Most Christians are familiar with the blessing of Abraham. Genesis 12:3 has become an iconic verse for many pro-Israel Christians, Zionists, Messianics, and Hebrew Roots followers. It’s been so well used, that it’s even reached the point of abuse in some circles, with organizations using the verse to raise money as they promise wealth and prosperity for donors to Israel, etc. In this article, I want to dig deeper into what the blessing of Abraham really is, and its place in Christianity.
“I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
This verse is the first record of God’s promise to Abraham, and directly after it, we find that Abraham traveled to a place called Elon Moreh, where, as he gazed out over the Tirzah Valley towards the Mount of Blessing and Mount of Cursing, and the valley of Shechem, God told him, “. . . to you and your descendants I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7) On a side note, this is also a great visual teaser to encourage you to come and visit the Biblical Heartland, stand where Abraham stood, and see your Bible come to life! The Tirzah Valley, ironically, is the route that the children of Israel took to enter the land with Joshua, many years later.
We won’t go through all of the passages recording the blessing of Abraham, but numerous times throughout Genesis, we see God promising the same thing to him, and then passing it down to Isaac, and on to Jacob. The theme of the story stays the same:
- I will bless those who bless you;
- I will give you a land and make you a great nation;
- In you all families of the earth shall be blessed.
Some choose to take this story and go down the path of anti-semitism. Sadly, we’ve seen a horrific history between Christians and Jews for the last 2,000 years as millions of Jews have been persecuted, and even lost their lives due to this evil lie. Instead of joining in the promise of Abraham, many nations choose to hate the blessing.
Others choose the lie of something called Replacement Theology, a false doctrine that states that God did away with the promise of Abraham, and replaced it with one to the church. This is a very dangerous position, and also contributed to the last 2,000 years of separation.
Others, and we have seen a rise in this position just in the last few decades, choose to join in with the blessing of Abraham. This leads me to my main point – one of the main themes in this Abrahamic story is that God promised him that all families of the earth would be blessed through him! I believe God is not just speaking of the fact that if we bless Israel we will be blessed. I’m talking about physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional wellbeing. God promised to bless all families of the earth through Abraham and His descendants. That’s an incredible opportunity!
Instead of trying to explain away the blessing, replace it, or fight against it, we can choose to join in, realizing that our very lives are intertwined with this story! Over the centuries, many people have held onto resentment towards the blessing of Abraham, which many times led to terrible persecution. Instead, we have the opportunity to walk with our brothers and sisters, realizing that this is the place where blessing for the nations comes from.
“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, ‘come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4: 1-3)
God’s Word will go forth from Jerusalem! One day, many nations will want to go up to the mountain of the LORD, to His house. This goes hand in hand with the verse from Isaiah 56:7, which states:
“Even them (speaking of the foreigner) I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer . . . for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
God didn’t exclusively bless Abraham and His descendants so that the rest of the world would be condemned, or live outside of His blessing. He crafted a beautiful plan where all nations and families would be abundantly blessed through a man called Abraham. This plan includes you, and me, and anyone who chooses to stand on God’s promises.
We could spend pages more describing the opportunities that the prophets gave for the nations to be involved in this special story. I’ll leave you with just one:
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7)
HaYovel, brings beautiful feet to Judea and Samaria, the Biblical Heartland of Israel, where we choose to take part in the beautiful promise of Abraham, and participate in all of the wonderful blessings that the prophets foretold. Will you participate in this story?
