In Hebrew, the word for everlasting is עֹלָם˓ôlâm, o-lawm’ which means eternity, forever future, or a time unending. So when God makes a promise to Abraham in Genesis 17, is this promise good for eternity? Or was God exaggerating? Genesis 17:1-2 reads
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”
Does everlasting still mean everlasting? In today’s society, we could say the Jews and the nation of Israel are God’s people. Many people have tried to remove the Jews from having any claim to a covenant with God. The nation of Israel and the bloodline of the Jewish people still make the Jews descendants of Abraham. Yet, the focus of this chapter is on the term “everlasting” and does everlasting still mean everlasting for today’s society?
Abram surely knew that God, The Almighty God (El Shaddai), was the creator of the universe and therefore had no limitations to power or strength. In Genesis 17: 1, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God;” (NKJV).
As God made promises to Abram, Abram must have realized that God was serious. His immediate response was that he fell on his face before God. He was showing God respect and indicating his unworthiness to be in the presence of God. To which God replies in Genesis 17:3-6:
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
God said Abram was “blameless” which meant for him to maintain his integrity, to walk before God obeying God. His reward was that God would multiply him exceedingly. God continues in Genesis 17:7-8:
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Then, God changes Abram’s name. The name Abram means “high father,” and his new name, Abraham, meant “father of a multitude.” We also learn later in Genesis 17:16 that Sarai also receives a new name; Sarah, the “mother of nations.” And, every time their names are spoken, it is a reminder of the promises of God’s covenant. This covenant was not just a covenant that would be terminated upon the death of the recipients. This covenant was now an “everlasting covenant”; an eternal covenant, a covenant without end.
Whenever one reads the books of the Old Testament one gets the idea that the story plot is about God’s people coming to God, turning away from God, coming back to God, and then rejecting God. The Israelites (known as the Hebrew children) also known as the Jews have a hot and cold relationship with the Almighty. They reject the Almighty and in return; the Almighty rejects them.
Because they are God’s chosen people, God is always there to welcome them back into the fold. Therefore, this nation shouldn’t be discounted from the Biblical message. Our nation, the United States of America, should support Israel. If our nation turns away from Israel, God will certainly turn away from us. Yet, the most troubling part is there are millions of people in this nation that turned away from God already; they simply no longer care.
Those practicing the Jewish faith today likely feel they are well-connected to God. Whereas, people of our faith, our Christian faith believe that since the Jews rejected Jesus Christ, they lost their rights to be considered as the people of God; the true chosen people of God. There’s that little problem again about the “everlasting covenant.” Does everlasting still mean everlasting? Hosea 4:1, 6-7 (NKJV) explains:
4 Hear the word of the Lord, You children of Israel, For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 “The more you increased, The more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
It is clear that God, through the prophet, is addressing Israel. Without including a lengthy portion of Hosea 4, Hosea 4:1 clarifies that it is addressing Israel, and 4:6 details how God is rejecting his people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) clearly emphasizes that if you do not know something, then you are vulnerable to being destroyed.
An example of this could be like flying an airplane. Imagine you’re traveling on a commercial jet at an altitude of 35,000 feet when the pilot suddenly hands you the controls. They tell you to just “fly the plane.” Of course, most of you’d likely reply, “But I don’t know how to fly the plane!” But the pilot does not rescind the command and instead replies, “Just fly the plane!” Then, the pilot puts on a parachute, opens the door, and jumps out.
You were told to fly the plane and now you are left flying the plane. What do you think the results will be? It’s pretty likely you are going to crash the plane, and while there are cases where people survive plane crashes, this is likely not going to be one of those cases. The point here is you lack the knowledge for how to fly a plane and therefore are destroyed for your lack of knowledge.
Of course, the knowledge implied is the “knowledge of God.” In Hosea 4:7, “the more they increased, the more they sinned against me.” Some would assume that because the people of Israel sinned against God, God is saying to them “Okay, the deal is off, you are no longer my people.” But God does not say this. God is a merciful God who is long-suffering. He is a God who is ready to forgive when people sin. The only real problem between Christianity and today’s Judaism is that today’s Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah; the Savior. What becomes problematic is, how can one be saved without a savior. The answer, one cannot! At the same time, Jews claim they do not accept Jesus Christ…yet.
We still cannot rule out the possibility that God may give his people a special opportunity, a last-ditch opportunity to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Whether or not they reject Jesus, the covenant of God still stands. The covenant is everlasting and is good for all future generations.
Which brings another question, how much land will be claimed? Genesis 17:8 says “All the land of Canaan.” If you look up a map of Canaan, and go back to about 2000 BC, how much of this land is given to God’s people?
Looking at this from the perspective of the twenty-first century, as of 2024, Hamas is working toward destroying Israel. We hear about the Gaza Strip and wonder, when will the Hamas and Israel stop fighting? Only time will tell. However, under the promise of the everlasting covenant, if Israel truly returns to God, then Israel should have a claim to the land of Canaan. This could include the Gaza Strip, possibly parts of Saudi Arabia, and a large portion of Jordan. There are a lot of other complications here. There are cultural differences, religious differences, political differences; all kinds of complex issues to give reason for fighting a war.
At the end of the day, it’s best to be on the side of God. The God who is eternal and gives eternal covenants. Eternal life is a promise that is every bit as good as a covenant. As Israel claims the rights to their land, through our Savior Jesus Christ, we claim our rights to eternal life. There is a land that is being prepared for us, and it will be glorious.
Title: Does Everlasting Still Mean Everlasting? | Sermon: April 28, 2024, Shubert Christian Church, Shubert, Nebraska
