The Abrahamic Covenant
The Covenant again Confirmed
Any biography of Abraham will demonstrate the importance of the event recorded in Genesis chapter 22, known as the ‘Akedah’ or ‘binding’. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, on an altar on Mount Moriah. This he was prepared to do, but was finally restrained by a word from the Lord. Instead, he offered a ram, which was providentially available, as a substitute for Isaac. This sacrifice of an animal in place of the firstborn son will take on much larger proportions in Exodus at the redemption of the nation.
A second word from the Lord at this time, given as a result of the ‘Akedah’, reiterated the former covenant promises. “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Gen. 22:16-18)
To confirm the immutability of this covenant, the Lord re-established it with an oath, and because He could swear by no greater, He used His own Name to support the vow. While this is the only time He used an oath with the Patriarchs, they often returned to this confirming of the covenant, to find encouragement and strength. Indeed the Lord Himself returned to this encounter to encourage them. As an example of the first, when Abraham needed to find a wife for Isaac for the progeny to continue, it is this episode he remembers when commissioning his senior steward to search for a suitable bride. In respect of the second, the Lord referred to it when requiring Isaac to stay clear of Egypt, despite a famine in the land, and when He gave instructions to Moses at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Joseph referred to it when making provision for his remains to be taken to Canaan. Indeed, David expanded this oath to support the Davidic Covenant.
Summary So Far
In Genesis chapter twelve, God elected a man, Abram, and called him out of the Babylonian city of Ur, separating him from idolatry and rebellious influences. God promised personal, national and international blessing. The blessing was to be in several areas: (i) his posterity was to be a great nation, (ii) they would be the catalyst for blessing, and (iii) they would possess a particular geographic area, a land.
Further affirmations of the covenant
Isaac and the Covenant
The Lord had clearly indicated that the fulfillment of the covenant was to be through Isaac, although Abraham had other sons (six with Keturah, as well as Hagar’s son Ishmael). Therefore, it was appropriate that Isaac should be assured of the performance of the promise. The occasion was another famine in Canaan. God appeared to Isaac to instruct him not to make the same mistake as his father, and go down to Egypt, but rather stay in the Promised Land. “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 26:4) Isaac stayed and enjoyed immediate blessing. His flocks and herds increased substantially and he enlarged the number of servants in his household to cope with the extra work that the increased wealth generated. He became the envy of the inhabitants of the land. This jealousy led to conflict, but God revisited him and assured him of His protection, while reminding him of the covenant. “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” (Gen. 26:24) This was at Beersheba, a location where Abraham had previously stayed; and the location that Jacob would inhabit after him.
The covenant was to continue through the generations, but Isaac had two sons, twins, Esau and Jacob. Through which of these should it persist? Rebecca’s confinement was difficult - the twins struggled in her womb. The distress caused her to cry, “Why am I like this”. (Gen.25.22) In response to her enquiry the Lord made her aware of a continuing struggle between the posterity of the two boys, when the younger would obtain precedence over the elder. The younger was, of course, Jacob who grasped the heel of his brother, an accident of birth that provided his name. The disposition of the developing children was in sharp contrast in that Esau was an outdoor man, a hunter, whereas Jacob found pleasure in the activities of the home. In consequence, Esau was the favorite of Isaac while Jacob was the favorite of Rebecca. As they grew, so the contrast became more evident, and an incident is recorded that delineates the unmistakable difference between them. Esau, returning from the hunt and famished, called for some of the food that Jacob was cooking. The younger twin, taking an opportunity to best his brother, required an exorbitant price for the meal – the firstborn’s birthright. This included not only the double portion of the inheritance, but also, because of their position in the ancestral line, the position of tribal chief, which in turn, incorporated the rule over the whole of the family, not just his own children. Jacob certainly knew the birthright was important, but whether he knew its full value is uncertain. That it would extend to the blessing incorporated in the covenant, and the future possession of Canaan, became clearer later. What was clear – Esau was not a spiritual man, (the writer to Hebrew Christians labeled him a ‘profane’ person) and thought he was getting the best of Jacob, inasmuch as the payment was simply a promise – and, in his view, a promise of little value at that!
In the course of time, Isaac, with diminishing sight and reducing natural vigor, decided it was time to bless his sons. Even if he knew of the prophetic word given to Rebekah indicating that the elder would serve the younger, he did not consider it should influence his action in giving Esau the blessing of the firstborn. After all, Esau is not only his firstborn but also his pride and joy. But Rebekah would not see Jacob overlooked at this time and with a mixture of domestic skill and deception, obtained for Jacob the premier blessing. Isaac, in the elevated state of mind of the inspired poet said:
“Surely, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
Thus, the sovereign purposes of God, pronounced in the Abrahamic covenant, came to the fore in the blessing of Jacob by Isaac. While Isaac is unable to rise to the heights of the original covenant, as seen by his use of Elohim as the name of God in blessing, nevertheless many of the ingredients of the covenant are presented here. The land that he was to occupy would be a land blessed by the Lord, a land of plenty. And his language clearly rose to include Jacob’s posterity who would be the touchstone for blessing for all nations. Those that blessed Jacob and his issue would themselves be blessed, and those that cursed him and his issue would themselves be cursed. In such an unpromising family situation did the promise of blessing pass to Abraham’s grandson Jacob.
