Now sin has spread all over the earth like a virus. All nations were corrupted and excelled in wickedness, threatening to efface the knowledge of God and His image from the people. How would God preserve His knowledge on earth? How would the promise of the coming Messiah be preserved? He called Abraham from heathenism, and through his seed the whole earth was to know God.
God Called Abraham
After the fall, as sin deepened across the generations, God did not abandon His people. Instead, He chose to preserve truth through a covenant—a solemn promise passed down through faithful men known as the patriarchs.
The covenant was first confirmed with Abraham. God called him from a land of idolatry, saying:
“I will make of thee a great nation... and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
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This wasn’t just a promise of descendants and land; it was a gospel promise. Through Abraham’s line, the Redeemer would come.
Ellen White explains:
“The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden... It was renewed to Abraham in the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’
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This covenant continued through Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Though imperfect, these men trusted God and kept alive the hope of the Messiah. The ceremonies, sacrifices, and sanctuary services given to Israel were object lessons of the plan of redemption, pointing forward to Christ, the true Lamb of God.
The patriarchs clung to the promise by faith. They:
“Died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off.
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Through them, the knowledge of God and His mercy was preserved until the fullness of time.