God in covenanting with Abraham was also part of the fulfilment of Noah’s proclamation to his sons.
Genesis 9:26-27:
“Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem,
And may Canaan be his servant.
May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be his servant.”
Abraham was descended from Shem (Genesis 11:10-26), therefore God chose Abraham to continue the blessing to Shem.
Notice here that Japheth was also included in the blessing, therefore hinting that this blessing would not be solely restricted to the lineage of Shem. This is perhaps forward looking to the full revelation that the blessing of salvation is also for the Gentiles. Abraham stands as a central figure in the history of mankind after Adam and before Christ. The promise of future blessing is specially revealed to him, more so than other patriarchs.
God clearly uses Abraham's example of faith as a pattern that all past, present and future children of God must conform to.
We should not elevate Abraham as having a different faith or better faith than any other believer. Instead all believers share the same kind of faith as Abraham. He reveals the type of faith all God’s children must have.
Link to Part One
Link to Part One
