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Today's Pathway: Galatians 3:16-17 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Paul states in verse 16 that the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant were made to Abraham and his seed. Paul sees the use of the singular word "seed", as opposed to the plural "seeds", as important. Were the plural used, this would mean that the promises were made to all those who were Abraham's biological descendants. This would include Ishmael, and Abraham's grandson Esau, and all those who descended from the six sons that he had during his marriage to Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2), plus the sons of his concubines (Genesis 25:6). But we know that, while Abraham was to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4-5), the focus of the covenant is on Israel. Genesis 17:8 states,

"And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.",

Bruce Barton commented,

"If the promises were meant for Abraham and his many descendants alone (to all his 'seeds'), then it might appear that the promises had already been fulfilled, and that the law had come as a new phase in God's dealing with his people. But the promises had been given to the 'Seed'—that is, Abraham's most famous Descendant, Who came many years after both Abraham and the law. The law had an important function, but salvation by grace through faith was God's promise from the beginning of time until the judgment day. Further, the promises were not fulfilled prior to the giving of the law, nor by the giving of the law. Instead, they were fulfilled when Christ came as Abraham's 'Seed.' Christ alone fulfilled the messianic aspects of God's covenant and showed that God's promises are in effect for all time. Many claimed to be rightful heirs to God's promises to Abraham by their being his offspring, but Paul pointed out the only true, rightful heir was Jesus."

Having established that the Abrahamic Covenant was focused on Christ, Paul now explains in verse 17 that it is still in effect. Remember that back in verse 15 Paul wrote that a confirmed covenant can not be changed or declared invalid. Paul uses that to show that if Christ was the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, then the fact that God gave the Mosaic law to the Jews at Mt. Sinai does not annul the truth that salvation was always to be through Christ. Kenneth Wuest explains:

"Thus to Abraham personally and to all those who by faith in Christ are brought into salvation, were the promises made. The fact that the promises were made to Abraham and to all believers down the ages who follow Abraham in his act of faith, indicates that the faith way of salvation existed before the law was given, continued through the time the law was in force, and still is in effect after the abrogation of the law at the Cross."