The Abrahamic Covenant

An understanding of the covenant the Lord made with Abraham in Old Testament times is necessary in this the dispensation of the fulness of times in order that we may more fully appreciate the historic mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If we were forced to rely solely on the information contained in the Old Testament for such an understanding, we would have little clarity on this subject [Genesis 17:3-8 and 22:15-18, for example]. Thus, revelations and sacred writings made available in modern times are invaluable for this study.

In the Book of Mormon, the House of Israel is emphasized as the means by which the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant will be fulfilled. An example of this approach is found in 2 Nephi: “And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever” (2 Nephi 29:13-14).

The most complete presentation of the Abrahamic Covenant is found in the Book of Abraham. Here is a consideration of verses eight through eleven in chapter two:

Verse 8 This is a covenant between God and Abraham. As with all such covenants, God determines the conditions or particulars of the agreement.

Verse 9 Abraham’s descendants are given the exclusive right to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the “ministry,” and bear the Melchizedek Priesthood “unto all nations.” We may assume, therefore, that the Savior will be born within Abraham’s lineage, which He was.

Verse 10 “And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after they name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father.”

Those who accept the gospel and join the Kingdom of God and who are not of the literal blood of Abraham are adopted into his lineage. This fact is confirmed in Paul’s teachings to the Galatians, who were not of the House of Israel and also apparently were not numbered among Abraham’s posterity before their baptism: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught concerning the role of the Holy Ghost in this adoption process: “This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149-150).

Verse 11 The core of this verse reads as follows: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.” The portions of this verse that I have not quoted are important clarifications of this core promise. Without their possession of the Melchizedek Priesthood, this promise to Abraham and his posterity would be meaningless. Also, Abraham’s posterity is defined as being those who are his “literal seed” or the seed of his body.

The Abrahamic Covenant was reaffirmed with Isaac (Genesis 24:60; 26:1-4, 24) and with Jacob (Genesis 28; 35:9-13; 48:3-4). It might also be worth noting in passing that Abraham received the land of Canaan as an inheritance (Genesis 17:8; Abraham 2:19).

Earlier in this writing, I mentioned that the teachings of the Book of Mormon tend to emphasize the role of the House of Israel down through the ages as fulfilling the conditions of the Abrahamic Covenant. This is no less the case today when we consider our perspective of the role of Israel in the modern Church. However in light of all this, there is an important lesson to be learned concerning the role of the Covenant down through the ages. If we consider the seven major dispensations of the gospel from Adam to the present day, one of these commenced with Moses. What was Moses’ priesthood line-of-authority? While he was an Israelite, a Levite, his Priesthood came by way of a non-Israelite. Moses received the Melchizedek Priesthood from his father-in-law, Jethro, a Midianite, who was a descendant of Abraham through Keturah, Abraham’s concubine and later his wife (Genesis 25:1-2; 1 Chronicles 1:32-34). Moses’ priesthood line-of-authority is outlined in D&C 84:6-17. Clearly both Abraham and Isaac had posterity who were not of the House of Israel. Thus it would be well for us to remember that Israel is not the sole means by which the peoples of the earth have been blessed under the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant.

One further matter is worthy of reconsideration here. In a previous writing, I introduced the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teaching concerning the Kingdom of God. “I say, in the name of the Lord, that the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to the present time. Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in His name, and where there is a priest of God--a minister who has power and authority from God to administer in the ordinances of the gospel and officiate in the priesthood of God, there is the kingdom of God; . . . Where there is no kingdom of God there is no salvation” (Teachings, 271-272). If we take this statement literally, then the Kingdom of God in some form has been on the earth from the days of Adam to the beginning of this, the seventh dispensation. This position appears to be supported by the writings of Moses. “And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost. And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus it was” (Moses 5:58-59).

The possibility that the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ have had a continuing presence somewhere upon the earth from the days of Adam through to our day is a thrilling concept. If we are worthy, the time is coming when we will be shown a panoramic history of the world just as many prophets have already been privileged to see it. Until that time, we glean what understanding we can from the sacred writings in our possession and look forward to the day when the promised additional records are made available to us. For they will reveal the works of God down through the ages, and we will then understand fully how, where, and when the literal seed of Abraham and of Isaac as well as of Jacob have blessed all of the families of the earth, “even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).