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Here we have the germ of the whole of God's covenants with Abraham, viz., Israel
and the Nations. Like Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which stands on the threshold of the
times of the Gentiles, this covenant spans and embraces the whole period and scope of
the Abrahamic covenant, all other covenants and promises, including even Paul's witness
to justification by faith in Romans and Galatians, being but expansions and details of this
one grand covenant. It behoves us therefore to give careful attention to this marvellous
record; it is bounded on either side (members A A) by command and obedience,
"Get thee out", "So Abram departed". Obedience to the word of God, "the Lord had
said", "as the Lord had spoken". Heb. 11: 8 links Abraham's obedience with faith, "By
FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out unto a place which he should after
receive for an inheritance, OBEYED"; this supplies the scriptural interpretation to the
words of Paul in Romans, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for
obedience of faith among all nations" (1: 5), ". . . . made known to all nations for
obedience of faith" (16: 26). To this the apostle refers in 15: 18, "for the obedience of
the nations". Acts 6: 7 shows that those of Israel who believed were "obedient to the
faith". (We shall have to consider the relation of faith with Abraham and his covenants
when we read Gen. 15:).
We pass on to notice members B B.
Abraham's obedience meant loss, yet
Abraham's obedience made him the father of many nations, and all families in the earth
were to be blessed in him. How can we speak of losing when we have such a God! We
lose trifles, bubbles, we gain realities for ever. The land promised to Abram was not to
be a portion of earth cut off from all else, for though sacred and called by preeminence,
The Holy Land, it was chosen, and the people and events that fill out its history have as
their designed end the blessing of the nations, "all families of the earth". So in
Gal. 3: 13, 14, "Christ hath redeemed us (Israel, verse 10) from the curse of the Law,
. . . . that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles".
The central member C is taken up with the links that were designed to bring about
this desired end, first, the formation of a great nation. A question that is of importance
here is that which touches the greatness of this elect nation, viz., Wherein was their
greatness? In several places the greatness of this nation is mentioned:--
"Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation" (Gen. 18: 18).
"I am the God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there
make of thee a great nation" (Gen. 46: 3). "A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and
he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation,
great, mighty and prosperous" (Deut. 26: 5).
The inhabitants of Canaan, however, are said to be great, "for the Lord hath driven out
from before you great nations and strong" (Josh. 23: 9). Seven nations are enumerated
in Deut. 7: 1 that were cast out of the land, "greater and mightier" than Israel. The
question of Israel's greatness therefore does not consist of mere numerical greatness,
indeed the same passage continues, "the Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose
you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all
people" (verse 7). Israel's greatness as a nation consisted in the unique position which
they occupied as an instrument of blessing in the hand of the Lord:--