The Gospel Through Abraham

Introduction

Last week we talked about the first introduction of the gospel story to humanity which took place immediately after the fall.

We talked about how paradise was lost as a result of sin but then God in an act of absolute grace promises a Savior that will crush the adversary, the deceiver. This all took place by examining the first 15 verses of Genesis 3.

We will now fast forward 9-10 chapters which in real time equates to about 2000 years after the introduction of sin and the promise of a Savior.

Today we will discuss how the promise made to Abraham directly points to the cross of Jesus Christ

Abraham is considered the founding father of the Jewish faith and of Christianity

Romans 4:11–12 (NASB95)

and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

Paul writes extensively about the faith of Abram. Abraham believes God and by doing so he sets the example for all who believe. (pray)

Setting the Stage

God first appears to Abram in Genesis the 12th chapter.

Genesis 12:1–3 (NASB95)

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Yahweh = the God of Salvation, directs His attention to the seed promised (last week) which is being carried through Abram. I will make you a great nation. This has to do with Abrams seed, which is the seed of the woman.

This is why it says that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” All the families is in reference to all of the people groups of the earth. Paul Identifies this statement as a pre-presentation of the gospel to Abraham

Galatians 3:8 (NASB95)

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

But this blessing is contingent on Abram, who at this point is childless, having a son.

Decades past with no son in sight by the time we reach our primary text which is in chapter 15.

Abraham is still without a child and seems to be (understandably) doubting God’s promise.

Genesis 15:1–3 (NASB95)

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”

The after these things refers to Abram’s daring rescue of Lot, the blessing from Melchizedek. The Lord is about make a formal covenant with Abram but before He does so He reassures Him of his divine protection this is what he means by saying the He is his shield. A word often used in the psalms.

A shield is a broad piece of metal used as protection against blows, arrows, missiles.

Abram just about dismisses God’s assurances because they would mean nothing without an heir.

Abram does not just state the obvious problem but provides God with a solution.

The word translated as offspring, children comes from the Hebrew word zera which literally means seed.

Genesis 15:4–6 (NASB95)

Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

God flat out rejects Abram’s proposal with some level of contempt for even suggesting it. God did not even bother to use the man’s name to show His utter rejection

God did not need Abram’s help in order to do what He had proposed in Himself to do. Abram and his wife had the bad habit of wanting to be helpful to God…

To Abram the adoption of Eliezer of Damascus, his faithful servant would be a solution to God’s stalled promise. And this was a well known Mesopotamian custom in the absence of a natural heir.

And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Belief has always been equivalent to righteousness. Faith has always been a biblical imperative not just in the New Testament.

The New Testament writers marveled at this reality. We see this in Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23.

Abram took God at his word and for that alone God accredited him as righteous.

the work we do is to believe.

John 6:28–29 (NASB95)

Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Abram did not start believing at this point in the story. This is pass tense. Abram believed from the time he left Ur at God’s command. He left everything and everyone. You do not do that without actually believing. The work of making preparations to leave… the packing… the hugs and goodbyes are the fruit of belief. Decades ago when God first interrupted Abram’s life is when his faith/belief journey began.

Every step made in faith solidified that belief. Otherwise, Abram would have returned to what he knew.

Genesis 15:7–8 (NASB95)

And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?”

The question here is not one of doubt but a request for information. How do I know? How do I recognize what you have promised?

Genesis 15:9–11 (NASB95)

So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

God begins to answer Abram’s humble request by ordering him to make preparations for a formal covenant.

Although the asking sounds strange to us, Abram knew exactly what God was asking for and why.

This was a common custom in Abram’s Mesopotamian homeland. When two parties solemnized a covenant, they would kill a donkey, divide it in two and arrange the halves so that the two would walk between the halves of the body of the animal.

The ceremony dramatized a self-imposed curse should either party break the pledge. “If I break my word, may I become like this severed animal” (see Jeremiah 34:17-20).

Here God uses five distinctive animals which would become standard sacrifices when the Mosaic Covenant is instituted. But here this is not a sacrifice, there is no altar, no fire, no burning.

Scholars believe that the birds of prey that descended represent the attack upon Abram’s seed and Gods protection.

Genesis 15:12–16 (NASB95)

Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “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. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

God puts Abram to sleep because there is nothing else for Him to do.

Abram must have expected that he would walk among the carcasses of the animals but he was unable to to do so as he was in a deep sleep and all he saw was in form of vision.

Abram’s sleep engulfed him in terrifying darkness, which “reflects a human emotion that is inspired most often by Yahweh’s presence. We see a similar scene and response at and the Covenant instituted at Sinai and ultimately the same darkness over the Cross at Calvary with the New Covenant.

God tells Abram some of what will take place. He describes Israels 400 year suffering in Egypt

One Scholar comments:

Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Land Covenant Detailed (vv. 12–16)

This was the historical outworking of Abram’s vision of birds of prey descending on the slain animals. And it is possible that the carrion birds directly referenced his descendants’ abuse at the hands of the Egyptians because the Egyptian falcon god Horus was a carrion-eating bird.

But tells Abram that this will take place after his lifetime. It must have been a shock for Abram to hear that he himself would not possess the land

Abram had to accept the fact that he would not possess the land. Hard knowledge. But that was also good for him to know—especially with what lay ahead in his long life. This knowledge also promoted a calm certitude for the aging patriarch in knowing that he would die “in peace,” shalom. As Abram aged and his skin wrinkled and his eyes dimmed, his gaze turned even more to the city whose architect and builder is God.

R. Kent Hughes

God would later use Israel to punish the Amorites (the inhabitants of the land).

In God’s mercy, he awaited for the inhabitants to change their ways which they would not. They were guilty of all sorts of perverse sexual sin, idolatry, sacrificing their children to the god Molek.

Abram would learn here that suffering precedes glory.

Genesis 15:17–21 (NASB95)

It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Galatians 3:13–14 (NASB95)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.