1. Reminder about the covenant between God and Abraham.
God and Abraham had made a covenant that Abraham and his descendants would serve God alone and that God would be their God. Abraham had asked God for clarification about the covenant and the one in question is found in Genesis 15. He and Sarah were childless and he had asked about the heir who would inherit his material possessions. God reinforced that He would give Abraham a son who would inherit the promise.
God promised that a stranger to the covenant would not inherit the promise. Furthermore, Abraham believed God, implying that he would continue to have sexual intercourse with his wife until she became pregnant with their own son who would then carry on the contract with God (Genesis 15: 1-7).
Since Genesis 15: 6 says that God counted Abraham as a righteous man because of his belief in the Word of God, we are really being told that Abraham had sworn agreement. I also wrote that Abraham asked God to sign the Covenant and God did so with a sacrifice of animals (Gen 15: 8 – 10).
2. Abraham broke the covenant that he had made with God
Genesis 16 began with Sarah asking Abraham to marry an Egyptian servant called Hagar in order to have a child who would inherit their possessions. Abraham “hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16: 2). The maid Hagar became pregnant and she began to despise Sarah, who then treated her so roughly that she ran away. God went to visit her as she sat by a fountain of water in the desert and commanded her to return to Sarah. The Lord also instructed her about the child that she was to bear.
2. God became angry that Abraham had broken the Covenant
Scriptures reveal that God had become angry at the actions that Abraham had taken. He was depending on Abraham to promote true worship in the earth and to bring forth descendants who would worship and obey God.
What supporting evidence in the scriptures reveal God’s anger?
- When God had sworn that Abraham would bear a son, He meant that Abraham and Sarah would have a son.
- Scriptures clearly state that Abraham obeyed the voice of his wife and not the Lord God who he had promised to obey. By doing so, he provoked God to anger.
- Sarah’ s voice represented the practices of the ungodly devil worshippers of the day.
- From the beginning of the Creation, God created one man for one woman. Jesus later reinforced this is His teachings. God expected that Abraham would follow His teachings and example as a true worshipper. Apostle Peter revealed that the people of the day were fully aware of God’s existence and His ways of living (2 Peter 3: 4 – 7)
- Hagar was a descendant of Canaan the grandson of Noah. God had already sentenced Caanan’s descendants to total extermination
- Genesis 10 reveals that Ham, the father of Canaan, had looked on the Prophet’s nakedness as he lay in a drunken stupor in his tent. When I read between the lines, Ham seems to have laughed and mocked at his father’s body. Noah cursed his son, but God was grievously vexed and reiterated by later giving their land to the descendants of righteous Abraham and commanding the Jews to totally exterminate them.
- to uncover a person\’s nakedness could have more serious implications.
- God was so vexed that He did not speak to Abraham for thirteen years after Ishmael’s birth. My calculations reveal that Abraham had married Hagar shortly after he made the covenant with God.
- When Genesis 16 is read in the context of the preceding chapter, we see that God reproved Abraham for his actions when he said, “walk before me and be perfect…” (Gen 16: 1-2)
- God gave Abraham and Sarah new names that represented the Contract with God and not the Syrian society from which they had emerged.
- Their new names match the post Ishmael saga.
- God reinforced that the covenant would be with Abraham’s son and rejected Ishmael as the one who would carry on this privileged relationship with God (Genesis 16: 6-20)
- God circumcised Abraham in order to symbolically break the sexual connection with Hagar. Abraham and Sarah’s son would therefore emerge from a clean sexual union.
- He clearly told Abraham that the Covenant was with his and Sarah’s offspring and not that of the Egyptian (Genesis 17: 19)
- God sent off the Jews to Egypt to make up to Ishmael. He had grown up believing that he was the heir and he was about to be tossed out one year later.
The argument against polygamy is embedded in God’s response to the polygamous relationship of the Father of Faith. The seed of Abraham or children of faith should NOT engage in polygamy.
More to come
February 4, 2014 at 11:44 pm
MICHAEL……..
God Almighty,, His name is always spelled with a CAPITOL “G”.
Perhaps you ought to KNOW how to Give proper Respect to him..
Your Little, “g” god??? I am Sure that Abraham didnt have a Covenant
with that (god) you spelled out!
Harding,,,,,, Giving Due respect to GOD!!!!
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February 15, 2014 at 9:26 am
Hello Harding
I’ve been writing for a while and cannot quite decipher the meaning of:
Your Little, “g” god??? I am Sure that Abraham didnt have a Covenant
with that (god) you spelled out!
Thanks for reading and giving feedback anyway. Much appreciated.
Sincerely
Mercedes
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August 22, 2012 at 8:15 am
[…] What did Abraham do to Break the Covenant that he had Made with God […]
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June 4, 2012 at 7:33 am
How did you make this site look this awesome!? Email me if you want and share your wisdom. Id be thankful.
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June 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Dear Akse
This wisdom is a gift from God and for that I give thanks. Please continue to read and be blessed
Mercedes
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March 4, 2012 at 2:27 am
please i am very confused. When i was very much younger, i made a covenant with God that i will not have sex till i get married. I have been keeping it even now but the temptation and urge is too much. I am in the university now and i also have a girl friend. She always desire sex and wants me to feel her body sexually. What do you advise me to do? i told her about the covenant and she understands it but atimes when we are together, the sexual tension will build up and we will feel like having sex. If i start having sex, will God be angry at me? What if i ask for forgiveness after the sex, will he forgive me? You know also that i need to have sex and know about it so that i will know if i am sexually connected with the girl i want to marry and have a good sexual life. Please tell me what to do. Back up with biblical quotes…. Thanks.
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April 7, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Dear Benstar
The answer to your question is in the vow that you made to God. I would encourage you to flee from the temptation just as Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife put on her most expensive perfume and most revealing outfit before she tried to take him to bed.
Just suppose you do the act then discover that you have contracted a most deadly disease as a result. God will forgive you, but you will have to endure years of unnecessary suffering and perhaps death = WORST CASE SCENARIO.
It does not seem as if this young lady is much help to you. Maybe you need to think about whether or not you really want her in your life – her values are too different. Maybe you should release her to some one who can give her what she wants and free yourself to please God
Sincerely
Mercedes
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May 1, 2012 at 6:59 pm
You always have the possibility of marrying her,
Trust your heart. Live a life of wisdom and love. You certainly have strong feelings for her so do not squish yourself with all the pressure of what you cannot do. So ask her to marry you.
Think of how happy you could be with her if you have someone to rely your heart to. I am sorry Mercedes to contradict you Mercedes… But don´t you think there is always a good way? We can only give you advice but at the end is always your own heart to decide.
Another possibility is to discuss with her your faith what are your motivations and goals in life. Hope you have a happy relationship.
Sincerly,
Omar
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August 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Dear Omar
I am very puzzled about this comment. The text relates to Abraham marrying two wives and contradicting God’s eternal law that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Mercedes
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December 13, 2010 at 10:26 am
[…] What did Abraham do to break his covenant with God? – his polygamy and birth of Ishmael*** […]
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July 13, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Many Christians and Jews alike educate that Hagar was NOT Abraham’s ‘wife’ but a concubine. However, their scripture teaches otherwise. In the book of Genesis it is clearly mentioned that Sarah gave Hagar as WIFE to Abraham
http://www.islamicera.com/ishmaelorisaac.htm
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August 25, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Dear Sarah
The same Hebrew word is used in Genesis 16 for Sarah and Hagar as wife, so we agree on this point. However, God’s eternal plan is for marriage between ONE Man and One woman and not polygamy.
Mercedes
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June 1, 2010 at 10:20 am
While we can agree that Abraham sinned in jumping the gun and trying to make God’s promise happen, we cannot say that he broke the covenant. Why? Because Abraham didn’t promise to do a darn thing!
If someone were to come up to me and say, “I promise to give you a dollar,” that would be a unilateral promise. I didn’t promise anything in return for the dollar. If I then went out and made a dollar selling fruit and the person who had made the promise said, “You tried to earn the dollar I promised you! You’ve broken our covenant!” we would conclude that that person was arbitrarily breaking their own promise, not that I had broken mine. Why? For the same reason Abraham didn’t break the Covenant–I didn’t promise to do a darn thing in return for the dollar!
That’s pretty much the whole point of the back half of Galatians: If we could inherit the promises of God only by keeping the Law–ANY law–then they weren’t really promises. Ergo, the Eternal One’s promise to Abraham could not be annulled on the basis of Israel’s disobedience to a Torah given 430 years later. The fulfillment of that unilateral promise could be put on hold–as Abraham’s promise of a son was–but Israel could not be accused of “breaking the Covenant.”
Shalom.
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June 13, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Dear Michael,
I recently wrote a post which would perhaps answer the comments that you made. Thanks for your response.
https://pppministries.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/god-made-an-ad…-abraham’s-sin/
Sincerely
Mercedes
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May 2, 2012 at 12:39 am
Mercedes, I couldn´t open the web page you wrote…. I think it has been shortened somehow. Shalom, I don’t really understand what you mean if you can clarify yourself I will be happy. I will try to read it again later.
Thanks,
Omar
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August 25, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Shalom Omar
I just got this query. Thanks for writing. Try this link and see if it would help. Alternately, you can email the post to yourself – https://pppministries.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/abraham/
Sincerely
Mercedes
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June 9, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Abraham did not show his ability to trust God and believe in God’s word. He is the father of faith so where did his faith go.
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June 16, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Dear Mindan
God forgave his sin of having a son outside of His will. Abraham believed God when He was told that the promise was not in Ishmael and confirmed this by his actions of obedience. God is loving and forgiving – this is His mercy extended to humans.
Blessings
Mercedes
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June 1, 2010 at 9:45 am
You can never break a covenant to god. Abrahams covanant had been fulfilled.
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August 25, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Dear Mike
Abraham’s actions proved that he broke his covenant, unfortunately. Only God keeps His word and is a covenant keeper
Mercedes
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