The document discusses the biblical story of God's covenant with Abraham. It summarizes key events like God calling Abraham to leave his home and promising to make him a great nation, Abraham demonstrating his faith in God by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, and God sealing the covenant by passing between divided animal sacrifices alone while Abraham watched. The document argues that this covenant foreshadows God's ultimate sealing of the new covenant through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.

1. Copyright © Simon G. Harris 2011
Scripture quotations taken from the
HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984
by International Bible Society. Used by
permission
Abraham: The Covenant

2. The Call
•a living God
•a leaving behind
•a legacy promised
Genesis 12:1-3 1 The
Lord had said to Abram,
"Leave your country, your
people and your father's
household and go to the land
I will show you. 2 "I will
make you into a great nation
and I will bless you; ...and
all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you."

3. The Call
•a living God
•a leaving behind
•a legacy promised
Matthew 1:1 A record of
the genealogy of Jesus Christ
the son of David, the son of
Abraham:

4. The Call
•a living God
•a leaving behind
•a legacy promised
Galatians 3:14 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.

5. The Call
•a living God
•a leaving behind
•a legacy promised
•a ludicrous choice
Genesis 12:1-3 1 The
Lord had said to Abram,
"Leave your country, your
people and your father's
household and go to the land
I will show you. 2 "I will
make you into a great nation
and I will bless you; ...and
all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you."

6. The COVENANT
A covenant:
•two households
became one
•for protection &
provision
•lasted a lifetime
Genesis 14:1-2 At this
time Amraphel king of
Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar,
Kedorlaomer king of Elam
and Tidal king of Goiim 2
went to war against Bera
king of Sodom, Birsha king of
Gomorrah, Shinab king of
Admah, Shemeber king of
Zeboiim, and the king of
Bela (that is, Zoar).

7. The COVENANT
Protection
•“shield”
Provision
•“reward”
Genesis 15:1 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."

8. The COVENANT
Protection
•“shield”
Provision
•“reward”
Genesis 15:2 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?"

9. The COVENANT
Protection
•“shield”
Provision
•“reward”
Genesis 15:5 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."

10. The COVENANT
We enter into God’s
promise by FAITH
alone
Genesis 15:6 Abram
believed the Lord, and he
credited it to him as
righteousness.

11. The COVENANT
We enter into God’s
promise by FAITH
alone
Romans 4:23-24The
words "it was credited to
him" were written not for
him alone, 24 but also for
us, to whom God will credit
righteousness--for us who
believe in him who raised
Jesus our Lord from the
dead.

12. The COVENANT
We enter into God’s
promise by FAITH
alone
Ephesians 2:8For it is by
grace you have been saved,
through faith--and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift
of God--

13. The COVENANT
Genesis 5:9So 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."

14. The COVENANT
Genesis 15:10Abram
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.

15. The COVENANT
•God was the other
partner!
Genesis 15:17When the
sun had set and darkness had
fallen, a smoking firepot
with a blazing torch
appeared ....

16. The COVENANT
•God was the other
partner!
•God sealed the deal
•God did it all
Genesis 15:17When the
sun had set and darkness had
fallen, a smoking firepot
with a blazing torch
appeared and passed
between the pieces.

17. The COVENANT
•God was the other
partner!
•God sealed the deal
•God did it all
Genesis 15:18On that
day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram ...

18. The COVENANT
Two signs
•new names
Genesis 17:5No longer
will you be called Abram;
your name will be Abraham,
for I have made you a father
of many nations.

19. The COVENANT
Two signs
•new names
•new scar
Genesis 17:11-12You 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.

20. The COVENANT
Just an aside ...
•God’s PACE is different to ours
•God’s PLAN is different to ours

21. The Consequence
•Abraham was totally
confident in God
Genesis 22:12b" Now I
know that you fear God,
because you have not
withheld from me your son,
your only son."

22. The Consequence
•Abraham was totally
confident in God
•The old way is over
Genesis 22:12a"Do not
lay a hand on the boy," he
said. "Do not do anything to
him.

23. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
Ephesians 2:13But now
in Christ Jesus you who once
were far away have been
brought near through the
blood of Christ.

24. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
John 1:14The Word
became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have
seen his glory, the glory of
the One and Only, who came
from the Father, full of
grace and truth.

25. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
2 Corinthians 5:21God
made him who had no sin to
be sin for us, so that in him
we might become the
righteousness of God.

26. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
•The scar
John 20:20After he said
this, he showed them his
hands and side. The disciples
were overjoyed when they
saw the Lord.

27. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
•The scar
•The lamb provided
John 1:29The next day
John saw Jesus coming
toward him and said, "Look,
the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!

28. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
Luke 23:33When they
came to the place called the
Skull, there they crucified
him, along with the
criminals--one on his right,
the other on his left.
•The scar
•The lamb provided
•The place the lamb was found

29. Grace Notes
•The blood that
sealed the covenant
•The way God sealed
the covenant
Hebrews 11:19Abraham
reasoned that God could
raise the dead, and
figuratively speaking, he did
receive Isaac back from
death.
•The scar
•The resurrection
•The lamb provided pondered
•The place the lamb was found