a. The Nation Promise

On three more occasions God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation of his descendants. In Gen. 15:5, God said: "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." In Gen. 17:4, God said: "As for me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Finally, in Gen. 22:17, God told him: "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Years later God renewed the promise to Isaac, Abraham's son: And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven (Gen. 26:4). God also renewed the promise to Jacob, Abraham's grandson: "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south (Gen. 28:14).

b. The Land Promise

God appeared to Abraham while he was in a deep sleep and described the extent of the territory that his descendants would possess. In Gen. 15:12-18, God gave the limits of the promised land: On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: These rivers marked the southwestern and northeastern extremes of the land.

c. The Seed Promise

When God first stated the seed promise to Abraham, Abraham was 75 years old and did not have a son through whom the promise could be fulfilled. Twenty-five years later his wife, Sarah, at the age of 90, gave birth to Isaac. While Isaac was still young and Abraham was over 100 years old, God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on an altar. Remarkable as it may seem, Abraham was willing to obey. He believed God would bring Isaac back from the dead if necessary (Heb. 11:17-19). After this astounding demonstration of Abraham's faith, God repeated the promises to him including the seed promise (Gen. 22:18): "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." God also repeated the promise to Isaac (Gen. 26:4) and to Jacob (Gen. 28:14).

d. The Significance