God Made Promise to Abraham

 

 God Made Promise to Abraham

 

Hebrews 6:13

 

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

 

God’s promise to Abraham was actually to Abraham and his seed. “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). There are two distinct families among the children of Abraham, that are of great significance in the spiritual history of the patriarch. Ishmael was Abraham’s son by Hagar the Egyptian. Hagar was Sarah’s bondwoman, whom Sarah gave to her husband because Sarah was barren. It is said of Ishmael that he was born “after the flesh” that is, in the strength of nature, and by natural generation (Galatians 4:23). Ishmael was the first born and was representative of man as he is born in this world under bondage of the law (Galatians 4:25).

 

Sarah also had a son; but this son was by miraculous birth. God had promised that Sarah would conceive and bear a son. But Sarah thought that time had robbed her of conception, for the time had been long since the promise had been made and Sarah was now of great age. Motivated by unbelief, Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, but God was nonetheless faithful to His promise, for at the set time God visited Sarah and she conceived. Isaac the son of promise was born by strength given Sarah which exceeded natural strength (Hebrews 11:11). The scriptures do not give particulars concerning the changes in the body of Sarah which were necessary for this birth to occur. There may have been, and very likely were changes in Sarah’s outward appearance. In as much as Abimelech was attracted to Sarah, her youthful vitality and vigor of youth may have been apparent even though she was ninety years old (Genesis 20:1-6; compared with Genesis 12:11). After he had restored Sarah to Abraham, Abimelech reproved Sarah, saying, “Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved” (Genesis 20:16). Abimelech meant that Abraham, being the husband of Sarah was a covering of the eyes, to all who were around her. She being the wife of Abraham, would not be looked upon as though she were unmarried.

 

Sarah had ceased her reproductive cycle earlier (Genesis 18:11). Both Abraham and Sarah were well past reproductive years. But they were both brought again from the dead figuratively for it is written: “Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also”? (Genesis 18:12). And in the New Testament the Apostle Paul wrote: “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead (that is raise Isaac from the dead: writer); from whence also he received him in a figure” (Hebrews 11:19). “Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable” (Hebrews 11:12).

 

 

Isaac is the child of promise, (Galatians 4:28). And it is written, in Isaac shall thy seed (that is Abraham’s spiritual seed; writer) be called: “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Genesis 21:12). And in the New Testament “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called (Romans 9:7). And again: “Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Hebrews 11:18). Believers are the spiritual seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-7; Romans 2:28-29), they are the true Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), and the children of promise as was Isaac (Galatians 4:28). Believers are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant, as it is written: “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25).

 

The children of the covenant (believers), being children of Abraham are partakers of the spiritual blessings God promised to Abraham, when he said, blessing I will bless thee. As it is written: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:3-6). And it is written: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).

 

The children of the covenant receive all the spiritual blessings of the covenant because they are and have always been children of the covenant. They are merely receivers of all spiritual blessedness, they contribute nothing to bring the blessings of the covenant to themselves. They are partakers of the blessings of the covenant according to the purpose and grace of God which was given them in Christ before the world was made (II Timothy 1:9). “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision” (Romans 4:6-10). The promise of God to Abraham was unconditional, for it is written: “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13). And because faith is a covenant gift of God through grace, the promise is sure to all the seed. As it is written: “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16; Hebrews 9:15).

 

Ishmael was a son of Abraham as was Isaac. But Ishmael was not of the children of promise, for Ishmael was born through the strength of the flesh, through natural generation. But Isaac was born of the strength of the promise. Ishmael’s birth was in and by the ordinary nature of men. Isaac’s birth was completely above nature, it was supernatural, and by the personal operation and power of the Holy Ghost, who gave Sarah conception because of the promise. The birth of Isaac was a miracle of Divine Grace, through the power and promise of God. And the spiritual birth of every child of God is a miracle of the same Divine proportions.

 

Ishmael was of “Israel after the flesh” (I Corinthians 10:18; John 10:26) who partake of the external privileges (that is, privileges that are not of a spiritual and eternal nature) as the natural children of Abraham. “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 9:4-5). But these children of the flesh are not the children of God, as it is written: “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (Romans 9:6-8). The promises of the Old Testament which were made to national Israel mentioned above (Romans 9:4-5) are natural and are conditioned on the obedience of Israel after the flesh, the natural children of Abraham (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). The promises of the everlasting covenant of grace are for the spiritual seed of Abraham. They are spiritual and eternal promises, and they are conditioned on the obedience of the Son of God.  (II Samuel 23:5; Isaiah 49:8; Hebrews 13:20; Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15-23 in that order).

 

Ishmael was the son of Sarah’s Egyptian bondwoman, Hagar. God commanded Abraham to: “Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman” (Galatians 4:30). Isaac was the son of the freewoman and he was of the children of promise, for it is written: “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise (Galatians 4:28). These two sons represent the two covenants first, the Old Testament covenant of the law of Moses, which requires strict obedience to the precept of the law, that is, a perfect righteousness, which none of the sons of Adam are able to produce. And so as many as are of the law are under the curse, as it is written: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10).

 

The new covenant involves those who are believers in Jesus Christ for all salvation, they are children of the promise, the elect of God, and they are born of the promise. They are born by a power not their own, the evidence of their birth of the Spirit is that they believe in Christ alone who finished the work of justification by His blood (Romans 5:9). They are born of the power of the Spirit of God, they are born from above (John 3:3). These children of promise trust the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ as their only solid ground of standing in the grace of God. They trust that their salvation in Jesus Christ is according to the will of God (Hebrews 10:10) and will endure to all eternity.     

AJ Ison

 

See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.