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Genesis 17:7-8
I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
The story of Abraham and Sarah is extremely special to me for many reasons, most notably because their child is my sweet son’s namesake– Isaac. But really, I just LOVE how their story is thick with promises and God’s fulfilling work.
If you’ve read the Old Testament for a hot second then you’ve seen references of ‘the promised land’. This is of course, because it was one of God’s ginormous promises to Abraham. It’s easy to glide right over that phrase -the promised land- without sinking into it’s incredible depths. Canaan literally means something like “lowland” but carries the intense spiritual connotation of “covenant”. Covenant for Abraham was about God inviting him into a relationship with Him and gracefully adopting him as His son. (And of course, this same invitation was eventually extended to us through Jesus.) The incredible thing in the promises of Canaan and Isaac is how God paved a huge legacy for Abraham…and how God is paving a huge legacy for you. (And me too, of course.)
However, I’m certain that if Abraham had focused on his circumstances instead of trusting his future/family/identity/etc. to God, then he would have laughed at God (hm…I think that does happen for a brief moment later in Abe’s story). Abraham didn’t even have any children yet. NONE. His wife was nearing the centenarian mark. And this land didn’t even belong to him. And God said, ‘hey! I’m gonna give you an entire land that will be FILLED with your descendants. You’ll be the father of a nation, and this land will belong to you.’ I’d be laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. But guess how this story ends? God delivered. Abraham fathered the nation of Israel through one son, Isaac (which means awesomely and ironically means ‘laughter’). And it wasn’t exactly easy, but eventually that nation marched into Canaan and straight-up owned the promised land. God showed up in his promises. And that’s exactly what covenant with God is all about: God showing up. God’s invitation into covenant is still good, you need only accept. And He will show up.
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