The Abrahamic covenant is God's threefold promise to Abraham that out of him would come a great nation, placed in a specific land, with God Himself ruling as their King and Messiah.
God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees in Genesis 12 and made him a covenant that Les Feldick calls the most important thing in the Old Testament. It promised a nation of people (Israel), a geographical area of land, and a coming King who would also be their Redeemer and Savior. All the other covenants, Les says, are involved within these three promises.
Genesis 12:1-3 — This is the biblical record of the Abrahamic covenant itself — God's promises to make Abram a great nation, bless him, and bless all families of the earth through him.
Genesis 15:2 — Abram questions how he can become a nation while still childless, which sets up God's further confirmation of the covenant's nation promise.
Genesis 12 records God's call of Abram and the promises that form the Abrahamic covenant. The LORD told Abram, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Genesis 12:1). He then promised him: "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" (Genesis 12:2-3). In Genesis 15, the covenant promise of a nation is re-examined. Abram replies to the Lord, "what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" (Genesis 15:2). At this point Abram still has no son of his own, so the promise that a great nation would come from him rests entirely on God's word. Taken together, these passages show that the Abrahamic covenant in Scripture is founded on God's promise to make Abram a great nation, to bless him and make his name great, and to make him a channel of blessing to all families of the earth.
Les Feldick teaches that the Abrahamic covenant is the most important thing in the entire Old Testament. He points out that the first 11 chapters of Genesis cover the first 2,000 years of human history, and then in Genesis 12 — at 2,000 B.C. — God gave the Abrahamic covenant to bring about the nation of Israel. That nation, Les explains, was to be a nation that God would prepare and use. At its heart, Les says, the covenant was basically three promises, and within those three promises all the other covenants are involved. The first promise was that out of Abraham would come a nation of people, the nation of Israel. The second was that when that nation appeared, God would put them in their own geographical area of land — the Promised Land, which is today again the nation of Israel. The third was that people in a geographical area need a government, so God Himself would come and be their King and their Messiah, and of course also their Redeemer and their Savior. Les also stresses the purpose behind the covenant. The nation emerging from Abraham's own loins would, against all odds, survive and declare the name of the one God to the world. This is why, throughout the Old Testament, everything is written in the future tense: 'I will make of you a great nation, I will do this, and I will do that.' And it is why, Les insists, God is not through with Israel — despite the belief of most of Christendom — because Israel remains God's covenant people.
Les Feldick reminds his listeners that the Abrahamic covenant was basically three promises, and within those three promises all the other covenants are involved. The first promise was that out of Abraham would come a nation of people — the nation of Israel. The second was that when they became a nation, God would put them in their own geographical area of land, the Promised Land. The third was that people living in a geographical area have to have a government, so God Himself would come and be their King, their Messiah, their Redeemer, and their Savior. Les summarizes this as the whole concept of the Abrahamic covenant.
God's dealings with Abraham began, Les Feldick explains, when God spoke to Abram down in Ur of the Chaldees and gave him one command: leave Ur and your family, and go to a land that I will show you. By faith Abraham went. This is the beginning of God's dealing with the man out of whom would come the nation of Israel. The covenant given at that point — nothing more important in all the Old Testament — was the means by which God brought the nation of Israel on the scene, a nation God would prepare and use to declare the name of the one God to the world.
Les Feldick observes that throughout 90% of Christendom — including Roman Catholics as well as Protestants — the opinion is that God is all through with the nation of Israel. Because Israel rejected and crucified their Messiah, most church members see no connection between the little nation of Israel and God's purposes. Les, on the other hand, points to the Abrahamic covenant as the explanation for Israel's ongoing connection to God. Israel remains God's covenant people, and the covenant promises made to Abraham still stand.
The Abrahamic covenant is found in Genesis 12, where God first spoke to Abram while he was still in Ur of the Chaldees and commanded him to leave his country and his family for a land that God would show him. It is confirmed in Genesis 15, where God again establishes the promise of a nation and shows Abram the geographical area of land. Genesis 15:2 records Abram's own question, pointing up how human even this great man of faith was, as God promised him a nation.
Israel's Continuing Covenant Connection
Les Feldick counters the widespread belief that God is finished with Israel; the Abrahamic covenant shows Israel still has a place in God's purposes.
The Three Promises Defined
Les defines the Abrahamic covenant as three promises — a nation (Israel), a geographical land, and God Himself coming as their King, Messiah, Redeemer, and Savior.
The Most Important Old Testament Covenant
Les says nothing in the Old Testament is more important than the covenant God made with Abram at 2,000 B.C., the moment the nation of Israel was brought on the scene.
The Scope of the Whole Old Testament
Les explains the Abrahamic covenant as the whole scope of the Old Testament — a nation from Abraham's loins, a land, and a coming Messiah who would be King.
Why All Three Parts Are Necessary
Les shows the internal logic of the covenant: a nation needs land, and people in a land need government, so all three covenant promises are necessary and interconnected.
Covenant Review: Nation, Land, King
Les reviews the whole concept of the Abrahamic covenant: a unique race of people, a geographical land shown in Genesis 15, and the Messiah coming in the flesh as King.
The Call of Abram
Les describes God's one command to Abram in Ur — leave your country and family for a land I will show you — as the beginning of the nation of Israel.
The Nation Promise in Genesis 15
Les uses Genesis 15 to establish that God promised Abraham a nation, showing that even this great man of faith was human as the promise was confirmed.
Genesis 12:1-3: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 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.
The foundational Abrahamic covenant passage — God's call of Abram and His promises of a great nation, a land, and worldwide blessing.
Genesis 15:2: And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Abram's question about being childless, which leads to God's further confirmation of the covenant's nation promise.
Les Feldick teaches that the Abrahamic covenant was basically three promises. God promised Abraham that out of him would come a nation of people — the nation of Israel. Second, God promised to place that nation in a specific geographical area of land, the Promised Land. Third, God promised that He Himself would come and be their King, their Messiah, their Redeemer, and their Savior.
The Abrahamic covenant is recorded in Genesis 12, where God first spoke to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees and commanded him to leave his country and his family for a land God would show him. The promises are confirmed and enlarged in Genesis 15, where God reiterates the promise of a nation and shows Abram the land. Les Feldick describes Genesis 12 as the beginning of God's dealings with the man out of whom would come the nation of Israel.
Les Feldick says there is nothing more important in all the Old Testament than the covenant God made with Abram at 2,000 B.C. It explains why the nation of Israel exists, why the Jewish people have a land, and why God will one day come as their King and Messiah. Within its three promises, Les says, all the other covenants are involved.
According to Les Feldick, no. He observes that most of Christendom believes God is all through with Israel because they rejected their Messiah, but the Abrahamic covenant shows otherwise. Israel remains God's covenant people, and the covenant explains the nation's continuing connection to God's purposes.
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