means my princess and may have been a form of endearment. Prior to being given the fourth blessing, Abraham finds himself involved in local politics and conflict and successfully attacks invading forces from Mesopotamia to rescue his nephew Lot. This is not an irrelevant side-story to the biblical narrative. Without intention, Abraham suddenly finds himself a regional power with an empire extending from close to Egypt up to Mesopotamia. At this point, he does not have the resources to keep this empire together and almost certainly no desire either but he is pointing out to later generations that it is part of YKVKs design that Israel become a regional power between the empires of Mesopotamia and Egypt.. In the theology of Paul, all who believe in God are spiritual descendants of Abraham. Bereishis, OU Press). The Tanach Study Center. I will make you a great nation 2. The seventh blessing of Abraham Genesis 12:3 and in thee shall all . 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. | Visionaries will lead the future. See more articles in the category: Wiki . . pp{?M6q?I8X=Fwq _OD)4MzFuv 9o. Circumcision is to be not only a , but an aspect of the covenant itself. A Jew who is not circumcised denies that he is part of the mission of the Jewish people -. , blessing given by Elokim is about the eternity of the Jewish people and its role in world history. The , , what will in future be called the Land of Israel, is to be their core possession. This is where the forefathers walked, set up religious monuments, and prayed to God. This is the territory that defines the Jewish people among the nations of the world, just as the territory of the seventy nations of the world defines them. As chapter 10 states on four occasions regarding the descendants of Shem, Ham and Yaphet , is where the language of the Jewish people will be heard and where their families and tribes will reside. Tony It is better for God to make our name great than for us to seek it out ourselves. The blessings of Abraham are two-fold: financial and protective. "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. of the earth.1. above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ur of the Chaldeas a rocky and an unfruitful place. He knows what we have need of before we know ourselves. for me with His own precious blood. "Your name shall be Abraham": This speaks of greatly ENLARGED VISION. From whence will these offspring come? It will take much drama before this tension is resolved. Cain and Abel: A pivotal story in the Torah, Satire in the Bible - the Ziggurat of Babylon, God's universal message to Abraham and his descendants, God's masterplan for a utopian society - righteousness, justice, and the way of God, "Possessing" the land for the burial of Sarah, Isaac and Ishmael - a story yet incomplete, The moral and religious conflict between Judaism and Islam, THE BINDING OF ISAAC-THE NON-EVENT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD, JOSEPH - THE RIGHT PERSON IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, The redemption from Egypt and God's role in the natural world and world history. the protection and pledge of God is grave. . , The land of Canaan was given to Abraham and yet was occupied by other people. Today also Israel has sovereignty over much of Judea and Samaria, but another people occupy the land., The Zionist venture has always required a considerable amount of trust. To think that a people could arise from near annihilation and establish a vibrant state was never an entirely logical proposition. Even today more missiles are aimed at Israel from its borders than anywhere else in the world. Its external problems seem formidable and even insoluble. Yet the message of the Abraham stories is that God, working through history, will resolve these problems provided the Jewish people maintain their trust in Him.. 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. 2 I will make you into a great nation. In other words, his walking had a directive function but did not establish possession. And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." 12.Midrash Raba 39:11. Examples given by the midrash are a person who wanted to buy a cow from Abraham would be blessed even before the value of the cow had been assessed. Abraham would pray for a barren woman and the woman would conceive. However, there are other suggestions from the commentators. Rashi for example, following a midrash, suggests that Abraham will have the power of blessing in his hands. Phil 4:19 But my Closely related to the 3rd. 28. R Joseph Solveichik explains that Abraham was continually performing acts that bound himself eternally to the land such as building sacrificial altars and digging a grave for his wife (Chumash with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. B. Abraham's story picks up with his family settling in Haran, which today would be the country of Turkey. 15.Where was Abraham born? The Bible is very clear on the matter: (Genesis 11:28) From archeological work carried out from the 1800s and onwards, we know that the ancient city of Ur was located in southern Mesopotamia at the convergence of the Euphrates and Tigris. Moreover, given their prophetic nature it is not surprising that many aspects of the Abraham stories reverberate to this day. When Lot was captured, 318 men trained soldiers fought the 4 kings Get out of your country, from your family and from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you. Take the Gospel to the world.C. Unlike the pagan deities, YKVK is not satisfied with occasional homage. He wants a nation that is God-centered and is cognizant of the fact that everything they have is not a natural right but a Divine gift. Invest and expect the hundred-fold blessing. 44.Hoffman notes that in ancient Arabic the word raham means a multitude and suggests that although this word is not currently used in Hebrew it may once have been part of the Jewish lexicon. God will equip us with strength that comes from that which every joint supplies in the community of believers we call the Body of Christ. Do you enjoy these essays? Then your are sure to find my latest book "The Struggle for Utopia. , Of course, the very fact that Abraham was able to dialogue with God and question His justice was only possible because of Abrahams appreciation that YKVK is a personal God who listens. the Holy Spirit. I. Abraham's seven-fold blessing in Genesis 12:2, 3: -. He was no saint nor was he perfect. , One opinion in the Talmud has difficulty accepting that walking alone is sufficient to establish ownership, and suggests rather that Abraham walked through the land. In this sermon outline we By revealing to Abraham His intentions, God has plunged Abraham into a religious crisis. Abraham has modeled his behavior on his perception of YKVK as the absolute measure of righteousness and justice. But if God does not act with the people of Sodom with justice, then He is no more worthy of his allegiance than any other capricious deity of the Near East. The negotiations between God and himself are not just about the fate of these two cities but about the very basis of Abrahams beliefs. The arrow of conviction, "Go," "call," and "come.". When Jesus came on the scene, all of the pieces started to fit into place. 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.. 27. Ai was the second place attacked by the Israelites after the destruction of Jericho.. Abraham had a special covenant with Godone that has affected all of human history since. IV. 43.Rashi suggests that its meaning is the Jewish people plus the tribe of Edom (Rashi to Genesis 17:6). Nachmanides disagrees that Edom is included here and brings examples where the Jewish people are called nations and peoples (Nachmanides to Genesis 17:6). Targum Onkelos translates nations as tribes. Radak suggest that the reference is to the descendants of Keturah who married Abraham after Sarah died. News for over 61 years! If we are living in the centre of Gods will for our lives, those who seek to oppose us will be calling down the curse on their lives and those who assist us will be blessed.-Matt.10:41 He wants you to be the blessing, and consequently, your whole life will be blessed. 12 marks the beginning of God's preparation for a people - His people. Giving releases God's power and abundance. Jacob bought land from the ruler of Shechem when he returned from Paddan-Aram and also built an altar there. Under its trees, Jacob buried the alien gods still in the possession of his family. , This very much points to the future, since the promulgation of the Jewish people is also destined to be unnatural. Even in situations of physical and/or spiritual bondage, the Jewish people will have children. This is not how the world naturally functions. People who are oppressed become extinct. And they certainly do not flourish. Yet the exact opposite happens to the Jewish people. Even after a catastrophic holocaust they rise again. The world will never run out of Jews. This is part of the Elokim-directed covenant. - 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in A crown of life. The blessing of Abraham was not just for Abraham. , The Bible is also setting up here the parameters by which the relationship between God and the Jewish people will proceed in the future. For most nations children come naturally. This is how the world works. - 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is . We are part of a great family, the family of God.B. 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. 0000021186 00000 n families of the earth be blessed.A. 0000019183 00000 n How will you fall when you see Jesus face to face. For the past year I've been closely following Amir TSARFATI on his BEHOLD ISRAEL YouTube channel. Others suggest that Abraham was asking through what merit will I inherit the land? Rashi suggests that Abraham was asking by what merit would his offspring be able to sustain themselves in the land, and he answers through the merit of the sacrificial offerings (Rashi to 15:6). The Talmud also feels that even if the Jewish people no longer have a Temple, the act of reading the scriptural sections in the Torah about the sacrifices provides repentance (Babylonian Talmud, Megilla 31b)., 32.This approaches the interpretation of the Radak.. www.abundantlifecrusades.com, Home In Genesis we see Abraham gaining a great reputation, and we see how his descendants multiplied, even though, at the time the promise was made, he had no hope of ever having any children. , The blessings are in a crescendo literary format, with each blessing building on the previous one and revealing ever-increasing beneficence. Second, God promised Abram that he would become a great person and great nation. It is spiritual, physical, and financial. #2 Land. She is passionate about Walking by Faith, as commanded by the scriptures and uses her blog, Walking By Faith Blog, to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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. Rashi to Genesis 17:1 as explained by Beer Yitzchak. This is also the explanation of Rav Saadia Gaon. Rabbi Joseph Solveitchik takes a different approach and explains that Gods creation is not fully complete, but God will partner with Abraham and they will both be creators (Chumash with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. And thou shalt be a blessing; 5. The blessing of Abraham begin in Genesis 12: 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 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: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. This would be one explanation for the 400-year delay. admin@tfhconlinesermon.org There are more than 40 blessings in the Word given to Abraham either for him or those who would be through blessings would be blessed. If God is your source, it does not matter how bad the economy is, you can be fully confident that God will surely bless you a hundred-fold if you faithfully invest in the preaching of the Gospel. Report an Issue | Moreover, given their prophetic nature it is not surprising that many aspects of the Abraham stories reverberate to this day. This son to be named Isaac will be circumcised at eight days of age so that he is firmly grounded in the covenant and it is only appropriate that this covenant be concluded prior to this son being born.. below the signature of Queen Elizabeth the Queen of England. This Blog is about our spiritual life in Jesus Christ and Him in us who believe on Him and applying this existence to our physical world. The blessing of Abraham begin in Genesis 12: 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Conclusion. those who would be through blessings would be blessed. All rights reserved. 7 fold blessing of abraham. PRAYER OF THE DAY God of covenant, you promised Abraham land, descendants, and blessing Jesus said to them, 'If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 0000025146 00000 n Alternatively, there will blessing to all who come in contact with Abraham.. www.tanach.org. where to buy georgia bourbon snow cream; SMOJ. In fact, Abraham was one of the wealthiest men of his time. One is that the Bible was redacted during a later period of history and the name Ur of the Chaldeans is an anachronism. This would also date the redaction of the Pentateuch to sometime from the 7. century BCE onwards. Against this it could be argued that the redactors of the Bible must surely have know that the Chaldeans were in Ur for a limited period and they were introducing a very obvious anachronism into the Biblical text with no good reason for doing so. Alternatively, the name Chaldeans could have been a later edition to an earlier written text, although again it is unclear what this addition was adding, since it is likely that Ur was sufficiently well known that it did not require this type of identification. The third possibility, and this is the suggestion favored by this author, is that the Bible was written shortly after the Exodus as the Bible describes and Ur Kasdim is not the ancient southern Mesopotamian city of Ur. This is, in fact, the position of many Jewish commentators. The Talmud, Maimonides, Josephus and the Book of Jubilees, for example, all describe locations in Assyria and south-east Anatolia for Ur of the Chaldeans. The Book of Jubilees writes that: (Jubilees 11:3). 4. However, the blessing Abraham received from God went far beyond those immediate, personal blessings. These blessings we call the sevenfold redemptive package.Notice they are still seven.This is the third time in the bible,God blesses his people with sevenfold blessings.The number seven is highly significant in the bible.The blessings of Abraham are made a reality for believers throughout the world by the cross.All the seven blessings God gave | Tithing pre-dates the giving of the Law. GALATIANS 3:14 - THAT THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM MIGHT COME ON THE GENTILES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST; THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT THROUGH FAITH. Blessing number four. The equivalent name for a God of might in the Bible is El and for the God of fertility Shaddai. The Bible is not separating these two aspects of God but bringing them together as a single Divinity in a way that would be recognizable to people at that time. , At this time in history, Shechem was probably a fortified city. There is no mention in the Bible that Abraham actually went into the city, but rather he was in the location of the city in the , or location where Shechem was situated. Specifically, he was at an identifiable place in which there was a terebinth or grove of large trees that was called . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 - UCKG HelpCentre is a UK charity (1043985). 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. The Blessing. In this sermon outline we list only seven of the blessings given to or through Abraham. The Seven Promises (Genesis 12:2-3) 1) I will make you a great (12:2a) 2) I will you (12:2b) 3) I will make your great (Gen 12:2c) 4) You shall be a (Gen 12:2d) 5) will bless those who bless you (12:3a) 6) The one who you I will (12:3b) 7) In you all the of the earth shall be blessed (12:3c) Abraham's Journey of Faith Overview of Genesis 12:1-3 Bereishis, p84, OU Press). , 29. Others see a seven-fold blessing of Abraham as: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. Bible Studies Articles/Stories New/Special Jesus Maturity God also protected him and kept him safe. Through you, all the nations of the earth refer to the Galatians Scripture. . This 5th blessing introduces a new name for God, encompassing a new aspect of His being El Shadai. , This difference in territorial borders is a reflection of the ideas that the names for God Elokim and YKVK are promoting. (Genesis 15:18). What accounts for this difference? When God called Abraham, it was to separate a people out of the world for Himself. Kings go to war to capture territory or defend what they already have. All the families of the earth will be blessed The blessings promised to Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1-38are more than seven but are very conditional so they are called a covenant.The bible is made up of about 7000 promises and more than a third of them are conditional.If you do this, then i will do that..,The other once promised inDeuteronomy 30:1-10,2 Samuel 7:10-16 and Jeremiah 31:31-40are less conditional but of course, God promise it to his people. #1 Great Nation. To understand the principles discovered by Abraham, all of which will form the underpinnings of Judaism, a good starting point is an analysis of the seven blessings bestowed upon Abraham by God. , This difference in territorial borders is a reflection of the ideas that the names for God Elokim and YKVK are promoting. B. 0000010891 00000 n