Genesis 12:2-3

April 24, 2013 Tonight were going to go back and visit verses 2-3 of chapter 12. Last time we studied the nation promised to Abraham and saw that the physical nation foreshadowed the spiritual. Theres a nation made up of the elect people of God which follows the faith of Abraham, and these people are true Jews and are circumcised in their hearts. Now lets look more closely at the rest of the promise: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. I want to explore this some more because Paul quotes it in Galatians and calls it the gospel (3:8). This isnt the only time we find it in Scripture. Later on, Jacob has his vision of the angels going up and down the ladder into heaven and God says: I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 28:10-14). Right away we can see that this promise of blessing is a family thing. Its not just for Abraham; its also for Isaac and Jacob, and the rest of the seed. We have to remember that the physical promises went to the physical nation, and the spiritual promises go to the spiritual descendants. So, what does it mean to be blessed and how are the families of the earth blessed through these men? The Hebrew word means to adore, kneel, salute, praise, or congratulate. The idea is that we have favor with God. Were accepted by Him and approved of Him. Thats a big deal considering Abrahams idolatrous past and the fact that there is not one righteous (Rom. 3:10). But we see in the New Testament that the blessing is found in Christ, and this explains how all the families of the earth share in it: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children

by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Eph. 1:3-12). And again: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Rom. 4:7). Both Romans and Ephesians go to great lengths to show that all are equally bound to sin and that Christ has taken away any dividing wall between us. The blessing has nothing to do with outward Jewishness; the blessing is according to our standing in Christ. And this has been the whole point of Scripture. In Genesis they needed a Redeemer and looked for Him, and all throughout the history of Israel they watched for the Messiah, and then when Christ comes He established His kingdom on earth via the church, and finally it says in Revelation: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Rev. 1:1-3). This is the complete fulfillment of the promise! Now, since the blessing is in Christ, it comes with a warning: those who reject Him are under a curse: I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. A literal translation, I shall bless ones blessing of you and one making light of you I shall curse. When Isaac blessed Jacob he said, Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mothers sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee (Gen. 27:29).

Again, this is a family thing. Its not for the sake of the Jews, but rather for the sake of the promised Seed. Anyone who rejects the faith of Abraham is under a curse. And the Old Testament builds on this in the time of Moses when it declares that anyone who rejects the Law or breaks it is under a curse (Dt. 27:26). And then in Hebrews we find that the people who rebelled couldnt enter into the Promised Land because of unbelief (Heb. 3:19). Its not just a matter of not getting things rightthe whole issue is that they dont have the faith of Abraham so they dont obey the Law of Moses. They reject Christ. Now, think about this in relation to Matthew 25: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Mt. 25:31-46). Ive always had a hard time understanding these verses until I saw how they relate to Genesis 12:3. It sounds like were made righteous and get to go to heaven based on how we treat other people, but that doesnt fit with the rest of Scripture. Notice this: the good works that were done were done as unto Christ.

I will bless them that bless thee. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:4-10). Not one sheep does good works without Christ; all of them are done by faith. And this is why He calls them blessed of My Father and ye cursed. Did you know that these are passive verbs? These are action words: they have been blessed by God or they have been cursed by Him. This action of God is the only thing that makes a sheep a sheep and a goat a goat. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. Did you catch that? Created. This is our nature and who we are. Let me take you back to the promise in Genesis: we have an idolater; a moonworshiper. But God has something else in mind for him. Though he is dead in his trespasses God will give Him life. Though he has no law, God will write it on his heart and mind. Though he has no faith, God will bear it through him. And He delivers a promise for a RedeemerAbraham will be known as the father of the faith because all who follow after him will be the blessed nation of God. Not men born after the flesh but after the will of God. Not men circumcised in the body by human hands, but men whose hearts are circumcised by the Spirit. This is the promise; believe on Christ Jesus and you shall be saved. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! newgracebaptistchurch.wordpress.com