(a) What is a Covenant? (b) Illustrate how God proved to Abraham that He would honour the covenant.

Answer Details

(a) What is a Covenant?

A covenant is a solemn and binding agreement between two parties in which each party accepts certain responsibilities and obligations according to the terms of the agreement. The parties may be equals, or one may be superior to the other. In the Bible, a covenant often refers to God’s agreement with His people, in which God makes promises and requires obedience and faithfulness from them.

(b) How God proved to Abraham that He would honour the covenant

God proved His faithfulness to Abraham by fulfilling His promise that Sarah would bear Abraham a son, through whom the covenant would continue. Although Abraham was very old and Sarah had been barren, God assured Abraham that Sarah would have a son and that he should call his name Isaac.

When Abraham suggested that Ishmael might be the one through whom the covenant would be fulfilled, God made it clear that the covenant would be established with Isaac and his descendants. God, however, promised also to bless Ishmael and make him fruitful.

At the time God had promised, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Abraham named the child Isaac, as God had commanded, and circumcised him on the eighth day as a sign of the covenant. Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born.

Sarah rejoiced at the birth of Isaac and said that God had made her laugh, so that all who heard would laugh with her. Abraham later made a great feast when Isaac was weaned. Thus, the birth of Isaac showed that God had fulfilled His promise and would honour His covenant with Abraham.