Genesis 12:1-9
Monday, 13 February 2023
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” -Genesis 12:1-2
The call of Abraham in the reading today is a doorway to understanding God’s purpose for us. He blesses so that we will be a blessing to many. When our lives align with God’s purposes, then we are prepared to receive the blessings of God. God’s promises come with conditions. The condition for receiving from God is that you must be first willing to do what He requires, for God to fulfill His plan in your life.
We see this in today’s reading as God gives a command (V1) which he expects Abraham to obey and receive the blessing (V2). Obeying this commandment by faith (V4), Abraham sets the beginning of a relationship with God that extended to his future generations. Hebrews 11:8-9 confirms this: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should later receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ……dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob…” The blessing of Abraham’s obedience is still being carried on today in his spiritual descendants – see Galatians 3:7-9: “….Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
God’s Desire to Bless
From whichever part of the world you are from, there is a common desire to be blessed. The blessing is not just for us but we want our children to be blessed—to have more than we had in terms of food, clothing, good education, good health, etc.. The blessings of God however extend beyond these –it includes our Salvation. God desires to bless us in ways that are spiritual and eternal (Ref. Ephesians 2).
Partial Obedience delays His Purpose for your life
God clearly tells Abraham to separate himself from his father’s house and his kindred and go to the land He would show him. He obeyed but he took his father and his nephew along to Haran (Gen.11:31). After his father died he proceeded to Canaan, but again he took Lot with him (Gen 12:5). God waited until Abraham had separated himself from Lot before reiterating His blessing (Gen 13:14-17). When Abraham obeyed God we read how God responded: “And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.”(Gen.22:18) Obedience is a part of Abraham’s call. If we do not obey the things that God has shown clearly to be His will, then why should He reveal any further regarding His plan on how He intends to use us to be a blessing to others?
We are Blessed to Bless
God has blessed you for the same reason He blessed Abraham—to bless all the families of the earth. God blessing you with spiritual gifts, health, wealth—is to be a blessing to others. Jesus reconfirmed that God has blessed us to bless others when He gave us the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …” (Matt.28:19). It is a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth. The whole world with different ethnic groups needs you and I to bless them with the Good News! The Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all these peoples (nations).
To Remember: Brethren: You and I are the instruments through whom God has chosen to bless the families of the earth!