God's dealing with the human race because through this one man comes the Messiah, the Redeemer of all mankind. He teaches that God promised Abraham a unique nation, a geographical land, and ultimately that God Himself would come as King. Les also highlights the twofold nature of the seed promise: the dust of the earth in Genesis 13 points to the physical offspring of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob—the nation of Israel—while the stars in Genesis 15 point to a spiritual/heavenly people who are also part of Abraham's promises. He further notes that the seed ultimately refers to Christ, as Galatians 3:16 says, and that the covenant line runs through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, to Mary and Christ. Because Israel is the vehicle through which God's redemptive purposes come, Satan has continually attacked the little nation, yet Israel will not disappear until everything is fulfilled.
Les Feldick teaches that Genesis 13:16, where God says Abraham's seed will be like the dust of the earth, refers to Abraham's earthly offspring through Isaac and Jacob—the nation of Israel. In Genesis 15:5, God then points Abraham to the stars and says his seed will be like them, and Les explains that this refers to a spiritual relationship of people, a heavenly people who are also part of Abraham's promises. He has made the analogy that all the way since Genesis 1:1, God is dealing with both earth and heaven.
Les points to Galatians 3:16, where the Greek word for "seed" is singular and refers to Christ. The promise of descendants was not only about a nation; it was about the Messiah who would come through the covenant line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and eventually Mary. Through this one man, Abraham, comes God's flow of all spiritual blessing and the Redeemer of all mankind.
Les Feldick teaches that the reason Satan has constantly attacked the little nation of Israel is because through Abraham and the covenant God made with him comes the Messiah, the Redeemer of all mankind. Israel is the vehicle through which God is bringing about the whole plan of redemption to the human race. Yet Israel will not disappear until all of God's purposes for them are fulfilled.
God promised Abraham that out of him He would bring about a nation of people totally different from any other race and that He would put them in a geographical area of land. Les also notes that the covenant included God Himself coming in the person of the Messiah to be their King. The whole scope of the Old Testament was God making Israel a nation, giving them land, and one day ruling over them.
The Messiah and Satan's Attack on Israel
Les teaches that through Abraham and the covenant comes the Messiah, the Redeemer of all mankind, and explains why Satan constantly attacks Israel.
Seed as the Dust of the Earth
Les explains Genesis 13:16 — Abraham's seed like the dust of the earth refers to the great physical offspring through Isaac and Jacob, the nation of Israel.
Abraham as the Vehicle of Redemption
God promised Abraham a nation unlike any other, and that nation would be the vehicle through which God brings redemption to the whole human race.
Seed as the Stars of Heaven
In Genesis 15:5, the stars refer to a spiritual relationship of people — a heavenly people who are also part of Abraham's promises.
A Nation from Abraham's Loins
Abraham was promised a nation from his own loins that would survive and declare the name of the one God, with God Himself coming as Messiah and King.
Earth and Heaven in the Promise
Les connects the dust of the earth to God's earthly dealing and the stars to God's heavenly dealing, showing a twofold seed.
The Seed Is Christ
Les points to Galatians 3:16 that the singular seed is Christ, and traces the covenant line from Abraham to Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, to Mary and Christ.
Israel Will Not Disappear
Israel will not disappear until everything is fulfilled because God promised Abraham a nation that would bring the Redeemer and the King.
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 foundation of the Abrahamic covenant, promising a great nation from Abraham.
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 extends beyond Abraham to all families of the earth through his descendants.
Genesis 13:16: And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
This emphasizes the vast number of Abraham's physical descendants through the nation of Israel.
Genesis 15:5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
The stars point to a spiritual and heavenly dimension of Abraham's promised seed.
Galatians 3:16: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
This identifies the singular seed of the promise as Christ, showing the ultimate fulfillment.
The promise matters because through Abraham's descendants God brings the Messiah, the Redeemer of all mankind, and makes Israel the vehicle for His whole plan of redemption. The promise also includes both an earthly nation and a heavenly spiritual seed.
Les Feldick teaches that the dust represents Abraham's earthly offspring through Isaac and Jacob — the nation of Israel — which has produced tremendous numbers of people over more than 4,000 years.
The stars refer to a spiritual relationship of people — a heavenly people who are also part of Abraham's promises, in addition to the earthly nation of Israel.
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