The Third Covenant
by Kelly Salbato

This brings us to Abram. God speaks to Abram, who lives in the wealthy community of Ur. Abram is told by God to leave Ur, leave his family and go to a place he has never been before.

Abram obeys God. He goes to Canaan and waits. God sends a famine and Abram is forced to go to Egypt. In Egypt, the pharaoh sees Sarai (Abram’s wife) and wants her for himself. Abram lies to the pharaoh and tells him that Sarai is his sister. God sends plagues upon pharaohs house and the pharaoh sends Abram and Sarai away with compensation.

When they get back to Canaan, Abram’s nephew Lot insists that the land is not big enough for all of them. Abram let’s Lot choose the land he wants and Lot chooses the best land for himself and leaves the less desirable land for Abram.

The promised land now becomes a battle zone and there are Nine kings battling for who knows what right in the Promised Land. Lot is captured by one of these kings and Abram rescues him. During the rescue, he also seizes a large amount of wealth, which he promptly gives as a tithe to Melchizedek.

Abram’s faith is incredible, but it begins to waver a little bit in Genesis 15. (Abram wants a child and he is concerned that his slave will be his heir).

God then swears an oath (a covenant) to Abram. God promised Abram that he would have a son and that his own son would be his heir. He also promised Abram that the Promised Land would be given to his descendants, but that his descendants would be slaves for hundreds of years in another land.

Genesis 19 shows us that Sarai doubted and asks Abram to have a son with her maid servant. This happens and Ishmael was born to Hagar. Abram was 86 years old and committed a terrible sin against God.

13 years later in Genesis 17, God speaks to Abram again. Now He changes Abrams name to Abraham. (Abraham means "father of a vast multitude") He also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. (which means this kind of Queen mother). When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He could not believe that God could give him a son at 100 years of age. Sarah was 90. God said "But Sarah, your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac", " I will establish my covenant, my family with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him".

God renewed his covenant with Abraham, with an oath, promising not just a land (the Promised Land), but a kingdom, an empire. God also told Abraham that for his part he must institute a sign and that the sign of the new covenant was circumcision.

A year later, Sarah gives birth to a son and they call him Isaac. (which means laughter). We go on and now Isaac is about 13 years old. A fight ensues between Ishmael and Isaac and Sarah forces Abraham to drive Ishmael and Hagar away. So he does.

Then God says in verse 1 of Genesis Ch 22 "After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham, here I am. Take your son and sacrifice him".

So Abraham rises up early in the morning and takes Isaac to the place that God had instructed him. Isaac walked with him, carrying the wood for the burnt offering. They reached the spot where God had asked them to go and Abraham prepared the wood and laid it upon Isaac, his son. Then he took the knife to slay his son, and the Angel of the Lord stopped him saying, "Now I know that you fear God seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son from me".

Mount Moriah is located in the same mountain range that Jesus died on the cross.

After Abraham pleased God, God makes the third promise to Abraham. Ch 22 verse 16 "Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you and I will multiply your descendants and all the earth will be blessed with your seed".


Remember the three promises:

1) "I will give you land" (The covenant with Moses)

2) "I will make your name great" (The covenant with David)

3)"Through your seed, I will bless the earth" (The covenant with Jesus
Christ)