The Abrahamic covenant is God's foundational three-part promise to Abraham: a great nation, a land, and God Himself as King and Redeemer.
Les Feldick teaches that in Genesis 12 God promised Abraham that out of him would come the nation of Israel, that this nation would be placed in a geographical area of land, and that God would one day come in the person of the Messiah to be their King and Redeemer. This covenant is the whole scope of the Old Testament and the vehicle through which God brings His plan of redemption to the human race.
Genesis 12:1-3 — This is the passage Les Feldick identifies as the Abrahamic covenant; it contains the promises of a nation, a land, and worldwide blessing through Abraham.
In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abram out of his country and from his kindred to a land He will show him. God promises, "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 covenant also includes a land: "unto a land that I will shew thee." It further declares that "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." These are the covenant promises recorded at the beginning of Abraham's story.
Les Feldick teaches that the Abrahamic covenant is essentially three promises. First, 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 geographical area of land, the promised land. Third, God promised that one day He Himself would come in the person of the Messiah to be their King, their government, and also their Redeemer and Savior. Les explains that this covenant originates and ends in God; even though it is made with man, it never becomes invalid, broken, or rescinded. He describes the Abrahamic covenant as the whole scope of the Old Testament — Israel was to be the vehicle through which God would communicate and bring about the whole plan of redemption for the human race. Because of this covenant, when the New Testament opens, Jesus is referred to as the King of Israel, not as a frivolous title but as part and parcel of the Abrahamic covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. In these verses God calls Abram out of his country, kindred, and father's house to a land He will show him. God then promises, "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 covenant also declares that "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Les Feldick repeatedly explains that the Abrahamic covenant is basically three promises. The first promise is that out of Abraham would come a nation of people — the nation of Israel. The second is that God would place that nation in a geographical area of land, the promised land. The third is that over that people dwelling in their own land, God would provide a government — not merely human kings, but one day God Himself would become their King in the person of the Messiah, the Christ, who would also be their Redeemer and Savior.
According to Les Feldick, a covenant by definition is an agreement that originates and ends in God. Even though it is made with man, in this case with Abraham, and falls to the nation of Israel, since it originates and ends with God, regardless of what man does, a covenant never becomes invalid. It is never broken. It is never rescinded.
Les Feldick explains that God promised Abraham that out of him He would bring a nation of people totally different from any other race on earth, and they would be the vehicle through which God would communicate and bring about the whole plan of redemption to the whole human race through Israel. The covenant also required a solution to the sin problem: the coming King would also have to be the Redeemer. Les notes that alongside the prophecies of a King and Kingdom, the Old Testament also carries the parallel line of a suffering Savior.
Les Feldick says the Abrahamic covenant was the whole scope of the Old Testament. God brought the nation of Israel on the scene and gave them the covenant; most of the Old Testament is written in the future tense, with God saying, "I will make of you a great nation, I will do this, and I will do that." The purpose was that a nation emerging from Abraham's loins would survive and declare the name of the one God to the world.
The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?
now for 35 years, but inside, what is he? He's a Hebrew. He's an Israelite. And so they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock. Well, and then you know what happened. Verse 21, Moses was content to dwell with a man, and he in turn gives Moses one of his daughters to wife.
Israel as the Vehicle of Redemption
Les defines the Abrahamic covenant as God's threefold promise to Abraham — a nation, a land, and God as King — and explains that Israel was to be the vehicle through which God would bring redemption to the whole human race.
Three Promises and a Redeemer
Les identifies the three promises of the Abrahamic covenant and emphasizes that the promised King would also be Israel's Messiah, Redeemer, and Savior.
King and Suffering Savior
Les shows that the Abrahamic covenant included both the coming King and Kingdom and the coming suffering Savior, but Israel in Jesus' day wanted the King without dealing with the sin problem.
Necessary Components: Nation, Land, Government
Les reasons that a nation needs land and a people in that land need government, which is why the covenant includes these three components.
A Covenant That Cannot Be Broken
Les teaches that because the Abrahamic covenant originates and ends in God, it can never become invalid, broken, or rescinded, regardless of what man does.
The Scope of the Old Testament
Les explains that the Abrahamic covenant was the whole scope of the Old Testament, with most promises written in the future tense, and that Abraham's descendants would survive to declare the one true God to the world.
The Messiah as King
Les ties the third covenant promise directly to Jesus, showing that God would one day become Israel's King in the person of the Messiah, which is why Matthew calls Him the King of Israel.
Genesis 12:1: 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:
God's call and promise of land begins the covenant Les identifies as the Abrahamic covenant.
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 first major promise of the covenant — that Abraham 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.
This promise points to the worldwide redemptive purpose that Les says would come through Israel.
In the Abrahamic covenant God promised Abraham three things: a great nation of people, a geographical area of land, and a government provided by God Himself in the person of the Messiah, who would be their King and Redeemer.
Les Feldick teaches that the covenant originates and ends in God, so even though it is made with man, it never becomes invalid, broken, or rescinded.
Because the Messiah as King is part of the Abrahamic covenant. God promised that one day He Himself would become their King in the person of the Messiah, the Christ; therefore the title King of Israel is part and parcel of the Abrahamic covenant.
Les points out that the Abrahamic covenant's promised King also had to be the Redeemer and Savior, because there had to be a solution to the sin problem. The Old Testament carries parallel lines of prophecy: a coming King and Kingdom, and a coming suffering Savior.
Watch the Teaching: The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?