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 seven fold blessing to Abraham is not only for Abraham and the nation of Israel. Abraham was told he will be made a great nation. Abrahams extended family is much larger though than its biological one, and the next verses have symbolic as well as their literal meaning: a father of Aram. He is now to be called , Not only will he be the biological father to many nations but also a spiritual father to an even greater number of people. My brother I have no idea. And curse him that curseth thee: 7. By contrast, the borders in the previous blessing are geo-political borders. Israel can expand beyond its core territory whenever there is national consensus, and eventually its power and influence will extend from Egypt to Mesopotamia. This is not a directive but permission to do so, and God through His aspect of YKVK will help them achieve this. In fact, the Israelites already began establishing these greater borders early in their history by capturing the east bank of the Jordan at the time of Moses. Considerable expansion of territory was also achieved in the time of King David. The result is protection, blessing (physical and material), fame and recognition, etc.Those who twist Scripture and decree and declare the blessing of Abraham over themselves believe that 1) God will make me and my family into some type of great nation; 2) God will bless me and my family; 3) God will make my name great; 4) My family and I will be a blessing; 5) God will bless those who bless me; 6) whoever curses me God will curse; and 7) everyone on earth will be blessed through me and my family.The problem with claiming the blessing of Abraham for ourselves, expecting physical, earthly blessings, is that the blessing was given to Abraham, a specific individual in history, for a specific reason. God bless. Conclusion The numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8and indeed all even numbersare "brothers," as are 3, 6, and 9. Go to Premillenialism refuted: Israel got all the promised land under Joshua. As I signed the book I was reminded of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has signed the Book of Life for me with His own precious blood. We were asked to sign the book of special guests. Abraham walked before God in obedience, for the most part. Abraham's seven-fold blessing in Genesis 12:2, 3: -. He also points out that in Genesis 15:6 Abraham was justified by faith. In Gen.23 at the burial of Sarah, the Hittites viewed Abraham as a mighty prince and were willing to let him bury his dead without charge. Saviour Jesus Christ. The background of the blessing of Abraham is really found in the OT in the book of Genesis chapter 14. A covenant is an agreement between two people that involves promises on the part of each to the other. Even so, one of Jesus' disciples, Stephen, indicated that this call on Abraham's life happened many years prior. Lead us to our job.E. The seven blessings with their accompanying stories concern themselves in the main with matters of faith and history. But what of the values that Abraham practiced? These will be the subject matter of the next essay. 7.Midrash Raba 39:6 applies the following verse from Psalms 45:8 to Abraham: You love righteousness and hate wickedness, therefore has Elokim your God appointed you with oil of joy from among your peers. What is meant from among your peers? States the midrash: from Noah to you there were ten generations, and I never spoke with any one of them except for you. The Egyptian Exodus and Canaanite conquest - facts or fiction? Jesus is the Davidic Messiah who will not only rule over Israel but over the whole world (Revelation 19:15). A convert to Judaism is called a child of Abraham. Islam and Christianity also consider themselves spiritual heirs to Abrahams legacy. The Koran establishes its Abrahamic lineage through Ishmael. Christianity views Abraham as an important exemplar of faith and a spiritual and possibly a physical ancestor of Jesus. Visionaries will lead the future. God blesses us so that we can use it to help others. 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. . 4. 27. Ai was the second place attacked by the Israelites after the destruction of Jericho.. 6 In all thy ways means that only three generations will actually live in Egypt. Thisencompasses 210 years and not 400 years. It may be that the three types of animals cut up and the three-some of each animal brought represent these three generations. 5 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, In Canaan Gen. 17: 4-8 ACTION: Circumcision and thou shalt be a father of many nations. It is better for God to make our name great than for us to seek it out ourselves. Abundant Life Crusades Copyright 2010 Bible-pedia. | 0000020385 00000 n Amen. 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: May Kel Shakai bless you and multiply you and make you numerous, and may you be a congregation of peoples.(Genesis 28:3), Here also, in this 5th blessing, the emphasis is on fertility:. I am El Shaddai; walk before Me, and be wholehearted. I will set My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. (Genesis 17:1). and what he does when he reaches his destinations. written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written Closely related to the 3rd. Until this time, Lot, Abrahams nephew, had accompanied him on his travels from Ur. However, their newly acquired wealth from Egypt brings conflict into their relationship. Their herdsmen argue and Abraham suggests they separate. He no doubt intended that one of them go northwards and the other to the south. However, Lot rejects altogether the mountain range and chooses instead to go eastwards towards the well-watered plain of the Jordan and the city of Sodom. Tithing pre-dates the giving of the Law. Abraham's 7-Fold Blessing Obedience turns into Promises: 1. 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 History of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Messianism" of extreme interest. The number 8 in the Bible has the connotation of being one level above the holy. This is because the act of circumcision binds the Jew in the strongest way possible to a holy purpose. , 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. The Sevenfold Blessing His Leaving started a chain of reactions. This is part of what it means to be bound to God. This promised land is described later in Genesis. much commentary, since it could imply that Abraham has doubts about Gods promise. , 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.. God does not only want us to bless but also be a blessing. #1 Great Nation. Your email address will not be published. Pagans held that the gods controlled different aspects of nature and function within nature. It would have been far from their mindset to imagine that any god would be interested in engaging in a relationship. Yet this is precisely what Abraham proposed. About Us & 6. Original post 6/4/2018 These things speak,and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. The first blessing is Genesis 12:1 unto a land that I will shew thee: 8.Rashi to Genesis 12:1. In other words, his walking had a directive function but did not establish possession. The birth of Isaac is unnatural. The Bible does not call it this in plain terms, but describes it as a Abraham laughing in wonderment and his son being called Isaac from the same word to laugh. Postmenopausal women do not have children. For the past year I've been closely following Amir TSARFATI on his BEHOLD ISRAEL YouTube channel. After careful consideration - I have to write this as a testimony as a witness submitted as Ambassador for The. One way of looking at this sentence is to consider part of it as being in brackets: In other words, the Israelites will be in servitude and oppression but not for all these 400 years. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. #2 Land. We've already studied how this promise has shaped the Jewish people and the promises included in the covenant that guaranteed them countless descendants and the special Holy Land. 0000022390 00000 n Many commentators assume that Abraham was an outreach worker. It follows, therefore, that urban centers were precisely where he would go, since he could promote there his message of One God and attract followers to his cause. However, while there is midrashic interpretation that Abraham had such groupies, there is no mention in the Torah that this was the case. B. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. trailer <]/Prev 297657>> startxref 0 %%EOF 44 0 obj <>stream Blessing number two of Abraham. Rev (Dr.) Richard Udoh is the senior pastor of The Father's house Ministry, a fast growing gospel church. Who Are You Amir Tsarfati? But this did not limit the possibilities. As the YKVK aspect of God says to Joshua: Every place upon which the sole of your foot will march I have given to you, as I have spoken to Moses. From the desert and this Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites to the Mediterranean Sea westward will be your boundary. No man will challenge you all the days of your life . - Grace Tidings The blessing of Abraham is misunderstood by many Christians and church leaders. III. Abundant Life Crusades, If we could be document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 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; Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. This would be one explanation for the 400-year delay. It is biblical and it works. You shall be a blessing 5. 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. God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 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. God also protected him and kept him safe. 19. Shaking hands with a preacher and joining church is not enough.a. The thief A further discovery of Abraham, possibly while still in Mesopotamia, is that God is the absolute measure of justice and righteousness, and as such is the model for all of human ethics. Blessing, Sharing Your Faith. This current journey can therefore be regarded a continuation of the prior one, which is why the Torah provides this information:. 35.Rashi regards Isaac and Jacob as being offspring who will be sojourners in a land not their own. Following Seder Olam, his chronology is Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born (Genesis 25:26), and Jacob was 130 years old when he went down to Egypt (Genesis 47:9). The Israelites were therefore in Egypt for 210 years. On the other hand, we have argued that Canaan was already deeded to Abraham. Plus, the Bible itself states that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years (Exodus 12:40). These remain difficulties. God doesnt bless us just to make us happy; He blesses us to make us a blessing. #7 - and I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land of your sojourns, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; - and I will be a God to them.. www.tanach.org. 0000017269 00000 n The 7 Blessings Of Abraham Abraham was a man who just wanted one son, but of whom God made the father of a great nation. He also shared God's promise: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall . . (Genesis 17:13) There will always be circumcised Jews in the world because Gods covenant with Abraham is eternal and His representatives need to be eternally here on earth. We receive the gift of salvation when we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus and become born again. Notice they are Seven i.e. The leper also was cleansed in the same place with a seven-fold sprinkling of the blood of the killed bird (Leviticus 14:7,11). 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.. Blessing number two of Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3. The blessing of Abraham begin in, To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. The ability to create multiple lasting enterprises. God blessed Abraham financially so that Abraham could be a blessing. We rejoice because God has made our names great because of Jesus. Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are those who would be through blessings would be blessed. 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. In terms of the ancient world, he was a success: he was well-respected, he was healthy, and he had many descendants. Most of your teaching is rock solid. 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. A. "I will make of thee a great nation, 2. Blessing number six of Abraham Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that And in Galatians 3:13-14, Paul relates this blessing as being bestowed upon the Gentiles through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Paul never teaches that a Christian has a right to prosperity and ease: So also Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Join us on Thursday, as 7 pastors will determine the same blessing of Abraham described in Genesis 12:2-3, in your life today. - 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: 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 have to be born into to it by receiving Jesus. Abrahams role in this covenant is revealed at the very beginning of this passage: God is saying - you, Abraham, are to walk in front of me and be my representative to the world. This should be contrasted with Noah, who walked , What Abraham represents is not delineated in this passage, but is mentioned in the very next section. In brief, Abraham will teach notions of, (Genesis 13:19) to his children and they by their example will instruct the rest of the world. God is the epitome of justice and righteousness and He needs a representative on earth who will embody His attributes and by example bring these ideas to the rest of humanity., A number of interpretations of the phrase , ) have been proposed. Nachmanides relates it to a similar use of this word in Deuteronomy when the Bible discusses forbidden magical practices and which concludes there with the phrase . 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. People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? 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. But these are the very beliefs credited to Abraham! Round about upon the altar (Leviticus 16:19). in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.May we as children of God receive all God have for us through our Great God and 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. Isaac was able to sow in Genesis 26:12, in the time of famine, and reaped a hundred fold harvest. Genesis 12:2 and make thy name great, The 7-Fold Promise in the Abrahamic Covenant - Albert Finch Ministry You shall be the father of many nations : This speaks of CREATIVE ABILITY. God wants to bless us and meet every need of our lives. Because of his firm believe in what God has disclosed. "I will be their God": This speaks of LORDSHIP. From a religious perspective, also, Shechem will have religious importance to the Jewish people from this time on. (Chumash with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. 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.