Gods Covenant With Abraham

GODS COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

The unsolvable problem: this is what exists in the Middle East since Israel’s rebirth. You may wonder what is meant by this statement. It is referring to the intense hatred of the Arabs toward the Jews. The Arabs claim the land that Israel now occupies is theirs. They believe that God promised it to them through Abraham. The Jews also claim this land. They believe that God promised them the land they now have, plus more, through Abraham. As long as the Jews control this land, there will be wars and unrest until one side is destroyed. Let us look at God’s Word to see how this unsolvable problem came about.

AND TERAH TOOK ABRAM HIS SON, AND LOT THE SON OF HARAN HIS SON’S SON, AND SARAI HIS DAUGHTER IN LAW, HIS SON ABRAM’S WIFE; AND THEY WENT FORTH WITH THEM FROM UR OF THE CHALDEES, TO GO INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN; AND THEY CAME UNTO HARAN, AND DWELT THERE. AND THE DAYS OF TERAH WERE TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE YEARS: AND TERAH DIED IN HARAN-Gen 11:31,32.

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 SHOW 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 THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED-Gen 12:1-3. AND ABRAM PASSED THROUGH THE LAND...AND THE LORD APPEARED UNTO ABRAM, AND SAID, UNTO THY SEED WILL I GIVE THIS LAND-Gen 12:6,7. NOW SARAI ABRAM’S WIFE BARE HIM NO CHILDREN: AND SHE HAD AN HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN, WHOSE NAME WAS HAGAR. AND SARAI SAID UNTO ABRAM, BEHOLD NOW, THE LORD HATH RESTRAINED ME FROM BEARING: I PRAY THEE, GO IN UNTO MY MAID; IT MAY BE THAT I MAY OBTAIN CHILDREN BY HER-Gen 16:1,2. AND HE WENT IN UNTO HAGAR, AND SHE CONCEIVED: AND WHEN SHE SAW THAT SHE HAD CONCEIVED, HER MISTRESS (Sarai) WAS DESPISED IN HER (Hagar’s) EYES-Gen 16:4. But from that day, there was friction between the handmaid, Hagar, and Sarai, Abram’s wife. AND SARAI SAID UNTO ABRAM, MY WRONG BE UPON THEE: I HAVE GIVEN MY MAID INTO THY BOSOM; AND WHEN SHE SAW THAT SHE HAD CONCEIVED, I WAS DESPISED IN HER EYES-Gen 16:5. THEN SARAI MISTREATED HAGAR-Gen 16:6 NIV. AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO HER (Hagar), I WILL MULTIPLY THY SEED EXCEEDINGLY...THOU ART WITH CHILD, AND SHALT BEAR A SON, AND SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISHMAEL...AND HE WILL BE A WILD MAN-Gen 16:10-12. HE WILL BE A WILD DONKEY OF A MAN; HIS HAND WILL BE AGAINST EVERYONE AND EVERYONE’S HAND AGAINST HIM, AND HE WILL LIVE IN HOSTILITY TOWARD ALL HIS BROTHERS-Gen 16:12 NIV.

AND HAGAR BARE ABRAM A SON: AND ABRAM CALLED HIS SON’S NAME, WHICH HAGAR BARE, ISHMAEL. AND ABRAM WAS FOURSCORE AND SIX YEARS OLD (86 years old), WHEN HAGAR BARE ISHMAEL TO ABRAM-Gen 16:15,16. Ishmael became the father of many of the Arabs. Because Ishmael was the firstborn of Abram, the Arabs claim that the land promised to Abraham (the land of Israel) belongs to them. Nothing can change this.

AND WHEN ABRAM WAS NINETY YEARS OLD AND NINE (99), THE LORD APPEARED TO ABRAM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, I AM THE ALMIGHTY GOD; WALK BEFORE ME, AND BE THOU PERFECT-Gen 17:1. NEITHER SHALL THY NAME ANY MORE BE CALLED ABRAM, BUT THY NAME SHALL BE ABRAHAM; FOR A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE THEE-Gen 17:5. AS FOR SARAI THY WIFE, THOU SHALT NOT CALL HER NAME SARAI, BUT SARAH SHALL HER NAME BE. AND I WILL BLESS HER, AND GIVE THEE A SON ALSO OF HER...AND SHE SHALL BE A MOTHER OF NATIONS; KINGS OF PEOPLE SHALL BE OF HER. THEN ABRAHAM FELL UPON HIS FACE, AND LAUGHED, AND SAID IN HIS HEART, SHALL A CHILD BE BORN UNTO HIM THAT IS AN HUNDRED YEARS OLD? AND SHALL SARAH, THAT IS NINETY YEARS OLD, BEAR? AND GOD SAID, SARAH THY WIFE SHALL BEAR THEE A SON INDEED; AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISAAC: AND I WILL ESTABLISH MY COVENANT WITH HIM FOR AN EVERLASTING COVENANT, AND WITH HIS SEED AFTER HIM. AND AS FOR ISHMAEL, I HAVE HEARD THEE: BEHOLD, I HAVE BLESSED HIM, AND WILL MAKE HIM FRUITFUL, AND WILL MULTIPLY HIM EXCEEDINGLY; TWELVE PRINCES SHALL HE BEGAT, AND I WILL MAKE HIM A GREAT NATION. BUT MY COVENANT WILL I ESTABLISH WITH ISAAC-Gen 17:15-17,19-21.FOR SARAH CONCEIVED, AND BARE ABRAHAM A SON IN HIS OLD AGE...AND ABRAHAM CALLED THE NAME OF HIS SON THAT WAS BORN UNTO HIM, WHOM SARAH BARE TO HIM, ISAAC. AND SARAH SAW THE SON OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN, WHICH SHE HAD BORN UNTO ABRAHAM, MOCKING. WHEREFORE SHE (Sarah) SAID UNTO ABRAHAM, CAST OUT THIS BONDWOMAN AND HER SON: FOR THE SON OF THIS BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE HEIR WITH MY SON, EVEN WITH ISAAC-Gen 21:2,3,9,10. AND GOD SAID UNTO ABRAHAM...HEARKEN UNTO HER VOICE (Sarah’s); FOR IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED-Gen 21:12. ABRAHAM...SENT HER (Hagar) OFF WITH THE BOY-Gen 21:14 NIV. Abraham gave her some food and water. Thus, an unsolvable problem came into being. The Arabs claim, because Ishmael was the firstborn of Abram, the Promised Land is theirs. The Jews believe that the Promised Land is theirs, as God’s covenant was not with Ishmael but with Isaac.