God's Call Part II

Genesis 12:2-3:

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Yesterday we examined the initial call of God on Abram's life and how it required radical obedience to leave the comfort of your hometown and family. Today, we want to look at the promise God gives to Abram that is conditional on his obedience.

In verse 2 God's promise to show the land to Abram was substantial in terms of the same three things Abram was asked to leave in verse 1. In the place of his land, or community, God would make Abram “into a great nation.” In place of the security Abram derived from living among his relatives, God would “bless” him, giving him divine security. Finally, in the place of the name, or reputation, Abram would receive from his father, God would make Abram's “name great,” establishing a unique identity and reputation.

If you take an Old Testament survey class, you will be told the essentials of building a nation are a people, a law, and a land. God chose Abram to become the father of His people. The Lord would give the law to His people at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:12). Eventually God would bring His people Israel into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1-9).

The phrase “great nation” testifies to a future political entity, sharing a mutual land, language, and government. More importantly, the great nation Abram would become was opposite of what he was at the time the promise was given. He already was advanced in years (Gen. 12:4), and his wife Sarai was unable to conceive (11:30). Yet God's entire promise rested on the necessity for this couple to bear a child. God's promise envisioned Abram becoming a great nation of people dwelling in their own land, speaking their own language, and living in accordance with God's law.

Regarding the statement “I will make your name great,” we see a sharp contrast to the efforts of the people at Babel/Babylon. Those people sought to make a name for themselves (11:4). With Abram, the emphasis was on the Lord's actions, expressed in repeated “I will” statements. Interestingly, God would later change Abram's name to Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude” (Gen. 17:5). His identity would be enhanced as he became the patriarch of God's people.

In verse 3 we see that the entire covenant enterprise God sought to establish with Abram rested on His blessings. Already in 12:2 we noted the statements, “I will bless you” and “you will be a blessing.” One way of understanding the biblical concept of blessing is to view God's blessing as empowerment. The result of divine empowerment ensures success in life's ventures. Another emphasis of blessing focuses on blessing as the result of obedience. Thus, persons are not motivated to serve God as a means of getting a large family or material things. Rather, they obey God to enjoy His presence.

God's promise to bless Abram also included security. Abram would find ultimate security in God's presence and blessing. Moreover, God's statement “you will be a blessing” extends the promise from Abram to his descendants and eventually to all the world's families who would come under his influence.

Two aspects of God's blessing as security are contained in 12:3. First, God promised to “bless those who bless” Abram. The promise to bless is emphatic. If security came in the form of large, extended families with bountiful crops and livestock to support them, then God was promising such security not only to Abram but to all who aided him.

The second aspect of blessing as security is in the statement “I will curse those who treat you with contempt.” The KJV renders the statement, “I will...curse him that curseth thee.” The difficulty lies in how to translate the two different words for curse found in the Hebrew. God promised to curse ('arar) anyone cursing (qalal) Abram. The first term carries the idea of thwarting someone in their efforts. The second term denotes taking someone lightly-that is, dishonoring or treating that person with contempt.

By promising to bless those who would bless Abram, God guaranteed Abram a future place of great influence. Abram's security in part would derive from the proverbial “strength in numbers,” but at all times it would be directly attributed to the Lord's blessing. On the other hand, those who chose to treat Abram's presence and influence with contempt would find their efforts being thwarted by God.

The final statement, “all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” means God's blessing would come to others through Abram and his descendants. At last, the answer to the question raised by God's judgment at Babel/Babylon is answered. How would God bring His redeeming grace to lost, scattered humanity? He would do it through Abram and his descendants. Ultimately, this promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God's Son, who took on human flesh as a descendant of Abraham (Matt. 1:1).

Applying the Scriptures:

In what ways has Abram's obedient faith been a blessing to the world? In what ways can our obedient faith be a blessing to others?