Fruitfulness is self-replicating abundance produced without undue strain but rather by the blessing of God. B. We do it when we walk and live in the Word and Spirit.2. #2 Land. A. 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. 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. In life, we are not saved by making promises to God but by believing Gods promises to us. , Circumcision was certainly known in the ancient world. It was practiced in ancient Egypt and may have been a mark of distinction of the elite. The EgyptianBook of the Deaddescribes the sun godRaas having circumcised himself. The priests of Egypt may also have practiced circumcision.49 If this is so, then the Jewish people are being marked for a priestly function to the nations of the world. The Bible will be more explicit about this in the Book of Exodus by calling on the Israelites to become a nation of priests.50. 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. 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. So in today's vlog, I teach about how God sovereignly chose to lift a man up out of obscurity, kiss his life with an eight-fold promise, and ultimately bring the same blessing to you through Christ Jesus. By a century later, Ur was ruled by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon and by about 500 BCE the city had become inhabited. The Chaldean occupation of Ur was therefore of fairly limited duration. If we take the date of the Exodus as 1406 BCE or thereabouts and the Covenant of the Pieces 430 years earlier, then Abraham lived in about the 1800s BCE, i.e. We were asked to sign the book of special guests. A. ? States the midrash: from Noah to you there were ten generations, and I never spoke with any one of them except for you. And the last case of the sevenfold blessings being made available by Christ to the Church, being bought fully be the shedding of his blood on the cross of Calvary is fully discussed in Revelation 5:12. , 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. 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. It could well be, therefore, that this is an expression of outspoken praise of God and His attributes, with or without an audience. He is a faithful rewarder of them that seek him. Prelude to Successful Action in A Commentary on the Book of Exodus by Umberto Moshe David Cassuto, p78. The seventh blessing of Abraham Genesis 12:3 and in thee shall all Notice what was said of Abraham in the latter part of his life: Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.. Vol 1 Bereishis/ Genesis. Wonderful, I had never connected this Thank you very much for sharing this. This article explains its biblical meaning and how you can freely receive it. From this seed came the people of Israel, whom God promised to bless. 6. thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 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. "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Kings go to war to capture territory or defend what they already have. Abundant Life Crusades, If we could be 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 12:2-3). THROUGH JESUS CHRIST I RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. Blessing number four. It is suggested is this essay, however, that the land of Canaan will belong to Abraham even though he does not have the means yet for establishing his ownership. Gods promise is more than just a promissory note the land will be his and not just for subsequent generations -. I will bless you. These sources are of interest not necessarily because of their accuracy, but because they all indicate that they were prepared to consider other locations for Ur other than southern Mesopotamia. On the other hand, these commentaries were all written when Ur was no longer inhabited and it is possible that they were unaware of this citys existence. However, there are other good reasons to consider a southern Mesopotamian Ur of the Chaldees as being unlikely. Southern Mesopotamia is the habitation of the descendants of Ham, whereas the descendants of Shem lived in present day Turkey, Iran, and Northern Iraq. According to Genesis 10:22-31, the five sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. Abraham was one of the descendants of Arphaxad (Genesis 11:12-25) Josephus suggests that these five sons gave rise to the nations of Elam, Assyria, Chaldea, Lydia and Levantine. An Ur of the Chaldeans in southern Mesopotamia also leads to a very obvious contradiction in the Biblical text. While in Haran, Abraham is told to leave your birthplace (moladtecho). Also, when requesting his servant Eliezer to take a wife for his son Isaac, he tells him to go to Haran to my land and my birthplace (moladeti) shall you go and take a wife for my son, for Isaac (Genesis 24:4). But earlier his birthplace (moladato) is referred to as Ur of the Chaldeans.43 Also, in the Covenant between the Pieces, God takes responsibility for taking Abraham from Ur Kasdim: And he said: I am YKVK Who brought you out of Ur Kasdim to give you this land to inherit. (Genesis 15:7). written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written Abraham begin in Genesis 12: 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of Go to Premillenialism refuted: Israel got all the promised land under Joshua. The Egyptian Exodus and Canaanite conquest - facts or fiction? Tithing pre-dates the giving of the Law. However, there is no specific mention in the Bible of a trial such as this. Nor is there mention of Abraham engaging in similar destructive activities against pagan worship while in Canaan. Abraham doubtless announced his beliefs to all around him, but otherwise seemed to live in comfortable harmony with the pagans around him, as did his son and grandson.. He was known by kings This current journey can therefore be regarded a continuation of the prior one, which is why the Torah provides this information:. Elohim also promises Abraham that this covenant also will bring beneficence in its wake. First, and God has pointed this out previously within His aspect of YKVK, Abrahams seed will become extremely numerous. However, the reason for this is different than when promised under the aspect of YKVK. For YKVK, Abrahams descendants are to become a large nation so that they can populate the land of Canaan. In this covenant given by Elokim, they are to be fruitful in order to fulfill their universal mission. His walking is not optional but a command, since his ownership needs to be demonstrated. This is why Abraham was, and will continue to be, highly selective in where he goes. Psalm 41 Blessing #1: God wants to deliver you, even in times of trouble. Post Views: 96. Rashi, on the basis of Bereishis Rabba 39:1 and Sanhedrin 99b comments on the phrase and the souls that they had made in Haran (Genesis 12:5) that Abraham would convert the men and Sarah would convert the women and bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence. The notion that Abraham was an outreach worker for monotheism is an attractive one, but there is nothing in the text to support it and one would have to conclude that Abraham was unsuccessful in his efforts to build up a following, since one hears nothing about one explicitly in the text. It would, in any case, have been difficult for a nomad to develop a wandering commune., 18. The seven blessings are adapted from ancient rabbinic teachings, beginning with the blessing over the wine and ending with a communal expression of joy. Cassuto points out, however, that there are other instances in the Bible where this form of the verb cannot have this meaning and he suggests it means - go alone, or with those close to you, and make a clean break from your present situation. 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. , 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. Amen. PRAYER OF THE DAY God of covenant, you promised Abraham land, descendants, and blessing 50. You will be for me a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19.6). This is the first time that YKVK has made a covenant with an individual and represents a deepening progression in Abrahams relationship with God. . blessing introduces a new name for God, encompassing a new aspect of His being El Shadai. There he meets and blesses Pharaoh, Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and his twelve sons. 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. 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. also accompanies both covenants - in the covenant with Noah a rainbow and in this covenant circumcision. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 7. God gives these sevenfold blessings first to Abraham, we also see these sevenfold blessings given to Israel through Moses in Exodus 6:6-8, Say therefore to the sons of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. , 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. God also provided no opening for Abraham to negotiate about the justice of His decree as He would later do for Sodom.. Why Terah was drawn to the idea of moving to Canaan is not stated in the text, but Abraham would now continue on the second leg of this journey, although undoubtedly for very different reasons. (Ruth 1:20-21). Bereishis, OU Press). (Genesis 12:6). This shaded grove where people could gather may well have had religious significance as a place of worship. All rights reserved. King James Bible. We rejoice because God has made our names great because of Jesus. Understanding Our Seven-fold Qualification For Ser You dear Saint are an Ambassador appointed to be a Why does Jesus require "experimental belief". . This 5th blessing introduces a new name for God, encompassing a new aspect of His being El Shadai. His wealth was as a result of the 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.. The borders of the land of Canaan are defined in more detail in Numbers chapter 34, while the more extensive borders are mentioned again in Exodus 23:29-31 and in the book of Deuteronomy (7:22, 11:22-24, 19:8-9). This particular revelation also comes at a time of crisis for Abraham. By defeating the Mesopotamian kings, he could well be fearful that they will try to avenge his attack. God tells him, however, that there is no reason for him to fear for God will be his. At one time, it was the largest city in the ancient world. It also was on the coast and therefore a port; but the coastline has since moved further into the ocean and the ruins of Ur are now inland. The Chaldeans of Ur of the Chaldeans are a Semitic tribe who invaded Ur at the end of the 7th century BCE. It is spiritual, physical, and financial. Post Reply However, things began to unravel, and the people broke the law of God and followed other gods. The major Bible texts of the three promises. "I will make of thee a great nation, 2. The blood sprinkled mercy seat represents our atonement. Circumcision is also performed on the 8th day after birth.48 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. 0000018816 00000 n The directions for the Day of Atonement are given in Leviticus 16; but from other Scriptures we learn that there were seven sprinklings on that great day, to mark the perfection of accomplished atonement: -. Joshua was well aware of these two promises. He entered Canaan with the explicit purpose of capturing the land of Canaan and distributing it to the twelve tribes. About Us Parshat Lech LCha Part Two. bless thee,A. We rejoice because God has made our names great because of Jesus. 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. Cancel, Thank you for these sermon outlines they are helpful, but they must never take the place of our own study as we prepare our own talks, I made this video and wrote this article regarding why God called out Abraham and blessed him. them. 49. Contact Us We do not join it. could also be the nations that Abraham will father. He has already fathered Ishmael. The reader will learn shortly that he is to father Isaac. When Sarah dies, Abraham will father children from a second wife Katurah. These and the offspring of Ishmael will leave Canaan to go southwards into the Arabian Peninsula. The offspring of Isaac will remain in Canaan, but a branch of this family will go eastwards to form the nation of Edom. Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 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.. (1) I will make you a great nation (2) I will bless you (3) I will make you name great (4) You will be a blessing (5) I will bless those who bless you (6) I will curse those who curse you (7) In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. could represent external forces attempting to destroy the contract between God and the Jewish people. The blessing of Abraham is right standing with God and receiving the Holy Spirit through Faith. Hi beautiful message, but I can find only four blessings explained.. what about the rest please ? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I dont know much about blogging oo.still learning, Your email address will not be published. Interestingly, this passage is introduced by YKVK. ' (Genesis 17:15-16). Rashi/ Commentary on the Torah. And curse him that curseth thee: 7. He was no saint nor was he perfect. BBC International Dear Dr. Eugene Kim, Thank you Sir for responding to my comment (reference a) Its obvious by your response you havent read the blog I sent you about why Brick and Mortar Buildings called churches are not biblical. I. Genesis 12:1-3. On the horns of the brazen altar (Leviticus 16:18). Moreover, given their prophetic nature it is not surprising that many aspects of the Abraham stories reverberate to this day. . because of both my natural and spiritual tie to my great great grandfather The first blessing is Genesis 12:1 unto a land that I will shew thee: 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 . The Bible points out the similarities between the fertility of the plain of the Jordan and that of the land of Egypt. Abraham and Lot had just returned from Egypt. By choosing the richness of the Jordan plain, Lot was demonstrating his preference for the lifestyle of Egypt and his rejection of the way of life of Abraham. Your email address will not be published. 6 In all thy ways The full implications of the Abraham story are now coming together. Why were Abraham and Sarah told to leave Haran in their old age? Clearly, no age is too late to confront spiritual challenges. Prior to God communicating with him at age 75, Abraham may well have concluded that he had led a meaningful life and little remained for him to accomplish. If he had thought this he was mistaken. The most consequential aspects of his life were yet to come. Gen.13:16 A. The details of the covenantal ceremony are translated here as Bring Me three heifers, three she-goats and three rams, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon (Genesis 15:9) - but this may not be the precise translation. The Bible reads that each animal is to be brought as a heifer meshuleshet (), she-goat meshuleshet () and ram meshulash (). The word meshulash () is related to the word three. Kimchi translates it as a 3-year old animal. God through Abraham will redeem a people for Himself. His Leaving started a chain of reactions. B. The following is a list of the seven promises made by Elokim in the order in which they appear in the text: These seven promises are written in a crescendo form, building up to the last two promises which form the apex of the crescendo. The basis of this covenant is for Elokim , Elokim is forging a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants by promising to be a God to them. 5. 37. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. After careful consideration - I have to write this as a testimony as a witness submitted as Ambassador for The. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. So God told Abraham that through him, through His Seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. , However, before looking at these seven blessings, a basic question needs to be answered. Why did God choose to engage with Abraham? 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. When we bless others we can expect it to come back to us. People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? "Your name shall be Abraham": This speaks of greatly ENLARGED VISION. A different explanation is provided by Cassuto who proposes that this name is used in the Bible within the context of fertility. Blessing number six of Abraham Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, Scriptures: Who Are You Amir Tsarfati? them. Question: In Genesis 12:1-3God promises Abram But these glaring issues addressed below must be addressed. 1. This may be true, but it is not the primary purpose of this Elokim-directed command. Moreover, it is not coincidence that circumcision of the sex organ is commanded in a passage which gives prominence to the themes of fertility and offspring. Amen. The blessing of Abraham begin in, To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. These seven promises are written in a crescendo form, building up to the last two promises which form the apex of the crescendo. The basis of this covenant is for Elokim throughout their generations .. to be a God to you and to your offspring after you, (Genesis 17:7) and that in all the land of Canaan.. 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. 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. 4:21-24. I will make your name great 4. The seventh blessing is the peak of the crescendo and represents the aim to which this new partnership between God and man is to lead. The spiritual insights that Abraham has discovered, either on his own or with Gods help, will bring in their wake beneficence to the entire world. Very blessed message i receive many blessing to this message thank God. I will curse those that curse you 7. When he was younger, the family had already attempted to leave for Canaan from Ur but had not completed the journey. Luzzatto) translated by Daniel A. Klein, p157. James Aranson Inc. to Genesis 17.9. Visionaries will lead the future. . Abraham recognized that since he and God were in a relationship, everything God intended for him must be for his benefit. Like a devoted spouse, Abraham had absolute trust that God had nothing but his welfare in mind. News for over 61 years! We do this by letting the Holy Spirit Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. God's seven promises to Abram when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees; before he left his homeland, his family, his comfort zone and traveled to Canaan by way of Haran: 1) I will make you a great nation 2) I will bless you The Amplified Bible says, "I will bless you with an abundant increase of favors." Abraham was blessed with abundance. All the families of the earth will be blessed What To Do While Waiting For Breakthrough, MAKING GOD FAMOUS: Honouring God As Apostle Paul. while the other two, and this includes the last, will result from Abrahams involvement as he builds upon the foundations provided by God. Jacob Offers Blessings (Genesis 46:28-49:33). We were asked to sign the book of special guests. Change). V. Blessing number five Genesis 12:2 and thou shalt be a blessing: A. Sarai means my princess and may have been a form of endearment.51 Her name is now to become Sarah, a princess to everyone. , Gods solution is to repopulate the world with the offspring of Noah, and His hopes are focused in particular on the descendants of Noahs son Shem. Now, after ten generations, there is a descendent of Shem, Abraham, with whom He can partner to bring the ideas of ethical monotheism to the world., A thematic linkage between this passage and the covenant with Noah is established in a number of ways, in addition to both being established by Elokim. Similar to the covenant with Abraham, the word, is a key word in the covenant with Noah and appears there seven times.