Bible Study on Genesis 17, verses 7 to 14, the covenant with Abraham and his seed

 

Genesis 17:7 ¶  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9  And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

The Holy Spirit has left us two meanings to this covenant, both wrapped up in the Jews and in the Messiah, who is Christ. First, the covenant is to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac. This is a grant of land from which God’s reconciliation of mankind throughout the earth is to begin. As you probably have figured out what God has been doing is directed toward this reconciliation of the breach between man and God caused by Adam and Eve, instigated by Satan, driven by the fallen sons of God, and perpetuated by Noah’s descendants.

The second meaning is that this reconciliation will be completed in Christ. The covenant that God made with Himself is a covenant between the two parts of God the Bible reveals as God the Father, the soul and seat of self-identity and will of God, and the Son of God, the visible image, the body of God who is offered for us as payment for our sin against God that separated us from Him. Two parts of God making a covenant for the purpose of reconciling man to God as the Law given to Moses later will show man that his own righteousness is sorely lacking. This promise of reconciliation with man and this covenant with the Jews were not erased by their failure as it preceded the Law and was dependent not on their success or goodness but on God’s goodness and mercy.

Galatians 3:13  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: 14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15  Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16  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. 17  And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

This absolute covenant represents God’s promise to man through Christ binding man and God together by a promise made by God and satisfied by God, not we ourselves.