God's Promises to Abraham
What did God promise Abraham?
Hundreds of Bible prophecies tell us about the mission, purpose and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are filled with prophecies of both His first and second coming.
What is the first directly messianic prophecy of the Bible?
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Shortly after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised to send a Savior born of woman who would bring judgment on the serpent who tempted them. The serpent is identified in Revelation 12:9 as Satan the devil.
This announcement of the Savior is the foundational promise God made to humankind because it paves the way for salvation through Jesus Christ. Without a doubt the promised redemptive work of the Messiah is one of the most important promises God has ever made.
What did God promise the patriarch Abraham?
“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5; compare Romans 4:17-18).
God had a close relationship with Abraham and promised him his descendants would ultimately constitute many nations. God even changed his name from Abram, meaning “exalted father,” to Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude,” to reflect the importance of this promise.
God made many promises to Abraham. The patriarch had such a close relationship with God that “he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23; see 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8). Abraham’s descendants also received several great and far-reaching promises.
How many descendants did God promise Abraham?
“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered” (Genesis 13:16; compare Genesis 15:5; 22:17).
Abraham’s descendants were to number into many millions of people. Again we see that God made some wonderful promises to this faithful servant.
What specific territorial promise did God make to Abraham?
“Then He said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it’” (Genesis 15:7; compare verses 18-21; Genesis 13:14-17; 17:8).
God said Abraham’s descendants would receive the land to which he had come, that of Canaan and its surroundings, which came to be termed “the Promised Land.” This is the area his descendants eventually settled after God brought them out of captivity in Egypt.
What promises of international importance did God give Abraham?
“. . . I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3; compare Genesis 18:18).
“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed . . .” (Genesis 22:18).
Abraham would bring blessing to all nations in many ways. But above that, all nations were to be blessed “in” him and his seed, somehow becoming part of his family so that, beyond the territory of Canaan, Abraham with his progeny was effectively promised to be “the heir of the world” (Romans 4:13).
How, ultimately, would blessing come to the whole world?
“Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ . . . And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:16, 19).
This is an awesome revelation. All people are able to become part of Abraham’s family and receive what was promised to Him through being joined to His foremost descendant, the Messiah or Christ.
What spiritual trait of Abraham was vital to his receiving promises from God?
“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22; compare Genesis 15:6; 22:18).
Faith was an integral part of Abraham’s character. He had great confidence that God would fulfill His promises. God viewed Abraham’s faith as righteousness. In other words, even though Abraham was not perfect, God regarded him as a righteous man because he deeply trusted God and, out of that trust, obeyed Him.
Why did God choose to carry out His plan through Abraham rather than someone else?
“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19).
“. . . And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:4-5; see Genesis 22:18).
These crucial passages in Genesis tell us that God gave Abraham the promises because he had a faith that was lived out through obedient actions (compare Hebrews 10:38; 11:8, 17). Because of his confidence in God, he put his heart into striving to accomplish all God had commanded him. He also faithfully taught his children to follow God’s way of life.
Did Abraham and others who followed him receive all of the promises of God?
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
Abraham is mentioned prominently in the list of God’s faithful servants in Hebrews 11 (verses 8-12). Yet we read that neither he nor any of those who came before or after him have received the promises of the eternal inheritance God made to them. But God has not forgotten them.
When, then, will they ultimately receive what God promised them?
“And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us [referring to faithful Christians]” (Hebrews 11:39-40).
Christ’s followers will receive the eternal aspects of these promises through faith along with God’s people from ancient times who served Him in faith. God wants all His servants to exercise the same faith that was in faithful Abraham. All these are to receive their eternal inheritance together, at the same time, in the resurrection at Christ’s return (see also 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What does God expect of us as Abraham’s spiritual descendants?
“ . . . As it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:17).
“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only . . . For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:20-23).
“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39).
We, too, must have faith in God because through faith we are justified and receive the promises God made to Abraham. And this faith must be dynamic—leading to obedient works of righteousness.
God expects us to exercise faith by following His laws and ways. Following Abraham’s faithful example will allow us to enjoy a friendship and ever-deepening relationship with God. (To better understand Abraham’s life of faith and how you too can live by faith, be sure to request your free copy of our study guide You Can Have Living Faith.)
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