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 or 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.
Cursed by satan and his crew of demons and devils. They hate Jesus, Whom satan—the once exalted angel, Lucifer—tried to overthrow. From the moment Genesis 12:1-3 narrowed Heaven’s redemptive lineage, first hinted in Genesis 3:15, satan likely marked Abram’s descendants for surveillance and sabotage. His goal wasn’t racial hatred, but prophetic disruption—‘to wound the womb’ through which The Lord’s plan would unfold. Revelation 12 depicts devils’ unique hatred of Jews, simply because they are The Lord’s human kinfolk. Since they can’t strike at Him, they strike at Jews, and also at authentic Gentile Christians who Paul reveals are ‘grafted into spiritual Israel’. Because satan can’t erase The Lord’s Genesis 12:3 promise, his kingdom instead works to diminish and distort it—e.g., possibly including convincing Christians to bless Israel’s and Jew’s sinful actions in supposed deference to that verse. Imagine that! If so, it would be an absolutely stunning deception and delusion—a ‘home run’ for satan’s kingdom, transforming intended Christian obedience, into a subtle form of idolatry. Christians, CAVEAT! Apply Holy Spirit discernment!
Cursed by un-saved Gentiles whom devils recruit to commit horrible acts against Jews. 1 Lacking even a modicum of spiritual intuition, these people have been—and still are—satan’s pawns in an epic war spanning the ages of human history! No human initiative can truly change their hearts; only The Lord can. Yet the fervent prayers of righteous saints may move Him to intervene in mercy and restraint.
Cursed by The Lord, Himself, Who personally holds Jacobs descendants to a high standard of righteousness for the Grace of being selected to become His covenant kinfolk—a set-apart (i.e., holy) people, intended to be uniquely different from all other peoples. Thus, He extended to them long-term Grace, to prompt righteous lifestyles. And when they rejected such, He judged the majority across history for persistent sin. And He will yet judge survivors of the apocalypse and Armageddon—leaving only a small remnant (one-third) to enjoy the benefits of His pending Millennial Reign. During that age—the 5th of history, their descendants will populate a greatly-expanded Israel, stretching from the Nile-to the-Euphrates rivers, in accordance with Genesis 15:18. 2
Ponder this: The history of ancient and modern Jews is a paradox: They were chosen to birth and host Heaven’s plan of salvation for all humanity, yet they were/will be judged more severely than all others for rejecting Him and Heaven’s plan, and, at Calvary, for leading the world in their rejection of Him. Rather than Abram, what if it was your ancestor whom The Lord selected?!
5. Jerusalem, a Cup of Drunkenness and Heavy Stone. Given how Israel has borne curses across history, Jerusalem’s symbolic burden as a ‘heavy stone’ is not incidental, but the visible locus of those covenant tensions. When The Lord activated His ancient, Ezekiel 37 prophecy of the re-birth of Israel as a modern nation (on May 14, 1948), He also activated aspects of His promise in Zechariah 12:2-3, to make Jerusalem ‘a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples… and a very heavy stone for all peoples; all (anyone globally!) who would try to lift it, will hurt themselves.’ Much of the world likely celebrated the creation of Israel, blind to these promises and the extent to which they had been previously activated during the latter half of the 2nd age! But NOW, 8 decades since, the world has gotten the equivalent of a massive socio-politico HERNIA, trying to ‘lift that stone!’ The ‘heavy stone’ and ‘Gordian knot’ that Jerusalem and Israel represent, won’t be lifted and cut until The Lord’s long-promised Millennial Reign as Earth’s GLOBAL KING—the 5th age of human history! Period!! Before then, BRACE YOURSELVES, as this complex situation will only worsen during the pending ‘week of Jacob’s troubles’. 3
Ponder this: The Lord foreknew Jerusalem would become the capital of His predicted, resurrected state of Israel. Thus, Ezekiel 37 and Zechariah 12:2-3 are clearly, strategically linked! As you persist in your Bible studies and meditations, be on the look-out for passages that are similarly strategically linked. Reading The Bible with a typical ‘religious mindset’, and a chapter/verse focus, is guaranteed to miss such linkages.
From the above points, it should be apparent that the ‘you’ in Genesis 12:3 is clearly NOT ALL Jews or the nation of Israel.
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