Ch. 5 - Abraham, Our Father

Understanding the Scriptures

In this lesson, Carson shows how the remainder of Salvation History is foretold in the three covenants God successively formed with Abram in Genesis 15, with Abraham in Genesis 17, and with Abraham's seed (Hb zerah) in Genesis 22. The first covenant (Gn 15) finds its fulfillment in the Mosaic Covenant when God forms Israel into a nation at the foot of Mount Sinai in the Arabian desert. The second covenant (Gn 17) is fulfilled in the Davidic Covenant when God takes the nation of Israel and transforms it into a kingdom under David, his heir Solomon, and each subsequent Davidic king. Finally, the third covenant (Gn 22) is fulfilled when Abraham's seed, Jesus, establishes the New Covenant wherein all the nations or families of the earth (i.e. the Gentiles) find blessing. You will see how the Biblical account of the binding of Isaac in Gn 22 (Hb aqedah) foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross in several very significant ways.