Essay on About the The Abrahamic covenant

The pagans of this time were sacrificing humans to appease their gods. When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, it isn’t all that odd. But, when God tells Abraham to take Isaac down, he is commanding the Hebrew people to never sacrifice humans to God. This elevates and separates the Hebrews from their savage surroundings.

In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were two very prominent leaders chosen by God to do his will. Throughout Genesis and Exodus, both men play important roles in fulfilling God’s will. They are put to many tests, given covenants, and communicate constantly with God. Although they have many similarities such as being leaders and men of God, there are also many differences between the two.

It all began in the covenant with Abraham, God promised many things to him. God promised numerous descendants, land, and a relationship with him. God’s first blessing would provide Abraham with numerous descendants, which in turn would become a great nation. His second blessing would provide him and his family with a place to call home. His third blessing states that Abraham will have a relationship with God. This means that, anyone who blesses Abraham will be blessed by God, anyone that curses him will be cursed. In return for all of these promises, Abraham and all of his male members and descendants were circumcised to let God know that they belong to him.

Theologically, a covenant (used of relations between God and man) denotes a gracious undertaking entered into by God for the benefit and blessing of humanity and specifically of those who by faith receive the promises and commit themselves to the obligation which this undertaking involves. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made

(Note that Israelites did not bring a human sacrifice.) It was really a challenge for Abraham to do this feat but he chose to fulfill God’s wishes until the Angel of the Lord .stopped the patriarch at the moment he "took the knife to slay his son"! Now God knew that Abraham does not seek anything "to keep for himself" and that he is actually afraid of God. That is, he venerates him as an almighty Lord, trusts Him wholeheartedly and is willing to obey Him

The Abrahamic Covenant was established in Genesis 12:2-3, this is the first time God spoke to Abraham and instituted this unconditional covenant. The importance is magnified for now we can understand the purpose that God has intended for Israel. The covenant required nothing of Abraham for God’s promise to give him land, descendants and above all nations would be blessed through him per Genesis 15:18-21.

Abraham: Husband of Sarah, is told by God to leave his home to go to a new land to spread God’s teachings. After much difficulty, he has only one child with Sarah, Isaac, and is ordered to sacrifice him but God intervenes last minute to reveal that it was a test of his faith and he may keep his son.

Biblical covenant is “legal term denoting a formal and legally binding declaration of benefits to be given by one party to another, with or without conditions attached.” (Arnold) Biblical covenant is a part of God holy plan and they reveal enteral plan. Each covenant plays a part of God plan of salvation. The Mosaic covenant showed that being saved by works was impossible and reveals God’s Holy character the need of a savior. “The Mosaic Covenant was like the vassal treaties of the ancient Near East, where a more powerful king entered into a relationship with a lesser king.” Knowing the Bible)

Further, the Covenant is central for understanding Judaism as it covers all beliefs in relation to the expectations of Jewish life. In the Covenant that God established with Abraham, God blessed him and promised to make him “the father of a multitude of nations.”- Genesis 17:4 in which Abraham was to remain loyal and serve to the rest of the world through God’s blessings. Later, God made the Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham conveyed in the sacred text of the Torah, “Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised.”- Genesis 17:10. Hassidic Jews carry out this practice and believe it is customary that

Abraham’s seriousness and dedication in regards to his covenant with God control tense actions and events between Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is compelled in his actions by his understanding and faith that his belief in God will reap benefits. Without hesitation, he considers doing everything that God tells him to do. Abraham’s willingness and sacrifice of Isaac show the great power that God has over Abraham. Abraham’s desire for God’s approval and blessings compel him toward grave actions without the concrete command from God. Abraham merely implies God’s intentions from the limited conversations held between Abraham, God, and the angel.

Throughout the history of the world, God has been working to bring humanity back to him. Due to the loss of constant communion in the fall, God set forth multiple promises to eventually establish his eternal Kingdom, the New Testament, is the culmination of these promises. The Gospels are the most specific in how Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenants God made with Abraham and David. More importantly he is the fulfillment of the new covenant, which washes away sin and brings humanity back into communion with God. What is modeled in the Gospels is reaffirmed in Acts, by the way the church is to function according to the culmination of the Covenants. Acts begins to reveal the great mystery that is the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s covenant. Paul’s Epistles take the culmination a step further and defend the idea that the fulfillment of God’s covenants does not just affect the people of Israel, but the Gentiles as well. The General epistles teach that the people are no longer bound by the mosaic covenant since the New Covenant was fulfilled via Jesus Christ. Yet practice of the law is still an important factor of the Christian life style even if superseded by the New Covenant. Revelation shows that covenants are leading up to the lord’s victory and salvation of his people. The sins of the Jews and Gentiles are washed away by Jesus the blood of the lamb so in reality the battle is already won because of the New Covenants fulfillment in Jesus. It is clear from

The word ‘covenant’ is, in the Old Testament, it is the Hebrew word ‘berith’ and is used

Understanding the dynamic concept of covenant permeates everything God says in His Word and everything He does in a believer’s life. The following word study will examine the text of Exodus 19:1-8. The text begins with an obscure and severely brutalized people who are saved from slavery and are on the verge of a new covenant between God and man. The word in study is the Hebrew word האמנה, translated “covenant.”

Abram leaves his home and family, and departs into the "strange land" of Canaan, showing an extreme obedience to God and understanding of his duty to father this great race. Throughout Genesis, Abraham builds altars to God and sacrifices animals. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains". The next day, Abraham sets off for Moriah "and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." After God stops the sacrifice, he tells Abraham, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

Covenant making and covenant people have been a part of God’s plan since the beginning of time. In the Old Testament, and with Jesus Christ being just a foreshadow of things to come, covenants often made God and God’s holiness visible (Fehren, 1996). Furthermore, covenants were the vehicles or processes in which God used to institute promises and manage people (Korver, 2015). In the simplest terms, a covenant is an agreement between two or more parties concerning shared responsibilities and privileges, once ratified, covenants cannot be changed in any way, including the parties involved or the covenant provisions (Korver, 2015, p. 29). Covenants, may either be unconditional or conditional. Thus, an unconditional covenant, such as the one offered to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), requires no conditions to be placed on the recipient (Korver, 2015). Hence, the onus of the Abrahamic covenant was completely on God, and Abraham needed only to accept God’s offer. However, the enjoyment of the blessings made in the Abrahamic Covenant was dependent on how well Abraham and the future nation of Israel adhered to and listened to God’s commands (Merrill, 2006). Therefore, some action was required on behalf of Abraham and Israel to reap the full benefits of God’s blessing. Conditional covenants, such as the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:1-8), requires the recipient to meet certain conditions before enjoying the benefits of the covenant (Korver, 2015). Typically, conditional covenants