S161P3 – Our God of covenant: a father of nations
Gen. 17:1-6
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”
The covenant that God established with Abraham gives a promise of incredible fruitfulness where the man had experienced drought and scarcity. He had lived almost a century and Sarah as well, and they had no children. It was not necessarily even that they had no children but that they had no sons. Then, God appeared with this offer to make Abraham a father of many nations. Biologically speaking, this would have been a great honor. For God to fill this void in Abraham’s life was a blessing, and his sons fulfilled the promise, the descendants of Isaac distinct from the descendants of Ismael. Yet, biological fatherhood of many nations was not the only promise made here.
The genealogy of Christ as written in the book of Matthew begins by naming Jesus as the son of David and the son of Abraham. [Mt. 1:1] He came through the biological bloodline of Abraham through Isaac, and so many generations and nations also came during that time. Then, Jesus created his own bloodline. That bloodline was not biological but spiritual. Jesus left no natural descendants, but He has brought many into his spiritual bloodline by way of the shedding of his physical blood. Believers have become part of that lineage, and Abraham is now a father of many more nations because of the salvation offered by Christ. The man who might have seen himself dying with no heirs to remember him now has too many to count.
When God promised Abraham many descendants, He also promised that kings would be born from his lineage. While it may be that earthly kings have come through this bloodline, the spiritual royal family resulting from this covenant is key. Jesus has made us kings to reign with him. [Rev. 1:5b-6] The King of Kings will rule the nations with us. We are the kings over whom Christ is supreme. We are a royal priesthood carrying authority and power from on high. Through Abraham has come not simply a family in Christ but a kingdom in Christ. Father, thank You for the covenant which has made us sons of yours, grafting us into your holy priesthood to be kings along with Christ.