Bottom line up front: In a fallen world where sinful men betray one another, God still keeps his covenantal promises.

Historical context: Genesis 25 is a truly awesome chapter in redemptive history. Why? We see the outworking of the covenantal faithfulness of God to the patriarch Abraham.

How? God had promised Abraham that God would use Abraham to bless the world. In fact, the blessing would be comparable to the amounts of stars in the night sky and sand upon the shores of the world’s seas (Gen 22:17).

Through whom? The son of promise. God promised Abraham, “But I will establish my covenant with Isaac” (Gen 17:21). It is important to remember that Abraham had multiple sons. There were many: Ishmael, Simram, Joshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah (Gen 25:1). But Isaac was the son in the immediate through whom God’s covenant faithfulness would lead to the fulfillment: Christ.

And in Genesis 25:5 we read this amazing line: “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.” See it? The gives all things to the son he loves. Sound familiar? It should. Why? Because it is the foreshadowing of God the Father giving all things to his beloved Son (Mt 28:18).

Paul makes it even more explicit:

¹⁵ To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. (Gal 3:15-18, ESV)

Encouragement/takeaway: All of Scripture coheres. Why? It reveals one inextricable story of God’s plan of redemption. When you read Scripture, you are given an insight into the greatest true story ever told because it reveals what God has done and is doing to redeem a people for himself. And this story is full of the covenant faithfulness of the unchanging and trustworthy God.