My Covenant in Your Flesh

In Genesis 16, we looked at the theme of Sex and the City of God. Abram and Sarai tried to deal with the problem of barrenness in a human way. Sarai gave her maidservant, Hagar, to her husband in order to obtain a child. This is an attempt to accomplish the promises of God according to the flesh.

But the flesh is weak and powerless. The flesh cannot bring the kingdom of God.

Abram should have understood this from Genesis 15 – when God made it clear that he alone would fulfill his covenant, as God alone walked between the cut animals – God alone bound himself by oath to accomplish what he promised.

In one sense the covenant is sovereignly established and fulfilled. God will do what he has promised. But in another sense the covenant is conditional: Abraham must obey God.

In a nutshell, the sign of the covenant in the Old Testament is all about sex. This shouldn't surprise us...