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BACKGROUND
COVENANT
COVENANT
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
DEFINITIONS OF COVENANTS
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| 4. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT |
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 Now we are coming to the period where history is starting to be recorded, at least in Egypt, round the start of the early Bronze Age.
Abraham was a nomad, who lived around about 2000BC. He and his family with their herds of sheep and goats moved round the area in which he was living at the time. (Finally Canaan, that is, Israel.)
From this time onwards we have a better understanding of Jewish history as history was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth for 300 years until the Israelites went into Egypt for 400 years where they developed a written language.
Genesis 17:1-27
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| 1. DEALING WITH |
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Birth of a Holy Nation.
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| 2. THE PROMISE |
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 Abraham was promised:
1. The land of Israel.
2. To be the father of the Jewish nation.
Genesis 12:1-3, 17:4
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| The Promise continually confirmed. |
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 Abraham migrated with his father Terah from Ur to Haran. After his father's death he was called by God to leave the area and family he was familiar with, to go to a new land where God would make of him a new and great nation that would eventually, as we experience today, bless the whole earth.
Abraham originally lived in Ur of the Chaldees (later known as Babylon) where the people were degenerate and idolatrous, worshipping, in particular, a moon god.
Joshua 24:2-3
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| a. The Promise of the LAND |
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 Most Christians look for a sudden, miraculous inheritance of the things of God. Be 'saved' and all will be well forever after, for you will have received all that God has to offer! This is far from the truth!
The land of Israel was not to be handed to the people on a plate. Possession of the 'land', both naturally and spiritually, then and now, was and is, by progressive revelation and deepening faith.
This progression can be seen here.
'I will show you' Revelation
Genesis 12:1
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'All the land that you see' Vision
'I will give to you' Encouragement
Genesis 13:15
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'Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land' Faith
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| b. The Promise of the SEED |
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Also has both natural and spiritual components.
The nation of Israel is Abraham's natural descendants.
John 8:31-39
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 Let's see this again in this progression of Scripture.
# 'I will make you into a great nation' (Genesis 12:2)
# 'I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth' (Genesis 13:16, 1 Corinthians 15:44-50)
# '“Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.' (Genesis 15:5-6)
Genesis 12:2, Genesis 13:16, 1 Corinthians 15:44-50, Genesis 15:5-6, Hebrews 11:8-16,
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# 'The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;' (Genesis 17:8, Daniel 7:21-2, Revelation 12:10)
Genesis 17:8, Daniel 7:21-2, Revelation 12:10,
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# 'The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.' (Galatians 3:16-18, Isaiah 53:10, Luke 3:8,)
Galatians 3:16-18, Isaiah 53:10, Luke 3:8, Romans 2:28-9, 9:6-8
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Abraham, in his humanness, could not see how this vision could be fulfilled. So, much like us, he first tried to produce it through Eliezer (Genesis 15:1-4), then Hagar (Genesis 16:1-4,15).
It is because of our human 'confidence in the flesh', that our promises, our visions, have to die before being resurrected by God, in His strength, in His timing!
Genesis 15:1-4, 16:1-4,15, Philippians 3:3-8
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT (Continued) |
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 We conclude our look at the covenant that God made with Abraham, a covenant that set the foundations for the relationship we have with our Maker even today.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 Abraham is known as the father of our faith. So the covenant that God made with him is obviously very important, not only for him, but for us too!
So let us not forget the history of God's working with His people, for we are of the spiritual root of Abraham.
Ancient Babylonia - Nebuchadnezzar I
There soon emerged a new line of rulers who had descended from Isin, who were known as the second dynasty of Isin. At this time Babylon became the capital again, and it was at Babylon that the most important members of this dynasty reigned. One of the great rulers in this time period who had become a legend in Babylonian tradition was Nebuchadnezzar I (1125-1104 BC). Many important literary texts come from this period. A successful war against Elam resulted in bringing back the divine image of Marduk from the Elamites who had carried it off at the fall of the Kassite dynasty. Marduk was once again installed in his temple in Babylon and for the first time publicly declared "King of all gods", even above the ancient god An of the Sumerians. Nebuchadnezzar did a great deal of building both in Babylon and other Babylonian cities. He protected the plain and made Babylonia prosperous.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
949. To better understand a country, you need an appreciation of its history. To better understand the New Testament you need an appreciation of the Old.
David Tait
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Check
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