Claiming the Promise of the Multitude

Scripture: "As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. ... I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God." Genesis 17:4-5,7-8

Observation: When the Lord repeats the covenant to Abraham - in fact, when he renames him Abraham (v5) - the Lord uses some specific words in regards to people in the future. The Lord refers to Abraham's "offspring" as the people who are part of the covenant, and whom will receive the land of Canaan. However, he refers to the future people Abraham will "father" as "many nations" ... plural. It seems important to note that he does NOT make an explicit connection between the "nations" and the "offspring". It therefore seems clear that the Lord is defining two different outcomes:

-- Abraham's offspring will become a people-group, and that people-group will be compliant to this Abrahamic Covenant and in return will reside in the promised land.

-- Many nations, beyond this one people-group, will become the children of Abraham, and thus will be blessed as an outcome of the Lord's covenant promise.

Application: Part of the Lord's covenant promise is this ... that I am actually a child of Abraham. I am not Jewish, but by faith in Jesus I am from one nation that is now part of the "many nations" that come from this promise, and that promise was that Abraham, though soon to be 100 years old, would begin a family line that eventually creates the environment for Messiah to redeem and bless the entire world.

Today, I claim the promise that Abraham is my father. He is the father of the multitude, and I am one of that multitude of billions. The opportunity for, and conditions of, my salvation were promised to Abraham at that moment thousands of years ago. I am not part of his offspring, but he is my father.

Prayer: Abba, you are my heavenly father, and I am so delighted to be your son. May I remember every day that I am just that, a son adopted into a promise through the love and sacrifice of Jesus. Amen.