A Study Of
The Partnership
Between Abraham And
God
By Austin Winston
Understanding
Abraham’s
relationship and
covenant partnership
with God is
essential in knowing
the different ways
in which God calls
and blesses His
people. As we will
see, the election of
the people of
Israel
reveals much about
the Lord and sets
the line of
descendants through
which our Savior
eventually came. In
this paper I will
attempt to explain
the conditions of
Abraham’s departure
from his present
place and his
promise of a
blessing, the terms
God defines for
their relationship,
the inheritance of Israel’s chosen
land, and God’s
testing of Abraham.
Before God’s people
could eventually
make it to their
promise land, they
must logically leave
their current home
first. As God is
both wise and
logical, the first
instructions we see
from God to Abram
were to do just
that. In Gen. 12:1,
God requires Abram
to uproot his entire
family, leaving his
relatives and family
behind. While this
must have been a
terrifying prospect,
leaving everything
you had known
behind, God assured
them that he indeed
had a land to show
them. The purpose of
this call was
specifically
election. In His
infinite grace, God
had chosen Abram and
required him to cut
his ties from his
past life in order
to be bound and
reliant to the Lord
and his resources.
Only through these
resources, and
Abraham’s obedience,
could an effective
partnership be
formed. We see many
promises within
God’s conversation
with Abram. One of
the most profound
promises, and
possible farthest
reaching, is God
declaring, “I will
make you a great
nation” (Gen 12:2).
What an incredible
promise! A nomadic
herder, living in
the desert, would
grow and thrive to
become a great
nation. I can only
imagine Abram’s
response to such an
astounding promise.
With this
proclamation, God
also promises his
resources and
protection saying,
“I will bless those
who bless you, and
the one who curses
you I will curse”
(Gen 12:3).
Interestingly, God
closes his promise
with, “And in you
all the families of
the earth shall be
blessed” (Gen 12:3).
Many interpret this
to be a foretelling
of Christ’s
sacrifice and
consequently the
blessing of eternal
life. Unfortunately,
following God’s
decree, it doesn’t
take long for Abram
to slip up. Instead
of leaving his
relatives behind as
God commanded, he
brought along his
father and Lot. He also stopped in Haran for an unspecified time on the way. As
all actions have
consequences, God
punishes Abram by
delaying the
possession of the
promised-land. The
Lord states, “To
your descendants I
will give this land”
(Gen 12:7). Thus,
Israel
would not possess
their land for some
time.
It is fascinating to
see how God
continues to work
through Abram. As
Abram matures, God
further defines the
terms of the
relationship between
them. The Lord knows
that Abram seems to
lack faith in
bearing an heir and
commands him to not
fear. God also
declares that he
will be a shield to
Abram and that his
reward will, “be
very great”, adding
to his previous
covenant he had
established (15:1).
Abram still
lacks faith that God
will uphold the end
of the bargain; he
is heirless and old.
He even goes to
suggest that a slave
born under his house
could be his heir.
God however has
different plans and
reassures Abram that
he would indeed have
an heir “who shall
come forth from your
own body” (Gen
15:4). In an example
of God’s great
patience for Abram
as he matures, He
leads him outside
and says, “Look
toward the heavens
and count the stars
if you are able… so
shall your
descendants be” (Gen
12:5). This closely
parallels one of
God’s other
proclamations, “I
will make your
descendants as the
dust of the earth;
so that if anyone
can number the dust
of the earth, then
your descendants can
also be numbered”
(Gen 13:6). Abram
does not have a
response that would
be typical of one
who is asked
something from God.
In fact, he really
doesn’t have to do
anything. His
passive response is
a sign of faith in
God and proof that
nothing is required
of him other than
realizing God choose
him by grace.
Finally, Abram
learns that faith is
a conviction that
God will uphold His
promise and declares
His righteousness.
One could say that
the Lord is
discipling Abram to
a more mature faith.
As this faith
increases, God
entrusts him with
more revelation of
His coming plans for
His people. The Lord
appears to Abram
within a deep sleep
and says, “Know for
certain that your
descendants will be
strangers in a land
that is not theirs,
where they will be
enslaved and
oppressed four
hundred years” (Gen
15:13)
As we take a look at
the Abrahamic
covenant, it is
essential we define
exactly what the
conditions of the
agreement are. While
it is debated on who
the covenant
actually applies to,
it is much easier to
define what the
terms specified by
God are. To put it
simply, this
covenant is a
one-way,
unconditional
promise. In ancient
times the formal
terms of a
partnership were
expressed in a
promising covenant.
The ceremony in
which this was
solidified is not
only interesting,
but also very
different from the
pen and paper
contracts of today.
When Abram asked God
how he will know if
he shall possess the
land he is promised,
the Lord asks him to
bring “a heifer
three years old, a
ram three years old,
a turtledove, and a
pigeon” (Gen 15:9).
When the animals are
gathered, Abram “cut
them in half, and
laid each half over
against the other”
(Gen 15:10). After
the ceremony was set
up, a “deep sleep”
fell over Abram.
Part of this ancient
tradition consisted
of the two people
entering into a
partnership walking
between the severed
carcasses, thus
finalizing the deal.
In Abram’s case, a
“smoking fire pot
and a flaming torch”
took the place of
Abram and God
walking through the
sacrificed animals.
This was
specifically
symbolic of the fact
that God was taking
on the entire burden
of the partnership,
with nothing
required of Abram.
God even assured
that Abram could
have no
participation in the
ceremony by putting
him into the deep
sleep. Also of note
is the fact that the
smoking pot and the
torch parallel that
of the cloud and
pillar of fire that
would guide the
nation of Israel in Exodus
and Deuteronomy.
Since God assumed
all of the
responsibility, and
he is infallible,
nothing could ruin
his promise. After
the ceremony was
completed, God spoke
to Abram and said,
“To your offspring I
give this land…”
(Gen 15:19). Nothing
is spoken of
conditions of the
partnership, only
that it would be
done.
Finally we come down
to the task of
analyzing the
testing of Abraham
by God. There are
many stories of
incredible acts of
faith within the
Bible, but this
surely is one of the
most moving. Now
that Abraham finally
has his heir he has
so fervently
desired, God puts
him to the ultimate
test. The Lord
called out to
Abraham and said,
“Take your son, your
only son Isaac, whom
you love, and go to
the land of Moriah,
and offer him there
as a burnt offering”
(Gen 22:2). The
events that follow
show Abraham’s
fierce faith in the
Lord’s provision. He
packs his bags,
brings two servants
and his son, and
leaves to the
mountain that God
instructed. When he
arrived at the
appointed place, he
leaves his servants
behind and leads his
son up to the
mountain and
prepares the
sacrificial altar.
Isaac then asks his
father what they
would use for the
sacrifice, to which
he replies, “God
will provide for
himself the lamb for
a burnt offering, my
son” (Gen 22:8). One
can only imagine the
emotions going
through Abraham. As
the time came for
the sacrifice to be
offered, he placed
his son on the altar
and raised a knife
to slaughter his
son. At that exact
moment, the Lord
called down, “Do not
lay your hand on the
boy or do anything
to him, for now I
know that you fear
God, seeing you have
not withheld your
son, your only son,
from me” (Gen
22:12).
Abraham then
saw a ram caught in
a bush nearby and
sacrificed it in
Isaac’s place. This
was truly a
contribution to the
covenant of God
providing everything
that would be needed
to ensure that his
descendants were as
innumerable as the
stars. I find it to
absolutely be a part
of the fulfillment
of the covenant,
without Isaac, there
would have been no
heir to continue the
nation of
Israel.
There are several
points that are
important to
summarize when
wrapping up the
study of the
covenantal
partnership between
Abraham and God.
First, we see that
God has chosen
Abraham by grace,
and not of Abraham’s
own merit. Abraham
was flawed just like
any other man, and
prone to disobeying
God. This is proven
when he brings his
father and Lot on the journey God set him on. We see that God has
blessed Abraham with
descendants as
numerous as the sand
on the beaches and a
land for his
offspring to settle
in. This is a
repeated theme
throughout the book
of Genesis, that his
offspring would be
innumerable and
great. Through the
nation of
Israel,
all the peoples of
the earth will be
blessed. Christ
himself, humanities
greatest blessing,
came through the
long lineage of the
nation of Israel. We also
see that the
partnership and
covenant is unique.
This promise is
unconditional and
unilateral,
evidenced by nothing
being required of
Abraham and the
contractual and
sacrificial binding
ceremony only being
participated in by
God. Finally, we see
that God is already
providing for his
promise by giving
Abraham a ram to
sacrifice in place
of his son in the land of Moriah.
This not only proves
that God is good,
but that He requires
absolute obedience
and faith in Him.
This study has given
me a much greater
knowledge of the
amazing partnership
between Abraham and
God. Through it I
have learned not
only God’s
incredible
provisions, but also
the fact that a
promise made is a
promise kept. As God
never changes, we
too can be assured
that any promise He
has made to us will
hold the same weight
that it did to
Abraham.
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