Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, A. He knows what we have need of before we know ourselves. Even so, one of Jesus' disciples, Stephen, indicated that this call on Abraham's life happened many years prior. . Maimonides, the influential Jewish thinker and legal authority, wrote in his monumental legal work the Mishna Torah: But was Abrahams discovery of monotheism such a unique accomplishment that it merited God appearing to him in visions and offering to create from his seed a new nation? In this sermon outline we Unlike the covenant made by Elokim with Noah and his descendants that had relevance to all humanity, this covenant with YKVK pertains only to Abraham and his descendants. Abrahams first stop on arriving in Canaan is the city of Shechem, and he sets up an altar there in response to the vision he has received. in the book of the law to do them. We receive the gift of salvation when we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus and become born again. There is discussion among Jewish commentators as to the symbolic meaning of circumcision. Most agree that it is a means of distinguishing the Jewish people from the rest of humanity. He wants us to have life and more abundantly. We do not join it. in the Middle Bronze Age II period. In other words, there is a discrepancy of about 1,200 years between the Biblical and historical Ur. How then is it possible for Abraham to have left a Chaldean Ur? Three possibilities have been suggested by scholars. This will in fact be Abrahams very next question when he speaks again to YKVK. When can I begin establishing my property rights? C. Our lights need to shine in the sin dark world. Jesus is the Davidic Messiah who will not only rule over Israel but over the whole world (Revelation 19:15). them. Gen 12:1-7. King James Bible. 0000021186 00000 n and then continues his journeying southward. At this time there is a famine in the land and Abraham elects to go southwards to Egypt. In Egypt, his wife narrowly escapes having relationships with the Pharaoh when she is forcibly taken into his harem.. Kings go to war to capture territory or defend what they already have. Having trouble logging into your account? Through Abraham all nations on earth will be blessed. . Have there been circumcised Jews in the world for most of the almost 4,000 years since Abraham came to Canaan? This is undoubtedly the case. Did Abraham did become the spiritual father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:5) in effect of a good proportion of the world? It is difficult to argue otherwise. Do the former tribes of Israel currently have jurisdiction over much of the former land of Canaan? This is also incontrovertible. Through Abraham the whole world was blessed because Jesus is a descendant of Abraham. When we put on the spiritual armor, doesn't the amount of equipment equal seven, too? I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3). 5. Blessing number two of Abraham. These sources are of interest not necessarily because of their accuracy, but because they all indicate that they were prepared to consider other locations for Ur other than southern Mesopotamia. On the other hand, these commentaries were all written when Ur was no longer inhabited and it is possible that they were unaware of this citys existence. However, there are other good reasons to consider a southern Mesopotamian Ur of the Chaldees as being unlikely. Southern Mesopotamia is the habitation of the descendants of Ham, whereas the descendants of Shem lived in present day Turkey, Iran, and Northern Iraq. According to Genesis 10:22-31, the five sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. Abraham was one of the descendants of Arphaxad (Genesis 11:12-25) Josephus suggests that these five sons gave rise to the nations of Elam, Assyria, Chaldea, Lydia and Levantine. An Ur of the Chaldeans in southern Mesopotamia also leads to a very obvious contradiction in the Biblical text. While in Haran, Abraham is told to leave your birthplace (moladtecho). Also, when requesting his servant Eliezer to take a wife for his son Isaac, he tells him to go to Haran to my land and my birthplace (moladeti) shall you go and take a wife for my son, for Isaac (Genesis 24:4). But earlier his birthplace (moladato) is referred to as Ur of the Chaldeans.43 Also, in the Covenant between the Pieces, God takes responsibility for taking Abraham from Ur Kasdim: And he said: I am YKVK Who brought you out of Ur Kasdim to give you this land to inherit. (Genesis 15:7). In the Sodom and Gomorra story, after the three angels have left Abrahams home to destroy these cities to save Lot, God engages in a soliloquy:. The faith of Abraham led to his justification, and that is the blessing of Abraham that we share today. He also authors The Father's Menu, a power packed monthly daily devotional book. (LogOut/ 0000017269 00000 n | Religion creates Penitents while Jesus casts them Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, do I really unde How to Handle a matter wisely; trust in Jesus, Placebo; Howard Pitman's trip to the third heaven. 37. In essence, He asserts that He will be their God throughout the entirety of Jewish history. 26. This is one of the explanations provided by Nachmanides. In support of this, the Talmud states (Babylonian Talmud, Avoda Zarah 53b): It is an inheritance to them (the Israelites entering the land of Canaan) from their forefathers. Hence, the Talmud understands that the land belonged to the Jewish people even prior to the conquest of Canaan. There is also an opinion in the Talmud (Bava Basra 100b) that just traversing the land was adequate to acquire it.. And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Israel became a great nation in Egypt, possessed the land under Joshua and Solomon and through Jesus all the nations of the earth were blessed. Who are these nations? The answer is by no means clear from the text. Many commentators assume they are to be the descendants of Isaac and that the Bible is talking exclusively about the Jewish people. The land of Canaan is first defined early in Genesis: Canaan begot Zidon, his first born, and Heth; and the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite, the Arvadite, the Zemarite and the Hamatite. Afterwards, the families of the Canaanites branched out. And the Canaanite border extended from Zidon going towards Gerar as far as Gaza, going towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. (Genesis 10:15-19), The land of Canaan is the territory in which Canaan, the grandson of Noah, and his descendants lived. Zidon was in the north and encompassed a large area in Lebanon, and Gerar was its southern border. This city is close to Gaza, but further inland and somewhat to the south of Gaza. Question: In Genesis 12:1-3God promises Abram God will bless those who bless him; furthermore, Abraham will be a blessing. A seat on Christ's throne (see . The blessing of Abraham is also sometimes misused in prosperity theology to claim that believers today can be just as rich and successful as Abraham was.First, well take a look at the historical context of Abrahams blessing. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. You shall be a blessing 5. What were the seven miracles Jesus performed on the SABBATH? I've been extremely impressed with Amir TSARFATI. Abraham was an Old Testament prophet born about 2000 B.C. Abundant Life Crusades, If we could be The tree of life. Vol 1 Bereishis/ Genesis. , And Elokim said to Abraham: 'As for Sarai thy wife, do not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name. I will bless her, and I will also give her a son through her; I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples will be from her. Judaism is often regarded by its followers as a religion only for self-improvement and for achieving the World to Come. This is indeed the case but it has another function too. Through his ideas, the example he projects, and his dealings with others, Abraham is to be the means of bringing spiritual benefit to the rest of mankind and thus the means by which God can bestow His loving kindness and bounty on all of humanity. The Lord promises prosperity to every person who sows in faith into His Kingdom. Galatians 3:29 says, "If ye be Christ's then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." That means you are blessed spiritually, physically, and financially. - 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: Genesis 18:18 Verse Concepts God's Promise to Abraham. Abraham had a special covenant with Godone that has affected all of human history since. Christ redeemed us from more than just sin and the law; He redeemed us from poverty and sickness, because those things are supposedly included in the blessing of Abraham. pp{?M6q?I8X=Fwq _OD)4MzFuv 9o. | It would seem from the book of Joshua that the Israelites came to Shechem early in their military campaign soon after capturing Ai and were able to reach it with impunity (Joshua 8:30-35) Strangely, perhaps, the book of Joshua makes no mention of Shechem being captured. The king of Shechem did not participate in any of the alliances against the Israelites and his name is not listed among the 31 kings defeated by Joshuas forces (Joshua:12). Whether the city was unoccupied or whether the king cooperated with the Israelites or perhaps stayed neutral is not mentioned. Shechem is mentioned in the Armana letters written in about 1350 BCE, and these include letters from the king of Shechem to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Shechem was then clearly still a Canaanite city. Interestingly, these letters from the king of Shechem mention rebelling Habiru in the countryside, and another letter mentions that he had recruited Habiru as mercenaries. The identity of these Habiru is a controversial topic. Those scholars who argue for a 12th century Exodus obviously do not accept the Habiru as having any relevance to the Israelites. However, those who accept a much earlier Exodus do see a possible connection and it is very possible that the Habiru were Israelites. The Armana letters do mention a close relationship between the king of Shechem and the Habiru and it is possible that rather than fight them the king of Shechem entered into some sort of alliance with the Israelites, or more likely he had a non-interference policy with respect to Israelites visiting and settling in the vicinity of his city. In a way, the Arnana letters and the vagueness of the Book of Joshua regarding the status of Shechem complement each other and suggest that the situation vis-a-vis Shechem was not the same as for other Canaanite cities - although this may not have been a fact that the Israelites wished to record for posterity. On the other hand, the Book of Joshua does mention that no city made peace with Joshua except for Gibeon and this is hard to square with an alliance (Joshua 11:19)., 19. The Team When God blesses us, it is not so that we can bask in the accolades of people who come with cap in hand and prostrate. . The following is a list of the seven promises made by Elokim in the order in which they appear in the text: #1 - you shall be the father of a multitude of nations, #2 - your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. No. Tony Tithing pre-dates the giving of the Law. Abundant Life Crusades Others see a seven-fold blessing of Abraham: 1) I will make you into a great nation, 2) I will bless you, 3) I will make your name great, 4) you will be a blessing, 5) I will bless those who bless you, 6) whoever curses you I will curse, and 7) all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Varda Books, Skokie, Illinois 2005. A. A place in God's family (see Matthew 5:1-9). However, in contrast to the covenant with Noah, this particular covenant is not a unilateral one, in that Abraham is expected to be a direct participant by fulfilling the directive of circumcision. 7 fold blessing of abraham pdf. Yet there is also another far-reaching message this passage wishes to convey and which could only result from Abraham and Sarah being called on at an old age. You are a gifted and brilliant young man. Israels contribution to this contract, circumcision, is detailed in verses 9 to 14. power will bless all the families of the earth. God blessed Abraham financially so that Abraham could be a blessing. A crown of life. 0000019183 00000 n The name El Shadai appears again in the Torah in the Jacob story when his father, Isaac, blesses Jacob before he leaves for Padam Aram. Foremost in Isaacs mind is that Jacob be fruitful for Gods covenant to be fulfilled: The concept that God has a different name for His aspect of fertility may sound strange to us moderns. Nevertheless, within the pagan world it was common that there be a chief male god of might in partnership with a female god of fertility. (LogOut/ The Torah itself reveals that Abraham was not the only monotheist in the world at that time. Following Abrahams victory over the forces of King Chedorlaomer and his Mesopotamian coalition and his rescuing of his nephew Lot, Abraham is greeted by Malchizedek, king of Salem, who. Please come wearing a face covering and follow all social distancing guidelines. Clearly, it is not an overt symbol, but every Jew knows that he has the circumcision engraved in his flesh and that his connection to God has been signed in a blood ceremony. He is now marked for the mission statement of the Jewish people to stand before God as His. Gen.15:6 God's seven promises to Abram when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees; before he left his homeland, his family, his comfort zone and traveled to Canaan by way of Haran: 1) I will make you a great nation 2) I will bless you The Amplified Bible says, "I will bless you with an abundant increase of favors." Abraham was blessed with abundance. In sum, Abraham was elected because he brought to the world knowledge of Elokim as the Ruler of the universe, and because he discovered the attributes of a personal God YKVK, and demonstrated by personal example how to relate to this aspect of God. This is the heritage he will pass onto his children: However, to promulgate these ideas to the world at large, Abraham will need a team and a forum. His team is to be his offspring and his forum the land of Canaan. How this is to b brought to fruition comprises the rest of this chapter. Nevertheless, the issue is a difficult one. that he would become a great nation but is not given a precise destination. In the second blessing, Abraham is told that he has arrived, that he will have offspring, and that the land on which he is standing has been allocated to these offspring. In this, the third blessing, God tells him that despite Lots leaving him, Abraham should have no concern about descendants. They will become more numerous than the dust of the earth. Moreever, from Bethel, Abraham has a panoramic view of the land of Canaan. This land will be his and his descendants for eternity. Abraham should now transverse this land, for it will be his. What was the seven-fold blessing Abraham received from God? each according to its language, by their families, in their nations. The land of Canaan is where the language of the Jewish people will be heard and where their families and tribes will reside. These are their religious/international borders, and these are the borders that like a magnet will pull the Jewish people whenever they are in exile. It also follows that just as the fate of the Amorites in Canaan is to be based on moral grounds, all the more so will the fate of the Jewish people in Canaan. (Tenth paragraph, the history of Terah in ACommentary on the Book of Genesis , Part Two, from Noah to Abraham, p273) Both places are the land of his kindred and the contradiction disappears. However, the contradiction also disappears if one assumes that Haran and Ur of the Chaldeans were both in the same geographical area - in Aram. , What is the purpose of this covenant? Or to put the question another way - circumcision is to be a. MySpace Facebook, John 8:39 - "They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Round about upon the altar (Leviticus 16:19). list only seven of the blessings given to or through Abraham. Yet only two sentences previously the Bible had said: , . (Genesis 15:6) It is difficult to believe that Abraham was now seeking reassurance. More likely is that the Hebrew word, in the sense of how will this come about (that I will inherit)?, also fits in well into the flow of this passage. "I will make nations of you": This speaks of STRENGTH.