Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 3)

See the series here 

‘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 12:3

 

Perhaps ever since The Lord inspired Moses to pen this pivotal promise, people who read it likely had significantly different understandings of who would be the you in it. Abram, whose name The Lord changed to Abraham, is ‘the father of many nations’. So the possible choices are many across his vast line of descendants—Ishmael’s Arabs, Esau’s Edomites, Jacob’s Hebrews and Jews, and only God knows which others! The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and selected his to be the descendant line through which He would be born as a man, to pay the price for all sin. In light of this, Christians generally interpret the you in this verse, as Jews and governments of Israel. Yet The Bible reveals The Lord’s significantly different choice. 

 

Let’s conclude our exploration of Genesis 12:3, and finally learn who are the descendant you that are thrice referenced in this prophecy. Who gets to ‘claim the prize’ of The Lord’s blessings throughout history??

Worship or Warfare? (Part 1)

When most of us picture the exodus, we see miracles, freedom, Sinai, tablets, and a nation learning to worship. True enough. But what was The Lord’s immediate objective? The classic read is devotional. The Lord’s repeated demand—‘that they may serve Me’ (Exodus 7:16)—is taken as a summons to worship, covenant loyalty, religious festivals, and a tabernacle-centered life. Israel would be forged into a holy (set apart) nation at Sinai; the wilderness would become a classroom of faith; and Canaan waits until the Hebrews become spiritually fit. This perspective coheres with the giving of The Law and the charge to be a kingdom of priests.

 

A second view (as modern voices echo it) highlights timing: Genesis 15:16 states ‘the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’ Thus, The Lord deliberately delays judgment of the Amorites. The four centuries Hebrews spent in Egypt aren’t merely about Israel’s growth. They allow Canaan’s corruption to ripen to the threshold where judgment is indisputably just. The exodus then becomes the moral regulator of timing: Genesis 15:14, ‘Not yet!’, then 4 centuries later    ‘… Now!’

Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 2)

See the series here

‘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 12:3

Many Christians may casually quote Genesis 12:3 without asking who this verse addresses over time. They may treat it as a blanket promise of blessing for supporting Jews and/or modern Israel. That is the result of a rather myopic focus on one verse, out of context of the message across the entire Bible! Moreover, as noted in Part 1, they completely side-step the considerable blessings The Lord pronounced on Ishmael, Abraham’s first son, and on his descendants—Arabs.

In Part 2, let’s explore why the ‘you’ in this verse is neither Jews nor Israel. Brace yourselves as we continue with my 4th point in this series. What follows is not ethnic condemnation, but aspects of divine chastening within covenant. This is not a blanket indictment on any people, but a careful reading of how God disciplines within covenant. Please read prayerfully, not defensively.

Tips to Understand The Bible (Part 1)

See Part 2 here

 

I grew up among faithful saints whose education was limited, but whose love for The Lord was real. They passed on what light they had, and I will always honor them for it. Yet I have since discovered that much of what they taught was lifted out of context — single verses detached from their chapters, concepts colored by their socio-economic struggles, and moments divorced from the long sweep of The Lord’s strategy.

 

Sadly, many teachers today may be doing the same or similar things. They may read The Bible with a relatively narrow, religious mindset, for example:

A Cup of Drunkenness and Heavy Stone

 

Readers, 

This is ‘the back and forward story’ of how, when and why Jerusalem is like a cup of drunkenness for surrounding nations, and a HEAVY STONE for the whole world! 

In Zechariah 12:2-3, The Lord inspired the prophet to pen His following intentions:

 

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for ALL peoples; all who would attempt to heave it away will surely injure themselves, though all nations of the Earth are gathered against it.

 

Many, if not most Bible teachers think this applies to the tribulation age, the last half of which will feature the apocalypse and Armageddon. History proves the veracity of this prophecy, and global news reports, daily confirm its continued unfolding. However, history actually demonstrates it began to unfold much earlier—as a repetitive pattern! 

Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 1)

See the series here

See the Missed Insights series here

We seriously missed the key points in this verse! 

‘...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 12:3

 

To achieve Heaven’s plans to redeem humans from the eternal curse of our sins, The Lord selected a people lineage through whom He would be born as a man to sacrifice Himself, physically and spiritually, and thus pay our unpayable price. That lineage is Jews, born through Jacob, whose name The Lord changed to Israel. From Heaven’s perspective, their selection, first hinted in Genesis 3:15 and later in Genesis 12:3, was intended as an incredible blessing! An eventual righteous remnant of that lineage will be appointed to serve Him as immortal priests in the global capital city of a promised, new, MASSIVE, eternal Earth. (Exodus 19:6) How exciting! Yet...sadly, their, and our collective sinfulness has flipped many aspects of this script.  

 

Many Christians might be conflicted about Genesis 12:3, possibly thinking it narrowly means: ‘Bless Israel, or The Lord will curse you.’ If only we would s-l-o-w  d-o-w-n and perceive the Biblical, historical and spiritual contexts of this verse, we might comprehend it in a much wider, sharper, and more ‘unsettling ‘light’ than our religious mindsets may allow. ¹