Abraham and the Covenant Blessing

In our series "The Unfolding Gospel," we're examining how Christ is anticipated throughout the Old Testament. Today we focus on Abraham and the covenant blessing from Genesis 12:1-3 and 15:1-21.

We all live by faith in something, whether we realize it or not. Even atheists exercise faith in their belief that God doesn't exist. The crucial question isn't whether we have faith, but whether our faith is effective and well-placed.

In Genesis 1-11, we've seen the goodness of creation followed by troubling events: the fall into sin, the flood, and the Tower of Babel. These chapters show how sin brings curses and judgments upon those who define good apart from God and His word. But hope comes through God's direct and merciful intervention.

With Abraham, God begins to act in a new way. In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to leave his country, family, and father's house for an unknown destination—a shocking test of faith. Unlike those who failed to trust God in earlier chapters, Abraham trusted God and left everything for the unknown. Hebrews 11:8-10 reveals that Abraham was looking forward to "the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." True faith must look beyond what we can see in this world.

God promises Abraham three things: to make him a great nation with many descendants, to make his name great, and to bless all families of the earth through him. This marks a change from the curses of earlier chapters to blessing, mentioned five times in just three verses. God's plan progresses through Abraham and his offspring to bring salvation to the world.

In Genesis 15, Abraham faces a problem: despite God's promise of many descendants, he remains childless at 75 years-old. God's solution begins with relationship: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward." Even if Abraham's specific problem is never solved, he still possesses the greatest blessing—relationship with God.

God affirms His promise, saying Abraham's offspring will be as numerous as the stars. Genesis 15:6 establishes the pattern for how we should respond to God: "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." Faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). It's not just belief but trust that leads to action.

God establishes a unilateral covenant with Abraham—only God passes between the animal pieces, not Abraham. This demonstrates God's mercy, knowing humans will inevitably fail. The biblical religion starts inwardly with authentic trust in God that then flows outward, unlike human religion that focuses on outward rituals to appease God.

This passage points to Christ, the particular offspring of Abraham who imparts God's blessings. Luke 1:72-73 and Galatians 3:16 identify Jesus as the fulfillment of this covenant. Through faith in Christ, we become Abraham's spiritual offspring and heirs of the promise (Galatians 3:29).

We must avoid misplaced faith—trusting that worldly things will bring us life and joy. When we trust in success, possessions, relationships, or our own control to give us what only God can provide, we end up discouraged and frustrated. True joy comes from trusting in God and the One He has sent. This well-founded trust brings life, joy, and eternal hope.

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