What connections exist between Exodus 3:17 and God's covenant with Abraham? Setting the Scene • Exodus 3:17 – “And I have promised you that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.” • This pledge to Moses echoes a much older commitment the LORD made to Abraham generations earlier. Link 1 – Same Land, Same Boundaries • Genesis 12:7; 17:8 – God promised Abraham: “I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land … all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” • Exodus 3:17 repeats the identical territory, listing six Canaanite peoples, underscoring that the promise never changed. Link 2 – Deliverance Foretold to Abraham • Genesis 15:13-14 – “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs … afterward they will come out with great possessions.” • Exodus 3:17 is the precise moment God tells Moses He is about to fulfill that prophetic timetable, bringing Abraham’s offspring out of Egypt. Link 3 – Covenant Memory • Exodus 2:24 – “God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” • The rescue in Exodus is explicitly tied to God “remembering” the covenant, showing unbroken continuity from Abraham to Moses. Link 4 – Everlasting Nature of the Covenant • Genesis 17:7 – “I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you.” • By reiterating the land promise in Exodus 3:17, God demonstrates that His covenant is not altered by time, oppression, or distance. Link 5 – Repetition for Certainty • Exodus 6:2-8 repeats almost word-for-word what is in Exodus 3:17. God often restates His promises when He is on the verge of acting, reinforcing reliability. Why the Connections Matter Today • God’s word proves historically dependable; what He vows in Genesis He performs in Exodus. • The linkage assures believers that every covenant promise—whether concerning redemption, provision, or future hope—stands firm. • The land motif foreshadows the ultimate inheritance believers receive in Christ (Hebrews 11:9-10; Galatians 3:29). Summary Points • Same promise, same land: Exodus 3:17 echoes Genesis 12, 15, 17. • Deliverance from Egypt is the scheduled phase of Abraham’s covenant. • God’s memory of His covenant ensures action in history. • The faithfulness displayed from Genesis to Exodus strengthens present assurance in every biblical promise. |
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