JUL 13

Genesis 17
Memorise Genesis 17:19
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness”

There are many theologically significant and important themes that are found in the book of Genesis. One that stands forth clearly in the book of Genesis is that of covenants. What are covenants, you may ask? A covenant is simply a promise – an agreement or contract made between two parties. It can be man to man, or God to man. The covenants that we are interested in the Book of Genesis would of course be the covenants that He makes with man. In these covenants, God alone is the one who sets the terms and conditions.

There are two main covenants that are evident in the Bible, both of which are found in the book of Genesis. The first is the Covenant of Works, which God gave to Adam in the Garden of Eden. The terms of the Covenant were simple – if they were to obey and not eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would pass the test and be granted eternal life, in the state of perfect holiness. However, if they were to eat (and they did do so in the end), then they would surely die.

After man fell, God showed His mercy and grace by giving a promise in Genesis 3:15. Through that first gospel, He ushered in the Covenant of Grace, whereby it was no longer a conditional promise that required man’s obedience, but it was an unconditional promise that relied on God’s grace. He alone would fulfil all the conditions of the covenant in sending the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) who would one day come to destroy the works of the Devil.

This covenant was thus gradually revealed to man through the progress of time. God would slowly explain more about this seed through the various promises He would make to Abraham (like we read in Genesis 17), Isaac and Jacob, and later to men like David and prophets like Isaiah, Micah and others. The promises were consistent – that there would be a seed that would come as a Saviour, the Messiah who would deliver and redeem them all. It was therefore to this promise that the Old Testament saints like Abraham looked forward to, knowing that it was salvation by grace through faith, for salvation is of the Lord.

Thought: Salvation is always of the Lord, by grace through faith.
Prayer: O Lord, I thank You that You alone made salvation possible for us, for we can do nothing to save ourselves.