The Abrahamic Convenants

The Covenants of Abraham

Last week I described a covenant as a promise, the Bible Dictionary describes it as an agreement sometimes between persons but more often between God and man. While a covenant between two people may be on equal terms a covenant between God and man is not the same, God makes the terms and man accepts. 

When we review the agreements made between Abraham and the Lord they are found in many areas of Genesis.

What Abraham Promised to Do What the Lord Promised Abraham

Move to the land of Canaan  

• Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  
• Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
• Genesis 13:15 and 16 I will give you all the land you see around you, I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth

Believe in the Lord

• Genesis 15:4-7 Heirs as numerous as the stars

Walk before me and be thou perfect; all males over the age of 8 circumcised

• Genesis 17:1-10 thou will be a father of nations; 

Sarai become Sarah

• Genesis 17:15-19 Sarah will bear a son; Ishmael will be a father of nations also

He and his children and household will keep the way of the Lord, do justice and judgment

• Genesis 18 Sarah will have a son; Abraham will be a great and mighty nation

On the surface the Abrahamic covenant is a promise to grant Abraham lands and a heritage in return for his obedience. When you look deep you see more however.  

The Abrahamic covenant was a promise to Abraham that not only he but all of his posterity would be entitled to the covenant of salvation (baptism), the priesthood and the covenant of exaltation (celestial marriage) on top of the promise of eternal increase of his line. Every individual who is baptized or receives a celestial marriage renews the covenant and that is also how people of non-Israelite linage (Gentiles) are adopted into the covenant.

We fulfill our side of the covenant by being obedient & by spreading the gospel, in return we share in all the promises of the covenant. We can be reunited with our Heavenly Father. We can have eternal life. We can live with our families forever.

One of the parts of Abrahams story that some people get confused about is the involvement of Hagar, we shouldn't be. Hagar and her son not only formed an important part of the story. Ishmael was the father of a nation as well. However beyond that we should not over look the culture of the time.

In Genesis 16:1-3 We found that Sarai had still not conceived the child that the Lord had promised and decided to take things into her own hands.  She gave her maid Hagar to Abram to be his wife to bear children with.

In D&C 132: 34 & 65 Joseph Smith clarifies what happens here. Multiple wives were not uncommon in the time and that the union of Abram and Hagar was commanded by the Lord. 

The very names of Abraham and Sarah show the change.

Abraham: Father of a multitude

Abram :exalted father

Sarah: Princess

Sarai: contentions

The changes in both names reflect Abraham and Sarahs new status as the parents of a nation.