The covenant that God made with Abraham, his descendants and his spiritual children was repeated to Abraham five times by God. In this post, we will review all five occurrences, what they mean and break them down further.
The First Time God Promised Abraham
Abraham’s covenant: Genesis 12:1-3 – Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse,
This is the promise given to the Jewish people who are the descendants of Abraham.
Continued…’and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
This is the promise given to Christians, through the Messiah, who is the son of Abraham. The ‘families of the earth’ that ‘shall be blessed’, are both Jews and Gentiles who believe in the Messiah, Jesus, and his teachings. By this, they are turned away from their iniquities and become sons of Abraham. This is the blessing they receive.
In the first half of this scripture, God is making a promise to Abraham regarding the Jewish people who are the biological descendants of Abraham. Abraham is told by God to go to the land of Canaan where God will make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants, which is the nation of Israel.
God did indeed make Abraham’s name great through the Jewish people and throughout the world (to the Gentiles) through the seed of Abraham, who is the Messiah, Jesus. Thus, fulfilling the second half of the promise to Abraham.
God will bless those who believe Abraham’s story and imitate his example of great faith in God (enter eternal life). God will curse those who curse Abraham. The people who disbelieve Abraham and do not follow his example of faith, will be cursed (they will not enter eternal life).
Acts 3:25 – And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’
Peter explains that the Jewish people are heirs of the promise made to Abraham; that they are the first family visited by the seed of Abraham. The New King James version says ‘seed’.
Acts 3:25 NKJV – You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
Peter is explaining that the Jewish people (nation of Israel) are the first family of the nations of the earth visited by the Messiah (Jesus).
Acts 3:26 – To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
The Jewish people were the first people who were blessed by Jesus. Those who believed in his teachings rid themselves of their iniquity (unknown sin).
The Jewish people are not the seed that blesses the nations; they are just one of the nations that are blessed by Abraham’s seed who is the Messiah.
Genesis 12:2 – “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.
Paul speaks of this in Galatians 3:16.
Galatians 3:16 – The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
The Second Time God Promised Abraham
Genesis 15:1-6 – After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram also said, “Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir.”
Another translation of this verse says Genesis 15:3 – “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
This promise is speaking of Isaac, the promised child, whom the descendants of Abraham – the Jewish people, come from. They will inherit all of Abraham’s earthly promises. This means that the Jewish people will have descendants as numerous as the stars and the land of Israel will be their possession forever.
6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.
This is the faith of Abraham; he believed God without ever seeing the promise come to pass during his lifetime. He believed God not because he saw any evidence, but simply because God said it. This is having faith like Abraham.
Abraham Is The Father Of Jews And Gentiles
Romans 4:3-5 & 9-12 – Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Abraham is the father of both Jews and Gentiles who have faith in Jesus. Followers of Christ have this kind of faith. We have faith in the promises of God, that are in the age to come. Our faith is in things that cannot be seen in this lifetime, yet we believe. We sacrifice our lives in this age for the reward of the age to come; a promise we will never see come to pass in this age (lifetime).
The Jewish people, being descendants of Abraham, believe in the promises of God that they can see. This would be their exponential growth in population, the land of Israel that was given to them, and the Temple of God. However, any Jewish descendant who also has the faith of Abraham, is considered a child of Abraham. Like Jesus said about Zacchaeus:
Luke 19:2-9 – A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
Zacchaeus believed Jesus’ message and that by obeying it, he would enter the kingdom of heaven. He was sacrificing his money and possessions, what he could see here on earth, for the promise of salvation which he could never see until he died. It is very rare for Jesus to praise someone but to Zaccheus, Jesus calls this man a son of Abraham, no longer just a descendant.
Romans 4:18-24 – 18And without hope he believed in hope that he would be the father to the multitude of the nations according to what is written: “Thus shall your seed be.” 19And he did not fail in his faith when he considered his body dead, (for he was one hundred years old), and the dead womb of Sarah. 20And he did not doubt The Promise of God as if his faith were lacking, but he was strengthened in faith and he gave praise to God. 21And he affirmed that whatever God promised him, He was able to perform. 22Therefore, it was accounted to him for righteousness. 23And this was not written for his sake alone that his faith was accounted for righteousness, 24But also for our sake, for he is going to reckon it to us also, we who believe in The One who raised Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah from the grave, 25And who was handed over because of our sins; and he arose to justify us.
Continued…Genesis 15:18 – 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 the land of the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite, 20 the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.”
This is the promise of the land of Israel, given to the descendants of Abraham. As long as the land of Israel did not belong to the descendants of Abraham, they were both descendants and sons of Abraham, because they maintained faith in the promise which they had not seen come to fruition in their lifetime. Not seeing the promise come to pass made them heirs to the promise through maintaining the faith of Abraham. Paul explains this in:
Hebrews 11:19, 13, 20-22 – 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise..13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. 22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
As soon as the Jewish people received their promises of numerous descendants and the land of Israel, they ceased having the faith of Abraham, causing them to be only descendants of Abraham. Now, only belief in Jesus, the Messiah, can make them a son of Abraham, such as in the case of Zacchaeus.
The Third Time God Promised Abraham
Genesis 17:1-14 – When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
This is the Jewish people’s promise as Abraham’s descendants.
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
This is the promise of the Messiah, Jesus, who is the seed of Abraham. He blesses the Christians; both Jew and Gentile, with the faith of Abraham, meaning to believe in the Messiah, Jesus’ teachings. Paul explains this in:
Galatians 3:26-29 – So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
True faith is believing in Jesus’ teachings, which are all related to what we cannot see in the age to come. It is obeying Jesus’ teachings because we believe in a resurrection that we cannot see, into a kingdom we cannot see. This is the faith of Abraham; making us also, Abraham’s children (sons of Abraham).
Continued Genesis 17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
This is the promise to the descendants of Abraham; the Jewish people.
Continued Genesis 17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
The Two Covenants: Jewish And Christian
This is the first covenant and the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, adhere to it. Paul explains the two covenants in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 4:21-31 – Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.
Figuratively definition: means used to indicate a departure from a literal use of words.
The reason Paul is speaking figuratively is because Ishmael and Hagar did not have a covenant with God. They only received a blessing from Him. It takes a covenant with God to have a valid religion, but the Ishmaelites who are now the nation of Islam, have taken a blessing and manipulated it into a supposed covenant. Paul is now using Hagar and Ishmael as standing for a covenant in a specifically figurative manner.
Continued Galatians 4:26 – But the Jerusalem that is above, is free and she is our mother. 27 For it is written: “Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child; shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”
Paul figuratively used Hagar to represent the Jewish descendant’s covenants of promises that can be seen; like the present city of Jerusalem. In the same way, he is using Isaac, the result of a divine promise, to represent the followers of Christ. They are the children of promise relating to the ‘Jerusalem above’, the kingdom of Heaven. Many Christians believe in the promises of God that they cannot see and are yet to come, just like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
The descendants of Abraham (ie. the slave woman and her son, figuratively speaking, who persecute those born by the power of the Spirit), cannot share in the free woman’s son’s (figuratively representing Christians) inheritance (which is the kingdom of heaven).
The followers of Christ belong to the second covenant:
Hebrews 10:5-10 – Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The first covenant involved circumcision, sacrifices and offerings. But the second covenant, brought in through Jesus, the Messiah, established a new system for the forgiveness of sins (iniquity). Instead of merely atoning for their sins through animal sacrifices, devoid of guilt, Jesus’ teachings make us aware of our sin. Paul explains this further in:
Hebrews 10:16-18 – “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts, I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
The Fourth Time God Promised Abraham
Genesis 22:13-18 – Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
This is the promise given to the Jewish descendants of Abraham.
18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
This is the promise given to Christians. Through the seed of Abraham, who is Jesus the Messiah, all the nations on earth (the Gentiles) will be blessed, including the nation of Israel – meaning any Jewish people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
Galatians 3:16 – The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Acts 3:25-26 – And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
The NKJV says: Acts 3:25-26 – You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
The Fifth Time God Promised Abraham
Genesis 17:15-21 – God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Through his son, Isaac, God promises Abraham that nations of people will come from Sarah and kings of peoples will come from her.
Hebrews 11:11-12 – And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
These nations are the Northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah who had many kings that led these two great nations. Their accounts can be found in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles.
The Edomites who were also the descendants of Esau, were a nation that had many kings, all of whom came from Sarah through Isaac.
Genesis 36:31 – These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites…
Deuteronomy 2:4-6 – Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”
Genesis 25:23 – The Lord said to her [Rebecca], “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
These two siblings were Jacob and Esau. While the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob became the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Esau became the nation of the Edomites. The Edomites descend from Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who was the mother of Isaac.
Genesis 36:8 – So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
Deuteronomy 2:22 – just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place, where they remain even to this day.
Joshua 24:4 – and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
Continued Genesis 17:17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” 19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
This is the promise given to the descendants of Abraham (the first covenant).
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Abraham asked God to bless Ishmael and so God obliged with a separate blessing for Ishmael. God’s blessing for Abraham’s descendants of Ishmael (Ishmaelites, the nation of Islam) was as follows:
Genesis 16:9-16 – The angel of the Lord said to her [Hagar], “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction.12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
This is the origin of the Islamic nation which comes from Ishmael. They are recognized as being a descendant of Abraham, not a son.
Romans 9:6-8 – It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
Genesis 21:13 – And of the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”
Genesis 22:2, 12 & 16 – 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”…12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”…16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son…
The blessing of Ishmael’s descendants is once again a physical one, not a spiritual one. It is a blessing of numerous descendants, twelve kings, and of having a wild and unconquerable nature. All of which, the nation of Islam has received.
The blessing of Ishmael:
Genesis 21:9-21 – Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!”
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. 13 And of the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”
The nation of Islam was made through a blessing not a covenant.
14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.15 When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes.
16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not see the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and raised her voice and wept. 17 God heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.”
Because Ishmael was a descendant of Abraham, he was blessed when Abraham asked God on his behalf.
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
We must remember that this is a blessing of God which is not to be confused with a covenant/promise, which God made through Isaac.
Genesis 17:20-21 – And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
This separate blessing for Ishmael does in no way suggest that there are two separate paths to God. God did not say about the descendants of Ishmael (the nation of Islam), that He would be their God and they would be His people, like he said of Isaac’s descendants.
Genesis 17:7-8 – I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you [Isaac] and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
The descendants of Ishmael merely have received a blessing from God which has been fulfilled by the numerous descendants, nations and kings all of whom have a wild, unconquerable nature.
Genesis 16:12 – But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him.”
Another translation says Genesis 16:12 – As a man, he’ll be uncontrollable. He’ll be against everyone, everyone will be against him, and he’ll live in conflict with all of his relatives.”
Genesis 25:18 – His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.
By believing that Islam is another way to God, we are believing in the Quran over the Bible. The Bible never mentions the descendants of Ishmael as God’s people, or of them having a separate covenant from God. They were merely given a blessing. To be a valid religion, you must have a covenant with God, which the nation of Islam does not have. The Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, have the first covenant. Christians, have the second and final covenant. However, Muslims have only received a blessing, not a covenant.
Muhammed capitalized on this moment in the Bible to turn a blessing into a covenant with the nation of Islam.
Daniel 9:27 – He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
The ‘abomination that causes desolation’ is Islam’s Dome of the Rock mosque. It has been built on the location of the Temple of God. This scripture clearly shows that the ruler to come, will confirm a covenant with many. But this covenant will not be established by God.
Through twisting a blessing into a covenant, the Ishmaelites (nation of Islam) have created an entire invalid religion which contradicts both Judaism and Christianity.
Genesis 16:12 – This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
Abraham’s Covenant Repeated to Isaac
For this section of scripture, my comments will be in green.
Genesis 26:1-6 – Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands (Jewish descendants’ promise) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham (Christian promise).
4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands (Jewish descendant promise now repeated to Isaac), and through your offspring (seed) all nations on earth will be blessed (Christian promise), 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
Abraham’s Covenant Repeated to Jacob
Genesis 35:10-12 – God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation (Jewish descendants promise) and a community of nations will come from you (Christian promise), and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you” (Jewish descendants promise).
Abraham’s Covenant Repeated to Joseph
Genesis 48:3-4 – Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers (Jewish descendants promise). I will make you a community of peoples (Christian promise), and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you (Jewish descendants promise).
As a clarification of God’s perspective of the Jewish people, we can turn to the Apostle Paul in:
Romans 11 – I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
In physical descendancy, Paul was Jewish and Christian, making him an heir to both sets of promises.
2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
The Christian people are the ‘remnant chosen by grace’.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
Paul is referring to the Jewish people who believed Jesus is the Messiah as the “elect among them’. The others who were hardened, blind and deaf refused to accept Jesus as Messiah and held fast to Judaism.
9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
Paul’s desire was for the Jewish people to come to Christ.
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
Claiming to have Jewish descendancy will not save anyone if they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
God’s desire is for the Jewish people to stop rejecting Jesus as the Messiah and be grafted back into their natural state.
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
Israel experienced a hardening of heart so that the Gentile nations would have an opportunity to accept Jesus as the Messiah and be blessed. This was all part of God’s plan.
26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Paul is referring to an Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah 59:20
Isaiah 59:20 – “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.
Continued… 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Again this is a promise for the Jewish descendants of Abraham. The gift of the land of Israel is irrevocable, even though they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah. God’s call to bless them through the Messiah is also irrevocable. If at any moment, they accept the teachings of Jesus, they will become children/sons of Abraham.
30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Paul’s position on the Jewish people was one of sorrow and compassion.
Romans 9:2-5 – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
The Jewish people are adopted as sons when they accept Jesus as the Messiah. They become sons of Abraham and not just his descendants. In this scripture, Paul explains the promises given to the Jewish descendants of Abraham.
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