April 19-The Covenant with Father Abraham

Good Thursday to you and yours. Did you happen to see the moon last night? It was so pretty. A waxing crescent at 12.5%. I was out last night so I studied that moon for a bit and thought about the fact that even as bright as it was, it isn’t a star. It isn’t a source of light—it just reflects light. And when it gets behind the earth—when it lets the things of earth get in the way of the source of the light, it doesn’t even do that very well—as in the case of last night, only a sliver of it was shinning. Nothing like the metaphor God uses to describe the number of descendants that would come from Abraham—they would shine brightly like the stars in the sky...Stars that actually burn and produce a fervent heat the way that we should for our God. 


Abraham is an amazingly important figure in the Old Testament for all kinds of reasons.  Even though several important things happen before him, Abraham is the start of the story most of the Bible is concerned about.


For Paul, trying to bring these believing Jews and Gentiles together under faith in Jesus, Abraham is is very important for three reasons:


1. Abraham was not a Jew when he was called by God.  He was a pagan wandering around Mesopotamia.  Although he became the father of all Jews, God made a covenant with him while he was what the Galatians would consider a Gentile.


2. Abraham did not have the Law when he was called by God.  He was not circumcised.  He did not keep dietary laws.  The only thing going for him is that he believed God when God made promises to him and made a covenant with him.


3. Abraham's promises were intended to bless the Gentiles as well.  Even though God entered into a special agreement with him and his descendants, the entire world was meant to be blessed through their faithfulness.


Because of these things, Abraham may be the biological father of the Jews, but he is the spiritual father of both Jews and Gentiles who would share his faith.  Abraham, too, was once a Gentile apart from the Law, but he believed and trusted God, and God counted this as faithfulness.


And now, Jesus has brought those promises of Abraham to both Jew and Gentile.  Because of Jesus, the promises that everyone thought was lost because of sin are now reclaimed and made available to all!  The only thing is that we need to believe and trust in God who has revealed Himself in Jesus.  If we have Abraham's faith, God counts it as faithfulness apart from the Law.


I love how Paul concludes this chapter:

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:28-29‬ ‭NLT‬‬


Thank you Father God of Abraham for providing a way for me to share in this promise. Amen. 


Love you dear one,

Pam and Philip

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