Graceful Truth

OUR COVENANT-KEEPING GOD

January 20, 2020

OUR COVENANT-KEEPING GOD


Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. Abraham had been given the great, covenantal promise from God that God would bless him and make of him a great nation that would bless the world. God repeated and confirmed this promise to Abraham at least 6 times (Genesis 12:1-7; 13:14-17;  15:1-6; 17:1-8, 15-16; 22:16-18). And Abraham believed God. On several of those occasions, upon receiving the promise Abraham built an altar and called upon the Lord. Once, he gave a tithe (10%) to the priest, Melchezidek.

ISSAC

Later, God would revisit that same promise, very personally to Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4, 24). Isaac built an altar at the spot where this occurred.

JACOB

Now, we come to Isaac's son, Jacob in Genesis, Chapter 28. He is traveling to Haran to find an Israelite wife. He lays his head down to sleep and has an extraordinary dream of a ladder to heaven with angels going up and down. The Lord was standing above the ladder giving this promise:

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.
 14 “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
 15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

 

Third generation, identical promise. Jacob's response was like his ancestors.

 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
 18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.
 19 He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.
 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear,
 21 and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.
 22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

 

Can you imagine how confirming this was to Jacob? Having known his father and grandfather's dealings with God, for God to now come and confirm that Jacob was the heir and continuation of that covenant. And, imagine the responsibility he felt to stay faithful to God Himself.

When God makes a generational covenant, He keeps it. He is faithful. We have seen this promise fulfilled over 4,000 years. In 1948, we saw the continuation of this promise as God returned His people (as He promised) to the very land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But, the greatest blessing that has come from Abraham's line was Jesus Himself, who has blessed the whole world, just as God said, building a new kingdom and new nation of "every tongue, tribe, nation, and people" who would come to faith in Christ and a relationship with the King.

And our response should be to build an altar, worship, and give back to God.

Father, thank you for your promises to Your children. And thank you for your promises to me. As you prove faithful, help me to be faithful to love, serve, and follow You. Help me to believe in Your promises. May my life show the world that you are the God-Who-Gives-and-Keeps-Promises, so that you may be more fully glorified.



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