Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:6
The expression, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, in Hebrew, אֱלֹהֵ֧י אַבְרָ֛ם אֱלֵ֥י יִצְח֖ק וֵאלֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקָֹה, is the most representative expression of the establishment of the people of Israel, as a nation chosen by the Lord, to build a Kingdom according to the principles of heavenly life.
However, since in the introduction to John’s Gospel we read that all who received Jesus were given the power to become sons of God, the expression extends over other nations,
But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12
Hence the expression does not apply only to the Hebrew nation, but constitutes the foundation of every community of faith built upon the faith principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is no pretentious attribution, since the apostle Paul recognizes that not only are the children of God born genetically according to the line of election, but those born according to the promise,
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Romans 9:8
Thus, the expression translates the intention of the Lord to build upon it a Kingdom of the chosen, all in charge of establishing on the paganism of the nations the principles of Life so that all nations may become children of God.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1st. Peter 2:9
The latter, that all the nations of the earth should also become nations sons of God, finds weight in the expression of the Lord over Israel before Pharaoh,
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: Exodus 4:22
The expression, my firstborn, clearly states that other nations will be included within the group of nations sons of God; it is not the same in the case of Isaac when he was going to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah, the expression used by the Lord is, your only,
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Genesis 22:2
It is known to all that Abraham had two sons, yet the Lord uses the expression, your only one, to determine that there is no place for anyone else.
So, again, since Israel is called, my firstborn, Israel is considered as the first fruits of a selection of nations that will eventually be made into nations sons of God. Other texts confirm this.
that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this. Amos 9:12
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:8
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. Revelation 15:4
But what does the expression, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob mean? What relevance does it have for a community of faith?
Jesus used this same expression to establish within his doctrine the teaching that his presence on earth was to complete the Father’s command to cancel the judgment of death that was hanging over Adam’s generation;
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matthew 22:32 (Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38)
Since because of Adam’s disobedience all die, the expression God is not God of the dead but of the living, it clearly shows that God’s purposes establish the time of derogation from the death sentence established in the Garden of Eden,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:17
This, of course, not for everyone but only for those who believe in his name, those who recognize him as Messiah and Lord. It is a foundation of faith in the doctrine of Christ and establishes by it the non-jurisdiction of Satan over one who has believed in Jesus,
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1st. John 3:8
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Hebrews 2:14
The expression means, in principle, that those who are entered into this genealogy of faith, those of faith in Jesus, obtain Eternal Life. The writer of the Gospel of John emphasizes it extensively in all his writing,
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. John 6:57
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. John 6:58
But the expression also means that those who have believed in Him, those of faith in Jesus, will be resurrected on the day of the Resurrection,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. John 5:25
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: John 11:25
The expression God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob is the expression used to denote the emergence of a generation born by direct intervention of the hand of the Lord. The generation of Abraham is a generation that literally does not exist, biologically it was impossible for them, Sarah and Abraham, to have genealogy because Sarah was sterile, advanced in age and to top it all, outside of the reproductive age.
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. Hebrews 11:11-12
Abraham’s generation is a generation grafted in and implanted according to the dispositions of heaven’s life and not earth’s, hence even the change of names for each of them; from “exalted father” to father of many nations for Abraham,
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Genesis 17:5
And, from “my princess” to princess, or woman of strength, for Sarah; in Sarah’s case it changes from a possessive form, “my Sarah”, to a more general future form,
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. Genesis 17:15
Isaac is the result of the Lord’s decision to have him born, his mother was barren and his father had lost all hope of having a successor; the birth of Isaac is by the Lord’s will, his parents did not ask for a son,
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Genesis 17:19
But in turn, Isaac is doubly the Lord’s decision about him, because once grown up, the Lord demanded that he be sacrificed in Moriah,
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Genesis 22:2
of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Hebrews 11:18-19
Isaac is the son of the impossible, and son of the impotence of his parents to be able to exchange for their own resources the fatality of disappearing from the earth without offspring, Isaac is born by the decision of the Lord, including the choice of his name, (יִצְחָ֑ק), which means laughter (צָחְַתְתִּי),
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh(יִֽצְחַק), so that all that hear will laugh with me. Genesis 21:6
Jacob, for his part, is the despised son, the least graceful. His name is attached to the name of Esau, his elder brother; the names are assigned by comparison of the appearance of each of the children at the time of birth. The Hebrew text suggests with regard to Esau that at birth he looked fully developed, fluffy, perfect, robust; while Jacob, less developing than his brother, but trying to imitate or resemble him, so was interpreted the fact that his hand was stuck in his brother’s heel,
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. Genesis 25:24-26
Hence, Jacob is associated with deception, cunning, ambush; the root of Jacob’s name (יַעֲקֹ֑ב) appears as the war strategy of the Gad tribe,
“Gad will be attacked by marauding bands, but he will attack them when they retreat(עָקֵֽב). Genesis 49:19 (NLT)
The physical comparison between both children marked even the personality of each one, Jacob receiving the part of discredit while his brother, Esau, the part of prestige. Jacob is the despised son, the least graceful, and to top it all, the youngest son, which meant that he did not inherit the benefit of the birthright. Jacob, then, is the son who cannot establish lineage, his offspring is accessory; however, the prophet Malachi establishes that the Lord chooses him and establishes him as the trunk of the genealogy not by any merit, but to establish by him the Mercy of God,
I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, 3and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Malachi 1:2-3
What does the expression, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, mean? Does it have any undeciphered messages? The expression, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is a spiritual map, it is the stroke of faith for connoisseurs to reveal how great it means to be part of this genealogy. The best way to understand this principle is to conjugate the above texts that describe the Lord’s interventions,
Therefore sprang there even of one (Abraham), and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Hebrews 11:11-12), of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. (Hebrews 11:18-19), I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, (Malachi 1:2-3)
Thus, the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob is the definition of a generation product of the direct intervention of the Lord, it means the people who do not depend on their own resources to assert themselves before others; it is the people who the weaker and more disadvantaged they are, the greater their achievements. All the prophets emphasized this characteristic of formation of this lineage,
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6
But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. Hosea 1:7
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is the generation that exists not subject to human conditions but subject to the conditions of heaven; its use proclaims and demands faith that the Lord is able to transform all things,
But Noah found grace (χάριν, favour, benefit) in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8
And God is able to make all grace (χάριν, favour, benefit) abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 2nd. Corinthians 9:8
The expression is also used in connection with the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham and which He subsequently ratified with each of his descendants; the covenant with Abraham consisted in making him heir to a land, land which he inherited by virtue of having believed God and received it without having enjoyed it,
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: Genesis 15:18
The covenant was ratified to Isaac,
sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; Genesis 26:3
And ratified Jacob, also, as well,
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; Genesis 28:13
In the book of Deuteronomy it is stated that although Jacob’s descendants are heirs of the Land, the inheritance is in honor of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 9:5
In that sense, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob means God’s action for the benefit of Abraham’s generation in Jacob’s line,
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. Exodus 2:24
Coupled with this, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is the prophetic provision that the Lord will bring back to the earth the genealogy of Abraham by the line of Jacob when these have been scattered out of it; we find within the covenant with Abraham provisions of Mercy for future generations to regain their inheritance,
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;… 16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Genesis 15:13-16
The provision for the return to the Land is also found in the covenant ratified to Jacob,
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. Genesis 28:15
The prophets sent by God to the people to make their judgments because of the idolatry they had embraced, and even when they spoke of deportation, they always reminded the people of the provision of return to the land; this is the general rule in all of them, in large part because with this combined form of presenting judgment with provision for return, the prophets established the truth of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Nehemiah 1:9
but, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Jeremiah 16:15
When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Ezekiel 39:27
What is the relevance of the expression, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for a community of non-Jewish faith?
It really has a lot of relevance, because its use applies to all those who are willing to believe. The foundation of the expression was laid on the basis of divine intervention in a man powerless to transform his reality, and on a woman, his wife, who could not give him offspring. It was established upon the divine intervention in a son, Isaac, that genetically there was no possibility that he existed because his mother was barren, and that, moreover, God demanded that his father sacrifice him when he was just a boy. It was established upon the divine intervention in Jacob that in the light of all facts he was not the favorite of the one who authorized the line of inheritance.
The expression was coined by God not by a man as to claim exclusive authorship and application for his nation. In any case, if the expression were for the exclusive use of the Hebrew nation, which it is not, the apostle Paul further established among his teachings that the crucifixion of Jesus means for the Gentile nations the ad honorem entrance into the citizenship of Israel in the full enjoyment of the covenants and promises,
that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:12-13
It is a process of grafting, as the same apostle explains in another of his epistles,
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Romans 11:17
The genealogy of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is a genealogy founded on the faith of believing that everything that is achieved, or is obtained, is because God Himself processes it and delivers it without the intervention of man. This conviction was established as part of Jesus’ doctrine from the beginning of his earthly ministry,
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Matthew 6:25-32
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is a key phrase, a key of understanding, to realize who really is the genealogy of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The readings of texts that so far have seemed to us merely expressions of strength and encouragement, are really statements of faith that weakness, sterility or impotence are only advices that God is near, willing to establish His Glory on those who suffer from those disabilities,
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1st. Peter 2:9
Through God we shall do valiantly:
for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Psalm 60:12 (Psalm 108:13)
beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruninghooks into spears:
let the weak say, I am strong. Joel 3:10
but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is not the expression of a religious positivism protected by the Word, it is the maximum expression of faith to recognize God in our lives and to walk protected in his doctrine,
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.
Pastor Pedro Montoya
Twitter: @pastormontoya
