Abraham Keeps the Covenant

Genesis 24 “‘For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him’” (Gen. 18:19, NASB). In last week’s article “Abraham Walks by Faith” we discussed Abraham growth in his faith. Abraham believes God and he do not hesitate to do as God commands him to do. Sometimes Abraham does not understand how God will make things work out. Sometimes Abraham tries to help God, but Abraham believes that God will keep His promises. In today’s article we will discuss Abraham as he keeps the covenant that God makes with him. I ask my daughter, twenty-seven years old, what reasons that they gave her for joining the church. She replies, for joining the church or giving my life to Christ? I ask her what reasons they gave her for both. She replies, join the church so that you can sing in the choir and give your life to Christ so that you will not go to hell. My daughter answers these questions based on her understanding at the time. She was six years old when she came forward to give her life to Christ and join the church. However, no one told her, me included, that she was entering into a covenant with God. How many of us think of our Christian life as one in which we live in covenant relationship with God? Genesis 24 is a story about Abraham sending his servant to find his son Isaac a wife. Yet, this story is really about Abraham doing his part to keep the covenant between the Lord and him. God calls Abraham and promises him blessings (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham believes God and follows God. In chapter 15 God makes a covenant with Abraham. “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:” (Gen. 15:18, NASB). God calls Abram and promise him blessings, and the Lord makes a covenant with Abram simply because it is God’s will to do so. Abram does not have to do anything to get God to make the covenant, but once the covenant is make Abram has responsibility to keep the covenant by obeying God’s commands (Gen.18:19). So, how does Genesis 24 illustrate Abraham keeping the covenant? Let us begin by discussing what Abraham learns about God, the covenant, and his responsibility as he walks with the Lord by faith. First, Abram learns that the Lord makes a distinction between the people of the land and the descendants of Abram. God makes a distinction between those that bless Abram and those that curse Abram (Gen. 12:3). Because Abram understands that he is called to be separate from the people of the land, he lives in the land among the people, but he does not live with the people. “Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom” (Gen. 13:12, NASB). Lot participates in the life of the people of Sodom. Abram lives in the land of Canaan, but he does not participate in the life of the people. Secondly, the Lord makes this distinction clear when He makes the covenant of circumcision (Gen. 17:10-14). When Abram is ninety-nine years old the Lord appears to him and makes the covenant of circumcision. The Lord says to Abram, “‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless” (17:1, NASB). Further, the Lord changes Abram’s name to Abraham. The Lord says: “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” (v.7). “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you” (v. 10). Now, let us return to the story in Genesis 24 and learn how Abraham keeps the covenant by giving instructions to his servant to find his son Isaac a wife. Abraham is advanced in years. He knows that he must take measures to make sure that his son Isaac keeps the covenant. Abraham calls his servant and speaks to him. “Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ‘Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son Isaac (Gen. 24:2-4, NASB). Let us look at these instructions. We have seen that the Lord makes a distinction between Abraham and the Canaanites. Why does God make this distinction? The Canaanites do not worship the Lord. They worship many gods, Because of the nature of the gods that they worship their lifestyles do not follow the ways of God. The Lord specifically calls those that are in covenant with Him to be blameless, live righteously, and execute justice. However, we cannot know the ways of God until God calls us and we obey His call. We cannot discover God. God must reveal Himself to us. Abraham gives his servant two basic instructions. First, do not find a wife for Isaac among a people that do not worship the Lord. Their ways are not the Lord’s ways and their thoughts are not the thoughts of the Lord. Thus, they have no knowledge of God. They care nothing about the covenant. They will try to persuade Isaac to become unfaithful to the Lord and His covenant. Later, Moses warns the Israelites of this danger. Moses says: “You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them” (Deut 7:2, NASB). “‘Furthermore, you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you’” (Deut. 7:3-4, NASB). Abraham continues his instructions to the servant saying “you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac” (Gen. 24:4, NASB). Isaac’s wife must be a woman that cares about Isaac. She must be willing to walk with Isaac. She will not try to persuade Isaac to abandon the covenant. Isaac’s wife will have no ties to the people that live in Canaan. She does not worship the gods that the Canaanites worship. She has no family ties to anyone living in Canaan. How many Christians have been led to abandon the Lord in order to be with someone that does not know the Lord? As we read this story we learn that the servant prays for a sign to show him the woman that God chooses to be a wife for Isaac (24:12-14). The Lord answers the servant’s prayer by giving the servant the sign that he has prayed for (vv. 15-26). The servant tells Rebekak and her family about Abraham, the covenant, and Isaac (vv. 27-49). After hearing what the servant has to say the family responds. “Then Laban and Bethuel replied, ‘the matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you good or bad. Here is Rebekak before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken” (vv. 50-51). When it is time for the servant to return to his master the mother and brother ask Rebekak, “‘will you go with this man?’” And she said “I will go” (v. 58). When Rebekak agrees to go with the servant to be the wife of Isaac she is consenting to two things. She will obey the commands of the Lord. She will become partner with Isaac in keeping the covenant. When the servant and his party arrive back home “the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done” (v. 66). Isaac takes Rebekak to his mother’s tent, and he is comforted after the death of his mother (v. 67). Why is this story important to Christians? As Christians we too live in a covenant relationship with God. When Jesus eats the Last Supper with His disciples He institutes a new covenant with those who believe in Him. “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’” (Lk. 22:20, NASB). The writer of the book of Hebrews explains that through His death, Jesus makes a new covenant because the old covenant is insufficient. The new covenant places the laws of God into the hearts and minds of those who believe in Jesus; those whose sins are forgiven (Heb. 10:15-18). This article is written so that Christians might see that we are a covenant people. Those who live in covenant with God have a responsibility to live under the terms of the covenant. The fact is this. Many Christians are thankful for their salvation in Christ Jesus. They are thankful for all the blessings that God gives to them. Christians are quick to ask God to bless them. Many of the things that we ask for are readily available to us, but they are not realized because we are either unaware of our covenant relationship with the Lord, or we do not take responsibility for keeping the covenant. It is time for the church to make new converts aware that they are entering into a covenant relationship with the Lord and they have a responsibility to do their best to keep the covenant.