09. The Period Of Promise-The Call Of Abram-The Origin Of Nations-The Passover
CHAPTER NINE
THE PERIOD OF PROMISE-THE CALL OF ABRAM-
THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS-THE PASSOVER
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I shall show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him" (Genesis 12:1-4).
The fourth dispensation of time is called the period of promise. It lasted from the period of self-government to the period of law, 430 years.
Before the age of promise, the people on earth lived as one nation with one language; but after the building of the Tower of Babel, God saw fit to separate the people into different nations, with different languages, because they had disobeyed him, and had become idolatrous children of the Devil (Deuteronomy 32:8).
This separation of the people by God caused the origin of nations.
You will notice on the Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png), in the age of self-government, the names of the different sons of Ham, Shem and Japheth, who were the sons of Noah. You will notice, also, after the picture of the Tower of Babel, the names of the nations which were given as an inheritance by God to the descendants of Ham, Shem and Japheth.
After the origin of nations, God called out Abram from the family of Terah in the land of Ur of the Chaldees to be the father of a new nation.
God wished to use a new and chosen people in His plan for the ages.
God made an unconditional covenant with Abram which was confined to the Hebrew race. This covenant or promise is outlined at the bottom of the Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png), preceding the diagram of the World Powers.
Abram left the land of his fathers, as God commanded him, to go to the land which God promised him for a heritage. His people were to increase and to become a separate people, the chosen people of God. Abram’s name was later changed to Abraham.
The Abrahamic covenant was re-affirmed to Abraham after his faith was tested in his offering-up of Isaac (Genesis 22:15-18). God’s covenant with Abraham became an everlasting covenant (Genesis 7:1-24; Genesis 8:1-22). This covenant was wholly gracious and unconditional.
Abraham became dissatisfied after a time. There was a famine in the land and he went from his promised land down into Egypt (Genesis 12:10). While there, he did not call upon God. Later, he returned to his promised land.
God’s promise was re-established to Isaac, Abraham’s son (Genesis 26:24). It was later re-established to Jacob, Isaac’s son (Genesis 28:1-5). The descendants of Abraham became distinctively the heirs of promise, and they had but to remain in their own land to inherit their promised blessings. To this day, they have never claimed all of their promised land. This prophecy must be fulfilled.
Jacob blessed Joseph, the greatest of his twelve sons. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, meaning a soldier of God, after he wrestled with God. Joseph was taken into Egypt where, because he had proved so true in the midst of trouble, he was given great power and authority in the land of the king. Jacob and all of his people went into Egypt at the time of great famine in the land. Joseph was used of God to bless the children of Israel in Egypt. The children of Israel increased mightily while in Egypt. After the death of Joseph, they were sorely oppressed. They lost their blessing by going into Egypt, but they did not lose their covenant.
By the grace of God, Moses, who was led by God to spend forty years of preparation in that country, was raised up by God to be the deliverer of the children of Israel from Egypt. God definitely directed Moses. At the command of God, Moses instituted the passover. The blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the outside door frame of each house in order that the first-born child in that house might be delivered from death by the death angel who was to pass by that house. The passover is celebrated as an important annual event in Jewish history.
By the power of God, the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt. The age of promise ended when Israel exchanged grace for law at Mt. Sinai. The age of promise, as a mode of testing the people, was exclusively Israelitish.
You will notice a diagram on the Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png) below the age of promise, which shows the start of the different world powers, such as Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Greece and Rome. This diagram pictures the relationship of these world powers to each other, and also to God’s chosen people, the Jews.
The nation whose line of progress is at the top of the diagram at any one time is in supremacy during that particular time. The Jewish nation was decidedly affected by the nation in supremacy.
- The Jewish people were in Egypt while Egypt was supreme.
- When Babylon was supreme, the people of Judah were captive in Babylon.
- The Roman Empire was supreme during the life of Christ.
In order to understand the development of nations, one must read his Bible history thoroughly. The Bible is the only book that gives us the right conclusion to the whole matter. God’s covenant or promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob continues as an everlasting covenant.