After Zacharias spoke of the Davidic covenant, he mentions the Abrahamic covenant and the national promise God made with Abraham.
To show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. – Luke 1:72-75
What is the covenant made with Abraham?
The covenant is mentioned at least 8 times in Genesis, from chapter 12 to 35. God picks Abram to be the father of Israel and chooses him to receive God’s blessing. From Abram, later renamed Abraham, he will father many nations and his people will have the land that God promised. By God’s protection, they will be free from their enemies and be able to worship God without fear.
In Genesis 12:2-4, God mentions that Abraham
- He will be a great nation (father of a multitude of nations – Genesis 17)
- He will be blessed by God
- His name will be great
- He will be a blessing to those who bless him, and God will curse those who curse him
- In him, all the families of the earth will be blessed
In Genesis 13:14-18 and Genesis 15:18-21, God gives Abraham land
- The land will be for his descendants forever
- His descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth
- He will be given the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates
God promises Abraham to be the father of many nations and it is true with Israel and the Arab nations. Through his sons Isaac and Ishmael, Abraham becomes the father of several nations in the world. The land that they currently possess is also granted to them by God.
The remainder of the covenant which is expressed in Zacharias’ song will be fulfilled when Israel returns to God according to Zachariah 12-14 and Revelation 11, 19, 20. They must accept Jesus as their Messiah and then the rest of the promise will be answered. It is not through the Law, the Mosaic 10 commandments, that will save Israel. But God’s mercy and grace through Jesus.
Zacharias believes that with the coming of the Messiah, the eternal kingdom will come soon. In the eternal kingdom, Israel will be safe from enemies and will be able to worship God freely. In their worship, they will be able to free from sin and live righteously so that they will not be fearful of death or the consequences of sinning against God. In the future kingdom, they will be holy as God is holy. That is one of the messages of salvation and mercy to Israel as sung by Zacharias.
Original Source: John MacArthur Grace to You Sermon May 1999 / March 2012 Part 1, 2
Grace, Inspected 