This Article: (24 Pages)
- 1. Promised Jewels
- 2. The promise to Eve regarding the... Seed & the Serpent
- 3. Promise to Noah
- 4. Promises to Abraham
- 5. Promise to Hagar
- 6. Promise to Isaac
- 7. Promises to Jacob
- 8. Conditional promises to Israel... through Moses
- 9. A Promise to Moses Personally
- 10. National Promises through Moses... confirmed
- 11. Promise to Phinehas
- 12. Promise to Caleb
- 13. Promises to King David (~960BC)
- 14. Promise to Daniel (Ruler in... Babylon 600-540BC)
- 15. Promise to Jeremiah (prophet in... Jerusalem 630-580BC)
- 16. Promise to Ezekiel (prophet in... exile 590-560BC)
- 17. Promise to the Sons of Rechab
- 18. Modern Jewish understanding of... the promises
- 19. The New Testament Promises
- 20. The Promise to Mary
- 21. Promises to the Apostles
- 22. The promises to the... Congregations
- 23. The concrete nature of the promises
- 24. How we can inherit
4) Promises to Abraham
It is not long after Noah's promise that the next promise is made. Shem the son of Noah, who stood with Noah while that promise was made, is still alive when Abram (Abraham) is given a promise, when he is told to leave his native land to go to Canaan (now Israel).
And Yahweh appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your seed will I give this land: Genesis 12: 7
This was extremely remarkable as Abraham had no son and there is emphasis on the seed. If this is the seed that is to crush the Serpent’s head, this seed is to be given ‘this land’, then known as Canaan. Again
Look from the place where you are...For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever. Genesis 13:14-15
This is a personal promise to Abram that he would be given the land he sees and walks in forever. His seed would also be given the same land, forever. He is also told this seed would be a multitude, something that could only occur long after he is dead. This is further dealt with in “The man Promised the Earth”. One promise we will note again,
By myself have I sworn, said Yahweh, for because you..have not withheld your son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:16-18
What is significant, is that Abraham just acted out the method of the blessing. He had just offered his son as a sacrifice (for which the ram became a proxy). We note also, that even though Ishmael is alive and is a son of Abraham, Isaac was the 'only son', the one son of promise. Isaac is the 'seed' from which would come 'the seed' promised to Eve. This seed is Jesus who was offered by his Father as a sacrifice. How do we know this? The seed will also possess 'the gate' of his enemies. To possess the gate is to conquer and to defeat. We are also told this by the apostle Paul,
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
This particular promise is according to the word sworn by Yahweh Himself. But when has a descendant of Abraham conquered his enemies? And when have all nations on the earth been blessed?
The 'seed' of Abraham is the same as the 'seed' of the woman. The seed will take complete control, which is possession of 'the gate', when Abraham's seed is multiplied. And this will occur at some time in the future when Abraham and his multitudinous seed receive the land.
Significant People & their relationships
To put this in perspective, we look at the promise made to Hagar.
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