Today we’re going to look at what is sometimes referred to as the “Abrahamic covenant.” [aka: God's promises He made to Abraham.] We will refer back to this “land, nation, and leader” promise many, many times throughout these Old Testament posts… and it all starts here in Genesis 12!

Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I have highlighted for you in that passage the three elements of God’s promise:
1. Land
2. Nation
3. Leader

“Land” and “nation” are obvious. Where did I get “Leader,” you ask?

In Galatians 3:8, Paul refers to this verse by saying, ‘And the Scripture…preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”’ Where is the gospel in this statement?

Think back to our earlier discussion about the promise of the “Seed” back in Genesis 3:15. One Seed, through the line of Eve, would have the ultimate victory over Satan and deal him a deadly blow. He would make things right again. Now in Genesis 12:3, God is giving more details: The Seed would come from Abram’s line, so through Abram, all the nations of the earth would be blessed!

All three elements of this promise to Abram are not separate from the Seed promise in Genesis 3:15. They are very much connected to one another. Let’s look at each element in detail and see how they relate to the Seed promise.

Nation
In Exodus 19:6, God tells the Israelites, ‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
What did a priest do? He taught the people about God and His requirements, laws, and forgiveness; he served as a mediator for them before God. God tells Israel that the whole nation will be a kingdom of priests. If they are all priests, who are they teaching? The rest of the world!

Land
Most of the land given to Israel is not a lush, bountiful land. Why is this piece of land so important? In the map I attached to this post you can see how Israel was really on the crossroads of the world. All major world powers during this time would have to travel through Israel, due to constrictions of water and desert that were too treacherous to travel. Why put them there? If God had settled Israel in, say, North America, they wouldn’t have had the position of influence to truly function as a kingdom of priests, telling the world about their God. God brought the world to their doorstep, and they were to tell everyone Who God is and how his plan was unfolding.

Leader
This one should be obvious, after our earlier discussion. The Seed is the leader! He’s coming!!

Abraham, one man in the midst of a generation falling away from the True God, had been given an unbelievable promise. He had no idea just how intricate the plan was, or how long it would all take, but He knew it was true. God’s word is powerful and trustworthy, and He will continue to prove it to be so.

**For more reflections on the Old Testament with personal application, you might want to download a free Bible study ebook!**