Don’t Mess with Abraham

Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore (Genesis 22:17).

The rabbis wondered about these words. They said, “It would have been better if the Torah said, ‘as the sand’ or ‘as the stars’”. Why does the Torah use both?

Their conclusion was that God revealed to Abraham a vision of his future progeny.  He saw that they would be persecuted and downtrodden like the sand.  But, eventually He would raise them up like the stars of the heavens.

God made a covenant with Abram (exalted father), his name would be changed to Abraham (father of a multitude) in chapter 17:1 – 8, that would change the world.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you
And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 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).

Genesis 12:2, 3 contains seven blessings.  Seven is the number of perfection.  The blessing that was bestowed upon Abraham was perfect.

1. I will make you a great nation,
2. I will bless you,
3. And make your name great;
4. And you shall be a blessing;
5. I will bless those who bless you,
6. And I will curse him who curses you;
7. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Abraham’s sons received similar seven-fold blessings, Isaac (Genesis 26:3, 4) and Jacob (Genesis 27:28, 29).

1. A great nation: In old age Abram was given the promise of an abundance of offspring.  This was a promise that would test his faith.
2. I will bless you: Here the promise is regarding protection, peace, and a bestowal of all that is good which would be highlighted some 430 years later by the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:24 – 26 describing a life that is blessed by the Lord.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

Y’va-rech’cha Adonai v’yee sh’m’reicha.

Ya-er Adonai panav eleicha vee choo-neka.

Yee sa Adonai panav eleicha v’yasem l’cha shalom.

3. Make your name great: A promise that Abram’s name would not only represent his personality, but it would be associated with the ideal called Abraham and the impact his purpose and calling would have on the world. His name has great worth.
4. You shall be a blessing: The mysterious fruit of his great worth through the prophets, priests, kings, and ultimately the Messiah will bless the nations beyond measure.
5. I will bless those who bless you: The word “bless” means to serve, the concept of bending the knee.  When one bends the knee, it implies doing service for someone, to bring benefit, to show sympathy, friendship, and/or seeking their welfare, thus blessing the person, or in this case the people of Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob.
6. And I will curse him who curses you: Those who would hurt, harm, or seek evil against Abraham will be cursed.

Two different Hebrew words are used for “curse”. 

The first is “kalal” meaning, “to consider lightly, to hold in contempt, not taking them seriously – a throw away.

The second word is “aor” which means to absolutely destroy, to annihilate, to extinguish, to end.

Simply put, God said to Abraham, “I will bless and do good by those who bless and do good by you. However, I will entirely destroy and outright end those who take you lightly, or harm you!”   

– For example, the Egyptians, Babylonians, Romans, and the German Third Reich who cursed Israel are empires in the dust.

7. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed:

Abraham’s messianic seed will become the source of blessing to all nations. This blessing, or spiritual blessings will extend to the Gentiles as promised through the prophets (Isaiah 42:1, 42:6, 49:5, 6; Amos 9:11, 12).

We owe a great debt to the Jewish people. The bible, prophets, priests, kings the Messiah came through the Jews.  Gentiles go to church because of the Jewish witness of Messiah to Gentiles (Acts 10).

Simply put, “Bless the seed of Abraham, and do not “take [them] lightly.” 

Don’t Mess with Abraham!

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff