Sounds like you're confusing the Abrahamic covenant with circumcision. The Abrahamic covenant involves the Promise by Faith which was given first prior... to Abraham being circumcised (see Romans 4 and Galatians 3).
Not so much confusing them but but attempting to distinguish things. So to add to what you have rightly pointed out I will add these verses.
No inheritance in the land given Abraham personally in in the covenant made in Genesis 15.
Acts 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
5 And
he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
covenant made with Abraham spoke concerning the fourth generation of his seed
6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
and a reading of Hebrews I think can clearly show the
earthly kingdom was not what the fathers were looking for. I will not quote the scriptures to keep my response shorter.
I do not believe Abe, Isaac and Jacob were promised an inheritance in the land until the covenant made in Genesis 17.
There's 4 groups Paul was pointing to in Romans 11:
1. the remnant of Israel according to the election of grace. These whom God preserved, like the 7,000 Elijah was told about. These represent those like Christ's first Apostles and disciples of the seed of Israel, both of the house of Judah and of the house of Israel, which means even lost ten tribe Israelites that have believed, along with scattered Jews that believe on Jesus Christ.
2. the unbelieving Jews - Paul's brethren he wished to convert to Christ. These Paul said were blinded away from The Gospel, God having put the spirit of slumber upon them so The Gospel would go to the Gentiles (and thus most of scattered Israel).
3. the believing Gentiles - those Paul said represent the wild olive tree grafted in to The Root (Christ).
4. the unbelieving Gentiles - involves the times of the Gentiles, which is when it's too late to believe during this present world, because Jesus will return at that point.
My main point is that the Promise by Faith (i.e., The Gospel), was always FIRST, prior to anything dealing with the law, including before circumcision.
I pretty much agree with your above categories. Except the ten lost tribes. This to me speaks of jews as merely bioligical descendants? Those who were not circumcised were cut off. This notion has to do with the tree as I said before. The natural branches simply means the circumcision and the wild branches the uncircumcision. Which circumcision is not made with mens hands. The outward circumcision was a sign of the faith Abraham had while he was yet uncircumcised.
Heb 11:13 These all
died in faith,
not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the
earth.
1. Abe was going to die before this covenant would be in force.
15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
2. 1st and second generation
Isaac and Jacob would also die before this covenant would be in force
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the
3. Joseph and the patrarchs would all die before this covenant was in force
Ex 1:6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
Ex 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
Ex 13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
And ultimately, once that is properly understood per Paul in Romans 4 and Galatians 3, then today's Jews who don't know this should be wondering why they've never been taught how Abraham's belief on God's Promise was The Gospel of Jesus Christ all along.[/QUOTE]