"God's Wisdom in a Sacred Secret" - The Covenant With Abraham

Over two thousand years after man's expulsion from Paradise, Jehovah told his faithful servant Abraham:  "I shall surely multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens .  .  . and by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves due to the fact that you have listened to my voice." (Genesis 22:17, 18)   This was more than a promise; Jehovah framed it in the form of a legal covenant and backed it by his unbreakable oath.  (Genesis 17:1, 2; Hebrews 6:13-15) How remarkable that the Sovereign Lord actually contracted to bless mankind!

The Abrahamic covenant revealed that the promised Seed would come as a human, for he would be a descendant of Abraham. But who would he be? In time, Jehovah revealed that of Abraham's sons, Isaac would be  forebear of the Seed.  Of Isaac's two sons, Jacob was selected.  (Genesis 21:12; 28:13, 14)  Later, Jacob uttered these prophetic words over one of his 12 sons:  "The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh ["He to Whom It belongs"] comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples w will belong."  (Genesis 49:10) Now it was known that the Seed would be a king, one who descended from Judah! 

Next time: "God's Wisdom in a Sacred Secret" -The Covenant With Israel

From the book: Draw Close to Jehovah