Abrahamic Promise: The nation/land aspect

Abrahamic Promise: The Nation-Land aspect (Lesson 27) 9/24/24

Introduction:

Our purpose in this lesson will be to look at the land promise, given to Abraham and to trace it historically. In a brief historical outlook may we note down these things.

Under Abraham, Isaac, Jacob = the Original promise to the 4th generation.

Then Israel and United kingdom = from Moses, Joshua, David to Solomon, land received and national status realized)

Divided Kingdom =Idolatry, apostasy; kingdom begins to crumble

Assyrian Captivity = Scattering of Northern Ten Tribes

Babylonian Captivity = Judah goes into exile

Remnant Returns = Restoration of the Remnant -Cyrus decree (Nation-land promise aspect fulfilled)

Aim:

To define the land promise

To understand the covenant that God makes concerning the land promise

Outline:

The original statement defines the nation-land (land) aspect of the promise (turn to Gen12:1-7)

Genesis 12:1–7 NASB95

1 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; 2 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; 3 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.” 4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.

I will make thee (Abraham) a great nation (v.2)

I will to thy seed, give this land (v.7)

Abraham is in the land God is giving, yet only there as a sojourner at this point. This is the land that his seed would possess.

Therefore, the land aspect of the promise that is made to Abraham is clearly identified.

The land - Canaan

The Nation - Israel (Abraham’s seed)

God makes a covenant sealing the land promise (turn to read Gen15:1-21)

Genesis 15:1–21 NASB95

1 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.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 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.” 5 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.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 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.” 8 He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9 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.” 10 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. 11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 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. 14 “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” 17 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. 18 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: 19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Highlights from this passage

(v8) - how shall I know that I shall inherit the land?

(v.13) God answer - confirmation of the promise

Abrahams seed would be sojourners and slaves in another land for 400 years (Egypt) .

(v.14) the descendants, the seed, would return to the promised land from Egypt

With great substance

In the fourth generation as promised

(v.1) Neither Abraham nor his descendants would take “immediate” possession of the land for the iniquity of the Amorite is not full yet.

On a side note: Israel, the nation, would be God’s instrument of judging the wicked Amorites whose iniquity would become full. (note down Lev18:22-28, 20:22-24; Deu18:24; Joel3:9-13)

(vv.17-18) God’s covenant concluded.

In that day God made a covenant with Abraham

It was sealed through the passing through of the animal, through the blood. It was Jehovah God who passed between the pieces. - To your descendants I have given this land. (Note down Jer34:18-19)

(vv.18-21) The description, extent of the land is given (Turn to Exo23:31; Jos1:4)

Exodus 23:31 NASB95

31 “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

and then

Joshua 1:4 NASB95

4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.

Turn to (Jos11:23) There you see the fulfillment of the promise, of the covenant.

Joshua 11:23 NASB95

23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war.

Conclusion:

God’s scheme of redemption, God’s plan, God’s promise to Abraham came through His seed to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

It started with a promise to be a nation and receive a land.

We see some of the seed promise (v.5) and we built on that last week.

The seed promise, the land promise are so related to God’s scheme of redemption, and the unity of the historical unfolding of God’s plan of redemption (note: Mt1:1-17 the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus).