Covenant Relationships Covenant Foundations

Covenant Foundations After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward…”

Covenant Foundations But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir"- Genesis 15:1-3

Covenant Foundations Abram realizes that having material possessions is not enough We were made for family relationships

Covenant Foundations Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir…”

Covenant Foundations …He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be…”

Covenant Foundations …Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness- vs. 4-6

Covenant Foundations What did Abraham do to become righteous?

Covenant Foundations He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"- vs. 7-8

Covenant Foundations Where are we going in this relationship? How can I know…???

Covenant Foundations So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away…

Covenant Foundations Covenant: Berit= often used with karat to denote “cutting a covenant” “May this happen to me if I break this covenant”

Covenant Foundations …As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years…

Covenant Foundations NOTE: It won’t always go well for God’s people. That doesn’t mean God’s not in it How does this apply to Marriage???

Covenant Foundations …But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age…

Covenant Foundations …In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure"- vs. 9-16

In Response to “How Can I Know?” (What does it tell me about God?) God knows the future in exact detail God doesn’t promise comfort or ease God does promise justice

Covenant Foundations When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates"- vs. 17-19

Covenant Foundations Did Abram promise anything in this covenant?

Covenant Foundations God’s covenant is not conditioned upon Abraham’s actions God’s covenant is one of action, not expectation

Involves PART of a Person Contract vs. Covenant Contract Covenant End date Permanent Conditional Unconditional Involves PART of a Person Whole Being

Covenants of God: Adamic: Conditional Noahic: Unconditional Abrahamic: Unconditional Palestinian: Semi-conditional Mosaic: Conditional Davidic: Unconditional New: Unconditional

Covenant Foundations Covenants need to be reconfirmed, but not renegotiated

Covenant Foundations Abram and Sarai- names change due to covenant Abram- “exalted father” Abraham- “father of multitudes” Sarai- “my princess” Sarah- “mother of nations”

Covenant Foundations We don’t meet, know or marry static individuals

Genesis 15-24 Abraham’s faith in the Covenant is tested in every conceivable way No kids for 15 years or so God rejects Abraham’s attempts to fulfill the promise on his own His wife is laughing at God He is called to slaughter his son

Genesis 15-24 Abraham’s faith in the Covenant is tested in every conceivable way God’s covenant remains intact

Covenant Foundations By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear- Hebrews 8:13

Covenant Foundations Every other relationship of commitment is obsolete compared to marriage

Takeaways: It’s good and natural to want family relationships. The place I start is God…

Takeaways: It won’t always go well in the marriage covenant. But that doesn’t mean God’s not in it Don’t short-circuit what God may want to do

Takeaways: Have I allowed for change within the other person, whether I like the change or not? Is my love conditional or covenant?

Takeaways: Do I regularly reconfirm my covenant? Which relationships have precedence over my marriage relationship? Am I willing to confess that as sin and repent?