†. Gen 12:1. .The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your native land
and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Stephen said Abram was still living in Ur, and hadn't moved up to Haran yet
when God called him to leave his kin (Acts 7:2-3). There's no record of any
interaction with God all the while that Abram lived in Haran. Yhvh was silent,
and waiting for Abraham to get with the program and do as He said-- leave
his kin and head on out to a country of God's choosing. When he finally
departed, Abram was not yet informed of his precise destination. (Heb 11:8)
The Lord made several promises to Abram at this time which have all
literally come true.
†. Gen 12:2a . . I will make of you a great nation,
Greatness is arbitrary. Some say numbers best represent greatness, while
others feel that accomplishments, prosperity, health, and contributions to
mankind define greatness. In that last aspect; no other nation on earth has
contributed more to the benefit of mankind than the people of Israel. It is
through them that sinful men of all nations may obtain a full ransom from
the wrath of God. Israel is also destined to become the seat of world power,
economic prosperity, and the center for religious studies.
†. Gen 12:2b . . And I will bless you;
Abram became a very wealthy man; with enough male servants to field a
respectable army. He also enjoyed long life and good health; and the
admiration of his neighbors.
†. Gen 12:2c . . I will make your name great,
Nobody is more famous than Abraham. Even people who never heard of
George Washington, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, or Genghis Khan, know
about Abraham. He is connected to the three most prominent religions in the
world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And his name is always held in the
very highest regard. Abraham isn't known for nefarious deeds nor bloody
conquests. He is known as the friend of God, and as a role model for all
decent God-fearing people everywhere all over the world.
†. Gen 12:2d . . And you shall be a blessing.
There are some people that the world is well rid of like conceited
entertainers, neighbors from hell, thin skinned defensive people with raging
tempers, habitual liars, cry babies, people who falsify information, ruthless
businessmen, con and scam artists, unscrupulous lawyers, crooked cops and
dishonest politicians, insurance frauds, Wall Street sociopaths, managers on
a power trip, hackers, and the like. But Abraham was none of those. He was
a very gracious, honorable man; the kind of guy you would thank God for.
But most of all, Abraham is the progenitor of Messiah-- the savior of the
world.
†. Mtt 1:1 . . A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the
son of Abraham
Messiah is the one who makes it possible for sinners to escape the judgment
of God. You can't be a better blessing than that.
†. John 3:14-17 . . Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the
Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have
eternal life. For God so cared for the world that he donated His one and only
son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue
the world through him.
Note : The reference to Moses' serpent is located at Num 21:4-9
Just as Moses' people were spared certain death from snake bite by doing no
more nor less than looking to the serpent; so believers today are spared
eternal suffering by doing no more nor less than looking to Jesus' crucifixion
to remedy their default destiny in an unspeakable environment.
†. Gen 12:3a . . I will bless those who bless you
It's a good investment to always do right by the Hebrew people. Some of
them are not easy to love, that's true; but never forget God's promise to
Abram: "I will bless those who bless you."
†. Mtt 25:31-40 . .When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations
will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the
sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
. . .Then the King will say to those on his right: Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
. . .Then the righteous will answer him: Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see
you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When
did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply: I tell
you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.
†. Gen 12:3b . . And curse him that curses you;
It is a very serious matter to mistreat Hebrew people.
†. Mtt 25:41-46 . .Then he will say to those on his left: Depart from me, you
who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I
needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you
did not look after me.
. . .They also will answer: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will
reply: I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.
It's beyond belief, but many of the German soldiers in the second world war
were Christians who attended church on Sunday, sang the lovely hymns and
partook the Lord's supper; then during the week, impaled newborn Jewish
infants-- thrown out of hospital windows --in midair on their bayonets. Nazi
Germany, though a "Christian" nation, was just as atheistic in its political
practices as communist Russia.
Note : there's no record of Abram requesting any of the above blessings.
God just up and sprung them on him.
Cont.
/
and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Stephen said Abram was still living in Ur, and hadn't moved up to Haran yet
when God called him to leave his kin (Acts 7:2-3). There's no record of any
interaction with God all the while that Abram lived in Haran. Yhvh was silent,
and waiting for Abraham to get with the program and do as He said-- leave
his kin and head on out to a country of God's choosing. When he finally
departed, Abram was not yet informed of his precise destination. (Heb 11:8)
The Lord made several promises to Abram at this time which have all
literally come true.
†. Gen 12:2a . . I will make of you a great nation,
Greatness is arbitrary. Some say numbers best represent greatness, while
others feel that accomplishments, prosperity, health, and contributions to
mankind define greatness. In that last aspect; no other nation on earth has
contributed more to the benefit of mankind than the people of Israel. It is
through them that sinful men of all nations may obtain a full ransom from
the wrath of God. Israel is also destined to become the seat of world power,
economic prosperity, and the center for religious studies.
†. Gen 12:2b . . And I will bless you;
Abram became a very wealthy man; with enough male servants to field a
respectable army. He also enjoyed long life and good health; and the
admiration of his neighbors.
†. Gen 12:2c . . I will make your name great,
Nobody is more famous than Abraham. Even people who never heard of
George Washington, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, or Genghis Khan, know
about Abraham. He is connected to the three most prominent religions in the
world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And his name is always held in the
very highest regard. Abraham isn't known for nefarious deeds nor bloody
conquests. He is known as the friend of God, and as a role model for all
decent God-fearing people everywhere all over the world.
†. Gen 12:2d . . And you shall be a blessing.
There are some people that the world is well rid of like conceited
entertainers, neighbors from hell, thin skinned defensive people with raging
tempers, habitual liars, cry babies, people who falsify information, ruthless
businessmen, con and scam artists, unscrupulous lawyers, crooked cops and
dishonest politicians, insurance frauds, Wall Street sociopaths, managers on
a power trip, hackers, and the like. But Abraham was none of those. He was
a very gracious, honorable man; the kind of guy you would thank God for.
But most of all, Abraham is the progenitor of Messiah-- the savior of the
world.
†. Mtt 1:1 . . A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the
son of Abraham
Messiah is the one who makes it possible for sinners to escape the judgment
of God. You can't be a better blessing than that.
†. John 3:14-17 . . Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the
Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have
eternal life. For God so cared for the world that he donated His one and only
son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to rescue
the world through him.
Note : The reference to Moses' serpent is located at Num 21:4-9
Just as Moses' people were spared certain death from snake bite by doing no
more nor less than looking to the serpent; so believers today are spared
eternal suffering by doing no more nor less than looking to Jesus' crucifixion
to remedy their default destiny in an unspeakable environment.
†. Gen 12:3a . . I will bless those who bless you
It's a good investment to always do right by the Hebrew people. Some of
them are not easy to love, that's true; but never forget God's promise to
Abram: "I will bless those who bless you."
†. Mtt 25:31-40 . .When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations
will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the
sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
. . .Then the King will say to those on his right: Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
. . .Then the righteous will answer him: Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see
you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When
did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply: I tell
you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.
†. Gen 12:3b . . And curse him that curses you;
It is a very serious matter to mistreat Hebrew people.
†. Mtt 25:41-46 . .Then he will say to those on his left: Depart from me, you
who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I
needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you
did not look after me.
. . .They also will answer: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will
reply: I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.
It's beyond belief, but many of the German soldiers in the second world war
were Christians who attended church on Sunday, sang the lovely hymns and
partook the Lord's supper; then during the week, impaled newborn Jewish
infants-- thrown out of hospital windows --in midair on their bayonets. Nazi
Germany, though a "Christian" nation, was just as atheistic in its political
practices as communist Russia.
Note : there's no record of Abram requesting any of the above blessings.
God just up and sprung them on him.
Cont.
/
