Day 19 - FOUNDATION STONES IN A YEAR
Reading: Isaiah 9: 6; Galatians 3: 13-16
Yesterday we saw how Jesus was the fulfilment of the promises that God had made to Adam and Eve – and via them, to all of humanity. Today, we’re going to look at another great promise that God fulfilled through Jesus.
Jesus also came in amongst humanity in order to fulfil the promises that God made to Abraham, and about Abraham. The promises that God made to and about Abraham are not entirely unrelated to the promise He made to Adam and Eve. In fact, the seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3 is the same seed of Abraham that will bless the whole world.
The promise of the saving “seed” was given to Abraham in what is known as the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
What else does the Bible tell us about the “seed” of Abraham? The “seed” of Abraham are both the recipients of God’s blessings and the instruments through whom God’s blessings are passed on to others. Abraham’s seed will “be blessed” and will “be a blessing” (verse 2). Israel overemphasized the blessings they would receive, and as a rule, ignored their responsibility to be a blessing to others.
God’s covenant with Abraham promised blessings not for just Jews, but for both Jews and Gentiles. God’s promise to Abraham includes Abraham’s descendants (“you,” verse 2) and “all the families of the earth” (verse 3).
Later on, the Old Testament narrows the “seed” to a single person and we discover that the coming one will be a prophet, priest, king, will be both human and divine and will rule for eternity, amongst many other things.
It is only with the advent of Jesus Christ and the subsequent theological explanations through the apostles that we understand that he is, in fact, the fulfilment of all God’s promises – the saving, blessing “seed”.
Jesus came to show that when God promises something, He fulfils it – so wait for it, even though it may take longer than you imagined at first. Jesus came to show that God does not speak lightly – he is absolutely and completely faithful.
Prayer
Thank You for Your faithfulness, Father God. I depend on it and rest my entire faith and hope upon it.
For the family
Watch this video together