Bible: History Guided By A Promise

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HGP1. Running Head: HISTORY GUIDED BY A PROMISE History Guided by a Promise Darius Smith Grand Canyon University BIB 113 July 18, 2009 HGP 2. History Guided by a Promise God declares in Genesis 12 his universal intention: there is still to be a “blessing for all the nations,” but it will now come through his covenant through a single individual, Abraham. This covenant reflects exactly the creation triangle, only now on a smaller scale: God, Israel, and the land. The election of Israel and the promise of land are thus to be set in the context of God’s ultimate purpose for salvation of humanity and the recreation of all the earth; they were not ends in themselves, but means to a greater end.…show more content…
In Genesis 12:1-7, God calls Abram to leave his country and people and go to the land that God would show him. God promises to make Abram into a great nation (12:2), to bless all peoples of the earth because of him, (Gen 12:3). Later when Abram actually arrives in Canaan, God promises to give the land to his offspring (Gen 12:7). At this point, the features of the blessing are: 1) descendants, 2) a blessing to other nations through Abram, and 3) ownership of the land. HGP…show more content…
Even though Hagar and Ishmael are sent away so as not to interfere with the blessing that is passed onto Isaac, God does bless Ishmael as well. Secondly, the covenant with Abimelech touches the other two aspects of Abraham’s blessing---the promise that he will be a blessing to other nations and the promise of the land. It involves a potential share of Abraham’s blessing for Abimelech, and for Abraham, the chance to improve his status as an alien by gaining legal recognition from a native. In the third section, we return to God’s promise of descendants through Isaac. Abraham, who earlier took this particular blessing into his own hands, is now tested. He demonstrates that he does trust God. Fourthly, when Sarah dies, Abraham buys property in Canaan to bury his wife. This means that he now legally owns a portion of the land that God has promised will one day belong to his descendants. Fifthly, a wife must be found for Isaac to continue the line of the blessing. Finally, as the Abraham cycle finishes the readers are told that “after Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac.” (Gen 25:11). In Genesis 26, the account of Isaac and Rebekah is told (Ellis, 19:46). In the first instance there is the appearance of God to Isaac for the purpose of confirming the promises made to

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