Have you ever used the “pinch and open” method to zoom in on a picture on your cell phone? Today, we will zoom in on one man, Abram, and his relationship with the God of creation.

In Genesis 12, God made Abram a promise. He told this man, older and childless, that he would have many descendants who would inherit the land of Canaan. More importantly, God promised that Abram would be a source of blessing to the whole world. And Abram believed Him!

Often students of the Bible use the word covenant to describe a promise made by God to a specific person or people. While the idea of such a promise, or agreement, is not unique to God (people make covenants with each other too), God’s covenant is special because His character is perfect. He will never change His mind, change the deal, or go back on His word. The covenant God made with Abraham involved promises that would have long reaching implications.

To Abram, a man without children into his 90s, and his wife Sarai, the promise of many children sounded preposterous. Yet their descendants, the Jewish people, would become the focus of God’s plan of redemption. Inheriting the land of Canaan was also difficult to imagine as they had spent their entire lives in tents without a land of their own. Yet in due time their descendants would move into Canaan and settle there. Finally, the idea that the whole world would be blessed by one of his descendants was incredible. When the time was right, God brought Jesus into the world, a son of Abraham, to save the world (Matt. 1:1). The Abrahamic covenant is a foundation of our faith!