1. The Abrahamic Covenant
Studies in
the Book of Genesis
The Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 15-17
© John Stevenson, 2009

2. Promises given: Abram called to leave his family
Promises given: Abram called to leave his family. Promise of Seed (12:1-3)
Sojourn in Egypt, “She is my sister” ( )
Lot and Abram: Negotiations (13). Abram rescues Lot and people of Sodom (14)
Abram prepares a sacrifice for a covenant ceremony: God promises descendants and the Land (15)
Hagar and Ishmael (16)
Abrahamic Covenant (17:1-22)
Abraham and Ishmael circumcised (17:23-27).
Abraham prepares a meal: God promises that Sarah will give birth to Isaac (18:1-15).
God and Abram: Negotiations (18:16-33). Angels rescue Lot and destroy Sodom (19)
Sojourn in Gerar, “She is my sister” (20)
Promises fulfilled: Isaac born; Hagar & Ishmael sent out; Isaac offered on altar (21-22)

3. Genesis 15:1
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.”

4. Genesis 15:2-3
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.”

5. Abram's Quest for an Heir
Sarai is barren
Lot as a potential heir
Eliezar of Damascus as a potential heir

6. Genesis 15:4
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.”

7. Abram's Quest for an Heir
Sarai is barren
Lot as a potential heir
Eliezar of Damascus as a potential heir
One from Abram’s own body will be his heir

8. Genesis 15:5
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.”

9. Genesis 15:6
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

10. Genesis 15:7-8
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?”

11. Genesis 15:9-11
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. Genesis 15 & The Covenant Ceremony
“To Cut a Covenant”

13. Genesis 15:12
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

14. Genesis 15:13-14
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. Genesis 15:15-16
“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.”

16. Will be buried at a good, old age
Abraham
Abraham's Descendants
Will be buried at a good, old age
Strangers in a land that is not their own
God will judge that land
In the fourth generation they will return here
The iniquity of the Amorites…
Filled

17. Genesis 15:17
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. …a smoking oven and a flaming torch

19. Genesis 15:18-21
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.”

20. ASSYRIA
…from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates
EGYPT

22. Genesis 16:1-2
Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

23. A Personal Archive from
the Nuzi Tablets.
“Gilimninu has been given to Shennima as wife. If Gilimninu bears children, Shennima shall not take another wife, But if Gilimninu does not bear, she shall take a slave-girl from the Lullu-region as wife for Shennima. As for the concubine’s offspring, Gilimninu shall not send them away.”

24. Begins with God coming to Abram with a message.
Genesis 15
Genesis 16
Begins with God coming to Abram with a message.
Begins with Sarai coming to Abram with advice.
Abram believed the Lord.
Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
God gave to Abram promises of protection, of a seed, and of the possession of the land.
Sarai gave to Abram her handmaiden Hagar to fulfill the promise of the seed.

25. God spoke to Abram and gave him instruction and promises.
Genesis 15
Genesis 16
God spoke to Abram and gave him instruction and promises.
God speaks to Hagar and gives her instructions and promises.
Abram is promised a son who will be his heir.
Hagar is promised a son who will be a wild man.

26. Genesis 16:3-4
After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.

27. Genesis 16:5-6
And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

28. Genesis 16:7-8
Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

29. Mistreated by her mistress.
Hagar
Israel
Mistreated by her mistress.
Mistreated by the Pharaoh.
Fled into the wilderness.
Escaped into the wilderness.
Encountered the angel of the Lord by the spring on the way to the Wilderness of Shur.
After they came out of Egypt and three days journey into the Wilderness of Shur, they found no water.
Hagar was on her way to Egypt

30. Genesis 16:9-10
Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”
10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”

31. The angel of the LORD said to her further,
Genesis 16:11
The angel of the LORD said to her further,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.

32. Genesis 16:12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

33. Genesis 16:13-14
Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

34. His descendants would be innumerable.
Hagar’s Son
Abram’s Heir
His descendants would be innumerable.
His descendants will be innumerable.
He will be at enmity with the world.
He will be a blessing to the world.
Every man’s hand will be against him.
Whoever blesses him will be blessed and whoever curses him will be cursed.

36. Promises given: Abram called to leave his family
Promises given: Abram called to leave his family. Promise of Seed (12:1-3)
Sojourn in Egypt, “She is my sister” ( )
Lot and Abram: Negotiations (13). Abram rescues Lot and people of Sodom (14)
Abram prepares a sacrifice for a covenant ceremony: God promises descendants and the Land (15)
Hagar and Ishmael (16)
Abrahamic Covenant (17:1-22)
Abraham and Ishmael circumcised (17:23-27).
Abraham prepares a meal: God promises that Sarah will give birth to Isaac (18:1-15).
God and Abram: Negotiations (18:16-33). Angels rescue Lot and destroy Sodom (19)
Sojourn in Gerar, “She is my sister” (20)
Promises fulfilled: Isaac born; Hagar & Ishmael sent out; Isaac offered on altar (21-22)

37. Abraham is 99 years old (17:1)
The Lord appeared to Abram (17:1-2).
God will make a covenant with Abram to multiply him (17:2).
Abram fell on his face (17:3).
Abram's name changed to Abraham (17:4-8) • I will make nations of you • Kings shall come forth from you
Circumcision commanded (17:9-14).
Sarai's name changed to Sarah (17:15-16) • She shall be a mother of nations • Kings of peoples shall come from her.
Abraham fell on his face and laughed (17:17).
God promises multiplication through Isaac and Ishmael (17:18-21)
God went up from Abraham (17:22).
Abraham is 99, Ishmael is 13 years old (17:24-25).

38. Genesis 17:1-2
Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

39. Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
Genesis 17:3-5
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold,
My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.”

40. ~r'b.a; ~h'r'b.a;; !Amïh]-ba; Abram Abraham “Father of high places”
Rhymes with “Father of a multitude”
For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:5)
!Amïh]-ba;

41. Genesis 17:6
“I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. “

42. Genesis 17:7-8
“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8 I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

43. Genesis 17:9
God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.”

44. Genesis 17:10-11
“This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

45. Genesis 17:12-13
“And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”

46. Genesis 17:14
“But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

47. Involves men, animals and the entire world.
Noahic Covenant
Abrahamic Covenant
Involves men, animals and the entire world.
Involves Abraham and his descendants.
The sign is the rainbow and relates to the entire creation.
The sign if circumcision and relates to Abraham’s descendants.
A universal sign.
A personal sign.

48. Circumcision Involved a surgical “cutting.”
Represented a spiritual reality: Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more (Deuteronomy 10:16).
A sign of faith: a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised (Romans 4:11).
Circumcision was to the Abrahamic Covenant what baptism is to the New Covenant

49. Sign of the covenant is circumcision
Abrahamic Covenant
New Covenant
Sign of the covenant is circumcision
Sign of the covenant is baptism.
Circumcision was a sign of faith.
Baptism is a sign of faith.
Physical circumcision represented the spiritual process of cutting away sin.
Water baptism represents the identification with Christ and the spiritual cleansing that comes through the new birth.

50. Abrahamic Covenant New Covenant Circumcision was limited to males
There is no distinction in Baptism between male or female.
The promise was to God’s people AND THEIR CHILDREN (Deuteronomy 6:6‑7; Acts 2:38‑39).

51. Genesis 17:15-16
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

52. Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

53. Genesis 17:18-19
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descend-ants after him.”

54. Genesis 17:20-21
“As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”

55. When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
Genesis 17:22
When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

56. Genesis 17:23
Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.

57. Genesis 17:24-26
Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.

58. Genesis 17:27
All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.