The Abrahamic Covenant
God burst into the lives of an older, childless couple, Abram and Sarai, with words of strong determination: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you” (Gen. 12:2). This gracious promise was unconditional. God would multiply Abram’s descendants and give them the land of Canaan (13:14–17). He formalized His promise to Abram as a formal agreement between a superior king and an inferior servant (15:1–21). Finally, He swore by Himself that He would do it (22:15–18). His word was irrevocable.
Yet within His unconditional promises, God made demands. He commanded Abram and Sarai to leave their home and their extended family to go to a new land (12:1). He commanded them to be a blessing to others (12:2), to walk before Him and be blameless (17:1), and to circumcise the males in their household as a sign of the covenant (17:10). Although God’s promises were unconditional, Abram’s temporal participation in God’s blessing was conditioned on his faithfulness and his obedience to God’s commands. Abram withstood the test—he believed and obeyed (15:6; 22:1–18).
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