Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Every nation of the world has a story and I wonder what you value most about the history of the country in which you live. My country is not yet 300 years old and while that is older than many nations, it is much, much younger than China or Egypt or even Israel.
As you know I’ve just returned from a few days in modern Israel, and I’ve been pondering one of many uniquenesses about the place and people called Israel. No other nation on earth can claim their existence is by direct word and act of God! Did you know that? And no other nation can claim that God has called them into existence for the benefit of our entire world, every other nation. Now ponder that for a moment my friends.
Come back in time with me about 4000 years. A city called UR in what is today the country of Iraq. God reached from heaven and spoke to one man, inviting that man to leave his homeland, his family clan, his family business and move to a land far away. God Himself promised He would lead that man to his new homeland. Do you know the name of that man? Abram and later God changed his name to Abraham.
God’s initial call to Abram is recorded for us in Genesis 12:1-3 “The LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” What a remarkable and challenging invitation Abram received directly from God. We have no previous evidence that Abram had ever heard from God nor do we know what Abram knew of God. It appears Abram did as Moses and others whom God has approached… he listened with intent to obey! God continued: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing, I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH WILL BE BLESSED THROUGH YOU.” ( Gen. 12:1-3)
As far as I know God has never made such a promise to any other human being since the days of Adam! Go ahead my friends, put yourself in Abram’s sandals. Imagine hearing these words from God. What would you do? Argue, ask for clarification, run away? The next verse tells us what Abram did and it changed the world: “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him…”
Perhaps you know the story of Abram and his wife Sarai whom God blessed with a miracle son Isaac in their old age, and Isaac inherited God’s covenant promise from his father Abraham and passed it on to his son Jacob and his 12 sons whose descendants became known as the people of Israel.
I’ve been contemplating that one phrase which I highlighted in God’s promise to Abraham. “All people on earth will be blessed through you.” What does it mean? How could every living person, in every nation, every generation be blessed through one man who lived 4000 years ago? May I suggest there is a practical answer and a wonderful spiritual answer. The practical answer is that through the centuries God blessed Abraham’s descendants, the Jews, with remarkable wisdom and insight and creativity.
The Old Testament is filled with the stories that help us see that. But it doesn’t end with the Old Testament. Look at Israel today and you will be amazed. They have developed a remarkable process of turning saltwater into fresh, pure drinking water and in the parts of the world where fresh water is rare, this process is incredibly valuable! Israeli engineers have refined something called “drip irrigation’ turning barren, rocky ground into huge plantations of bananas and mangos and date palms and grape vines!
Here’s one more… Israeli technology innovation is a world leader, second only to the Silicon Valley in California! And did you know more people of Jewish ancestry have won Nobel prizes than any other nationality or ethnic group? Yes, the whole world has been blessed by the wisdom, intelligence, innovation and creativity of the descendants of Abraham!
Did you know God repeated His promise to Abraham again many years later when Abraham had obediently brought his son Isaac to sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. Genesis 22:18 “…through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me” (Gen. 11:18) And then two generations later God repeated His covenant promise a third time to Abraham’s grandson Jacob, as recorded in Gen. 28:14 “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” How would you respond if your parents and grandparents told you that you were born into a family set apart by God to be a channel of God’s blessing to the entire world?! As remarkable are the practical ways in which the Jewish people have been a great blessing to our world, the far more significant blessing that actually provides eternal hope for EVERY person, of all generations, in all places is found in the person of Jesus the Christ, born into the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David.
God spoke these promises to His prophet Isaiah “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his root a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD …In that day the4 Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to Him and His place of rest will be glorious. (Is. 11:1,1,10) By that phrase the root of Jesse’ of course God was speaking of King David and we know Jesus was born in Bethlehem because He was born into the family line of King David.
God also gave this prediction through Isaiah the prophet: “There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, but in the future, He will honor Galilee of the Gentiles…The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned…for to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” (Is. 9:1,2,6)
Yes, God’s 4000-year-old promise to Abraham is seen in Israel today as Christian pilgrims come from every corner of the world to ‘walk where Jesus walked’ and to see the land of the Bible. At many of the pilgrim sights I heard languages and saw flags from almost every Continent. At the hillside where it is believed Jesus may have spoken His sermon on the mount, recorded in Matthew 5,6,7 there were large placards of portions of that sermon in many different languages of the world. Here’s a picture I snapped there celebrating the Tagalog language of the Philippines.
Now in closing today, let’s consider one more remarkable way in which this promise to Abraham is fulfilled with God’s Gospel of Jesus Christ transforming people and sending them throughout the world bringing the hope and help of Jesus to all people in every imaginable way! That’s you and me my friends, and Christians globally, the people of God, being the living blessing to the world God promised Abraham.
Peter reminded first century Christians of this remarkable, world impacting truth when Peter wrote: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of HIM who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God…Live such good lives among the pagans that…they may see your good deeds and praise God…” (1 Peter 2:9-12)
Ok my friends, that’s God’s invitation and challenge to you and me today, as we are the living fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham 4000 years ago! Does that amaze you as much as it overwhelms me? Here’s a song to help us consider the power of this remarkable promise…
Today’s Scripture is Gen. 12:1-3.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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