13. God’s Purpose for Abraham
God’s first Bible dream was a covenant dream given to Abraham. Thirty years earlier God had called Abraham and wasted no time in explaining His plans and purpose. He said,
Go from your country, your people and
your father’s household to the land I will
show you. I will make you into a great
nation, and I will bless you; I will make
your name great, and you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you. [1]
Jesus Christ was hidden in Abraham’s call. With hindsight we know the One who will bless the nations is Jesus Christ, the same One spoken of in Genesis 3 that would someday crush Satan’s head and bring redemption to mankind.
God’s promise to Abraham is crucially important. Paul calls it the Gospel. He said,
So also Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.
Understand, then, that those who have
faith are children of Abraham. Scripture
foresaw that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, and announced the
gospel in advance to Abraham: All
nations will be blessed through you. So
those who rely on faith are blessed along
with Abraham, the man of faith. [2]
God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants is the foundation of the Gospel message and any real understanding of God’s plans and purpose through Jesus Christ depends upon an awareness of this.
When Paul was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel he said it was because of his hope in God’s promises to the fathers of Israel, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that he was being condemned,
And now I stand and am judged for the hope
of the promise made of God unto our
fathers. [3]
Scripture says people without Christ are strangers to the covenants of promise.[4] This means believers in Christ are connected to Abraham’s Covenant. Paul says,
Remember at that time you were separate
from Christ, excluded from citizenship in
Israel and foreigners to the covenants of
the promise, without hope and without
God in the world. But now in Christ
Jesus you who once were far away have
been brought near by the blood of Christ. [5]
One of the main reasons for Jesus Christ’s work was to fulfil and confirm God’s promise to Abraham. Paul writes,
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister
of the circumcision for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made unto the
fathers. [6]
God’s promises always produce faith when believed,
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go
out into a place, which he should after
receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and
he went out, not knowing whither he
went. [7]
God motivated Abraham and imparted faith by revealing His plans and purpose. When God shares His intentions with us it creates faith and motivates us. This happens in Bible dreams to people like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Gideon, Solomon, Daniel and St Joseph.
God has work for us all but work without purpose is meaningless. Therefore God reveals His purpose so we’ll be encouraged, motivated and full of faith. That’s why we’re told to desire spiritual gifts especially prophecy.[8]
God planned the Messiah Jesus Christ would come from Abraham’s family line and bless all the people on earth. The nation of Israel would also come from Abraham’s line and whoever blessed Israel would be blessed and whoever cursed Israel would be cursed. [9]
This theme of blessing and cursing runs throughout all Bible dreams. Those who obey are blessed and those who disobey are cursed. Even the great King Solomon was cursed when he disobeyed God’s dream directives. [10]
God speaks to us to bring us into a loving relationship with Himself. This is God’s highest goal and the main reason He communicates with us.
Today we have the advantage of 6,000 years of hindsight offered by the Bible.
Paul’s writings in particular give us the bigger picture of God’s plans and purpose across thousands of years of Jewish history.
We’re now aware God always knew Jesus would crush Satan’s head by dying on the cross long before Adam was ever created. We also know it was always part of God’s plan that Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, would destroy Satan’s authority.
We also know Jesus preached this Gospel to Adam and Eve and Satan in Genesis 3 and to Abraham in Genesis 7. This is the same Gospel being preached today to all nations in obedience to Jesus’s last command. [11]
We know salvation has come to the Gentiles who are inheritors of Abraham’s blessings by faith. We also know when the Gospel is finally preached to all nations the times of the Gentiles will be over and Jesus will return and all Israel will be saved. [12]
Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire [13] and then the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. [14] Then the real adventure will begin.
Abraham is a major character who today powerfully influences a third of all humanity through three major world religions. He is the founding father of the covenant between the Jewish people and God. In Christianity, he is the prototype of all believers, Jewish or Gentile and in Islam he is honoured in the chain of prophets beginning with Adam.
Abraham was no novice when it came to revelation. God appeared to him at least ten times, sometimes in a vision, sometimes physically in the figure of Jesus.
In Genesis, God gave him fourteen commands including, Get out of your country, Leave your father’s house, Go to a land I will show you and Every male among you shall be circumcised. [15]
God also made forty-eight promises to Abraham. When he was childless God said he’d become a great nation that would inherit land. [16] God promised him everlasting possession of the Promised Land [17] and said he’d be the father of a numberless multitude.
Abram's name was changed to Abraham meaning father of many nations. God also said in Abraham’s seed, meaning Jesus Christ, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. [18] Abraham’s belief in God’s promises was counted for righteousness. [19] God’s promises confirmed by sacrifices became a covenant. [20]
Abraham also plays a very important role in the New Testament being mentioned seventy four times. He’s called the friend of God, [21] and the father of all who believe[22] and the heir of the world. [23]
God viewed Abraham’s faith in God’s promises as righteousness. [24] We’re told those who display Abraham’s faith will also share Abraham's reward. [25]
The New Testament clarifies God's promises to Abraham in Abraham’s Covenant Dream and says the unchangeableness of God's word was confirmed by His promise being combined with His oath. [26]
Hebrews 11 says, Abraham died in faith without receiving the promises but saw them afar off. Abraham really believed God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. Hebrews says those who died in faith without receiving the promises should not be made perfect apart from us. [27] Like Abraham we all must await Christ’s return and the resurrection before we can fully receive all the promises.
Romans 4 says the reward of Abraham’s promises are for all who share Abraham's faith. We’re told Abraham’s blessings extend to both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ [28] and those who are baptised into Christ become Abraham's seed and heirs of the promises. [29]
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob fiercely cherished their godly line and were totally against marriage with the Canaanites who’d intermarried with the fallen angel races and produced giants.
Abraham knew the Messiah would come from his family line. That’s why thousands of years later Jesus could tell the Jews, Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. [30]
Abraham had only one dream recorded in Genesis. His descendants Jacob and Joseph and the people they interacted with had the rest. Yet beyond these dreams there was a significant amount of communication with God taking place amongst the patriarchs and their families.
Rebekah, Isaac, Jacob, Hagar and Joseph all clearly heard from God. Paul said, those who have faith, meaning faith in Jesus, are children of Abraham and heirs to Abraham’s blessings. [31]
God cut a covenant with Abraham. A covenant is the most sacred of all contracts between two people. The Hebrew word is b’rit, which carries the meaning of cutting the skin until blood flows.
In some cultures the parties involved cut into one another's arms and suck the blood. That’s why it’s called cutting a covenant. This mixing of blood makes them blood brothers of the covenant.
In God’s covenant with Abraham the cutting by circumcision was the sign of the particular covenant. When Moses renewed the Abrahamic covenant on Mount Sinai half of the blood of the covenant sacrifice was sprinkled on the people and half upon the altar.
This symbolised God’s mystical union with Israel. In the case of Abraham’s Covenant Dream God put Abraham into a deep sleep and made a one-sided covenant with himself symbolising God was taking sole responsibility for the covenant.
Through the Abrahamic covenant and through God’s dealings with Abraham and Israel God consistently revealed Himself as a promise maker and a promise keeper. This is a constant theme in all Bible dreams and God is still keeping His promises to Israel today.
God also told Abraham there was royalty in his linage, I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. [32]
God's plan was to bless humanity through the Messiah who would come from Abraham’s seed line. Paul wrote,
Know then that it is those of faith who
are the sons of Abraham. And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel beforehand to Abraham,
saying, “In you shall all the nations be
blessed.” So then, those who are of faith
are blessed along with Abraham, the
man of faith. [33]
On this same theme Paul also said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.
He redeemed us in order that the
blessing given to Abraham might come
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so
that by faith we might receive the
promise of the Spirit. [34]
What all this means is before Adam and Eve ever sinned God had already made provision to redeem them and us. God doesn’t want robots. He doesn’t want to control our lives. We are free to choose His ways and free to align our lives with His great plans and purpose.
Paul also explains Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham and the Law of Moses is not applicable to us.
It was only given to the Jews until the Messiah would come. He also shows our blessings are linked back to Abraham's covenant and Abraham’s type of faith and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Mosaic Law.
1 Genesis 12:1-3
2 Galatians 3:6-9
3 Acts 26:6
4 Ephesians 2:12
5 Ephesians 2:12-13
6 Romans 15:8
7 Hebrews 11:8
8 1 Corinthians 14:1
9 Genesis 12:3
10 1 Kings 9:6-7
11 Mark 16:15
12 Romans 12:26
13 Revelation 20:10
14 Revelation 21:2
15 Genesis 12:1
16 Matthew 28
17 Genesis 17:1-8
18 Genesis 22:15-18
19 Genesis 15:1-7
20 Genesis 15:18
21 James 2:23; 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8
22 Romans 4:11,16
23 Romans 4:13
24 Romans 4:1-3
25 Galatians 3:6-9
26 Hebrews 6:12-19
27 Hebrews 11:39
28 Romans3:14,22
29 Romans 3:26-29
30 John 8:56
31 Galatians 3:29
32 Genesis 17:6
33 Galatians 3:7-9
34 Galatian 3:13-14