Though childless, Abram was promised a progeny. the Holy Spirit. It is in this way through Abraham that the entire world would be blessed. means that only three generations will actually live in Egypt. Thisencompasses 210 years and not 400 years. It may be that the three types of animals cut up and the three-some of each animal brought represent these three generations. 0000018668 00000 n And the blessings of Abraham are mine through Jesus Christ. Anyone, including Gentiles, who comes to Him in repentance and faith is made part of His kingdom, while those Jews who reject Him will be left out. We were asked to sign the book of special guests. He also shared God's promise: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall . , What is the purpose of this covenant? Or to put the question another way - circumcision is to be a. (1) I will make you a great nation (2) I will bless you (3) I will make you name great (4) You will be a blessing (5) I will bless those who bless you (6) I will curse those who curse you (7) In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Abraham's seven-fold blessing in Genesis 12:2, 3: -. might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. And in Galatians 3:13-14, Paul relates this blessing as being bestowed. Others see a seven-fold blessing of Abraham: 1) I will make you into a great nation, 2) I will bless you, 3) I will make your name great, 4) you will be a blessing, 5) I will bless those who bless you, 6) whoever curses you I will curse, and 7) all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Jacob Offers Blessings (Genesis 46:28-49:33). A. VI. Perhaps because of this there is a midrashic tradition that Abrahams greatness was not only his awareness of a Single God but to his willingness to go through trials to demonstrate his allegiance to Him. One of these trials was his confronting the Mesopotamian ruler Nimrod and being placed in a burning furnace when his father delivered him to the king for smashing the idols in his idol store. it is because of God's promise not me.VII. 7 fold blessing of abraham pdf. And the last case of the sevenfold blessings being made available by Christ to the Church, being bought fully be the shedding of his blood on the cross of Calvary is fully discussed in Revelation 5:12. Abraham was told he will be made a great nation. A seat on Christ's throne (see . Varda Books, Skokie, Illinois 2005. Paul was the foremost apostle responsible for taking the good news (the gospel) to the Gentiles.In Galatians, Paul explains the importance of grace as opposed to the keeping of the law. What will be your perpetual state of being? much commentary, since it could imply that Abraham has doubts about Gods promise. because of both my natural and spiritual tie to my great great grandfather 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. Understanding Our Seven-fold Qualification For Ser You dear Saint are an Ambassador appointed to be a Why does Jesus require "experimental belief". A. #1 Great Nation. 12 marks the beginning of God's preparation for a people - His people. Thanks a lot for reading. , This difference in territorial borders is a reflection of the ideas that the names for God Elokim and YKVK are promoting. God promised to bless not only Abraham, in Genesis 12:1-3, but to also bless all the families of the earth through him. "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,read more. III. , And Elokim said to Abraham: 'As for Sarai thy wife, do not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name. I will bless her, and I will also give her a son through her; I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples will be from her. If God is your source, it does not matter how bad the economy is, you can be fully confident that God will surely bless you a hundred-fold if you faithfully invest in the preaching of the Gospel. We do not join it. In Genesis we see Abraham gaining a great reputation, and we see how his descendants multiplied, even though, at the time the promise was made, he had no hope of ever having any children. The seven blessings are adapted from ancient rabbinic teachings, beginning with the blessing over the wine and ending with a communal expression of joy. I. 0000010891 00000 n An alternative explanation suggests itself. Abraham is acting as a trailblazer for the Jewish people and pointing out the geo-political and religious significance that Shechem will have in the future. The details of the covenantal ceremony are translated here as Bring Me three heifers, three she-goats and three rams, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon (Genesis 15:9) - but this may not be the precise translation. The Bible reads that each animal is to be brought as a heifer meshuleshet (), she-goat meshuleshet () and ram meshulash (). The word meshulash () is related to the word three. Kimchi translates it as a 3-year old animal. But these glaring issues addressed below must be addressed. Genesis 12:2 and make thy name great, Vol 1 Bereishis/ Genesis. He is a faithful rewarder of them that seek him. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 28. R Joseph Solveichik explains that Abraham was continually performing acts that bound himself eternally to the land such as building sacrificial altars and digging a grave for his wife (Chumash with commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The five-fold blessing is the idea that when you buy from Israel, five different areas are affected by your purchase. Abraham's story picks up with his family settling in Haran, which today would be the country of Turkey. Phone: +234 805 669 9920, Copyright 2022 - www.tfhconlinesermon.org, Powered by The Waymakers Technologies (DWT). It would seem from the book of Joshua that the Israelites came to Shechem early in their military campaign soon after capturing Ai and were able to reach it with impunity (Joshua 8:30-35) Strangely, perhaps, the book of Joshua makes no mention of Shechem being captured. The king of Shechem did not participate in any of the alliances against the Israelites and his name is not listed among the 31 kings defeated by Joshuas forces (Joshua:12). Whether the city was unoccupied or whether the king cooperated with the Israelites or perhaps stayed neutral is not mentioned. Shechem is mentioned in the Armana letters written in about 1350 BCE, and these include letters from the king of Shechem to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Shechem was then clearly still a Canaanite city. Interestingly, these letters from the king of Shechem mention rebelling Habiru in the countryside, and another letter mentions that he had recruited Habiru as mercenaries. The identity of these Habiru is a controversial topic. Those scholars who argue for a 12th century Exodus obviously do not accept the Habiru as having any relevance to the Israelites. However, those who accept a much earlier Exodus do see a possible connection and it is very possible that the Habiru were Israelites. The Armana letters do mention a close relationship between the king of Shechem and the Habiru and it is possible that rather than fight them the king of Shechem entered into some sort of alliance with the Israelites, or more likely he had a non-interference policy with respect to Israelites visiting and settling in the vicinity of his city. In a way, the Arnana letters and the vagueness of the Book of Joshua regarding the status of Shechem complement each other and suggest that the situation vis-a-vis Shechem was not the same as for other Canaanite cities - although this may not have been a fact that the Israelites wished to record for posterity. On the other hand, the Book of Joshua does mention that no city made peace with Joshua except for Gibeon and this is hard to square with an alliance (Joshua 11:19)., 19. The Second Blessing He will "pour out for you such blessing". Bereishis, OU Press). Let no man despise thee. The directions for the Day of Atonement are given in Leviticus 16; but from other Scriptures we learn that there were seven sprinklings on that great day, to mark the perfection of accomplished atonement: -. "Your name shall be Abraham": This speaks of greatly ENLARGED VISION. One is that the Bible was redacted during a later period of history and the name Ur of the Chaldeans is an anachronism. This would also date the redaction of the Pentateuch to sometime from the 7th century BCE onwards. Against this it could be argued that the redactors of the Bible must surely have know that the Chaldeans were in Ur for a limited period and they were introducing a very obvious anachronism into the Biblical text with no good reason for doing so. Alternatively, the name Chaldeans could have been a later edition to an earlier written text, although again it is unclear what this addition was adding, since it is likely that Ur was sufficiently well known that it did not require this type of identification. The third possibility, and this is the suggestion favored by this author, is that the Bible was written shortly after the Exodus as the Bible describes and Ur Kasdim is not the ancient southern Mesopotamian city of Ur. This is, in fact, the position of many Jewish commentators. The Talmud, Maimonides, Josephus and the Book of Jubilees, for example, all describe locations in Assyria and south-east Anatolia for Ur of the Chaldeans. The Book of Jubilees writes that: Ur son of Keed built the city of Ara of the Chaldees, and called its name after his own name and the name of his father"(Jubilees 11:3). He was no saint nor was he perfect. In sum, Abraham was elected because he brought to the world knowledge of Elokim as the Ruler of the universe, and because he discovered the attributes of a personal God YKVK, and demonstrated by personal example how to relate to this aspect of God. This is the heritage he will pass onto his children: However, to promulgate these ideas to the world at large, Abraham will need a team and a forum. His team is to be his offspring and his forum the land of Canaan. How this is to b brought to fruition comprises the rest of this chapter. Others see a seven-fold blessing of Abraham as:1) I will make you into a great nation, 2) I will bless you, 3) I will make your name great,4) you will be a blessing, 5) I will bless those who bless you, 6) whoever curses you I will curse, and 7) all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. First, God commanded Abram to leave his homeland of Ur (modern-day Iraq) for the land God would show him. In terms of the ancient world, he was a success: he was well-respected, he was healthy, and he had many descendants. And in Galatians 3:13-14, Paul relates this blessing as being bestowed upon the Gentiles through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. the protection and pledge of God is grave. 11 0 obj <> endobj xref means my princess and may have been a form of endearment. But these are the very beliefs credited to Abraham! 0000015870 00000 n The distinction of being made a pillar in God's temple. All these blessings are for the church but they will not fall like ripe berries.It takes deep knowledge,insight and understanding of the scriptures to fully maximise their benefits.And it will take a proactive and responsible approach too.Responsibility is the price for Greatness.Understanding and action is what it takes in Jesus Christ Name. God wants to bless us and meet every need of our lives. By contrast, the borders in the previous blessing are geo-political borders. Israel can expand beyond its core territory whenever there is national consensus, and eventually its power and influence will extend from Egypt to Mesopotamia. This is not a directive but permission to do so, and God through His aspect of YKVK will help them achieve this. In fact, the Israelites already began establishing these greater borders early in their history by capturing the east bank of the Jordan at the time of Moses. Considerable expansion of territory was also achieved in the time of King David. and Marge Abram I will take you for My people, and I will be your God. 27. Ai was the second place attacked by the Israelites after the destruction of Jericho. (Joshua 8:1017; 12:7-9, 16) The capture of Ai set the stage for the surrender of Gibeon when its inhabitants set up a subterfuge to appear as if they had come from afar and made a peace treaty with Joshua. Gibeon was also of considerable strategic importance, being at the crossroad of the major north-south road as well as an important east-west road. The Israelites also conquered and settled in Beth El (Joshua 12;9-16, 16:1-2). There is still debate as to the location of Bet El, but it may well be the present Arab villages of Beitin or El Birah. This town is also strategically located on the narrow central mountain range, with a connecting road heading eastwards to Jericho. But this did not limit the possibilities. As the YKVK aspect of God says to Joshua: At long last, Abraham is told by Elokim that he will have a son through Sarah and she also will give rise to. #2 Land. But this did not limit the possibilities. As the YKVK aspect of God says to Joshua: Every place upon which the sole of your foot will march I have given to you, as I have spoken to Moses. From the desert and this Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites to the Mediterranean Sea westward will be your boundary. No man will challenge you all the days of your life . 2. And make thy name great; 4. The Sheva Brachot ( Seven Blessings) are a key part of a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. Ur of the Chaldeas a rocky and an unfruitful place. Luzzatto suggests that the name comes from the three-letter root shin daled daled, and notes that the Arabic word shadid means strong. Hence, its meaning would be Omnipotent God. This is similar to the explanation of Nachmanides and Ibn Ezra of Mighty God. Nachmanides commentary to the Torah on Genesis 12:1. Nachmanides suggests that Abraham wandered from country to country and only when God told him that this was the land intended did he stop his journey., 15.Where was Abraham born? The Bible is very clear on the matter: Haran died in the presence of Terah his father, in his native land, in Ur Kasdim. (Genesis 11:28) From archeological work carried out from the 1800s and onwards, we know that the ancient city of Ur was located in southern Mesopotamia at the convergence of the Euphrates and Tigris. He wants us to have life and more abundantly. where to buy georgia bourbon snow cream; SMOJ. book I was reminded of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has signed the Book of Life *he never had to engage in wrong ways to gain wealth. God gives these sevenfold blessings first to Abraham, we also see these sevenfold blessings given to Israel through Moses in Exodus 6:6-8, Say therefore to the sons of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. See more articles in the category: Wiki . V. Blessing number five Genesis 12:2 and thou shalt be a blessing: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The birth of Isaac is unnatural. The Bible does not call it this in plain terms, but describes it as a Abraham laughing in wonderment and his son being called Isaac from the same word to laugh. Postmenopausal women do not have children. I. There is discussion among Jewish commentators as to the symbolic meaning of circumcision. Most agree that it is a means of distinguishing the Jewish people from the rest of humanity. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, YKVK appeared to Abram, and said to him: I am El Shedai, walk before me and be perfect. V. Blessing number five Genesis 12:2 and thou shalt be a blessing: A. Abraham. (Joshua 1:-6) , The sixth blessing is connected to the fifth blessing by its thematic content. Nevertheless, in the Torah scroll it is separated from the previous blessing by a paragraph gap and should therefore be considered a separate blessing., At long last, Abraham is told by Elokim that he will have a son through Sarah and she also will give rise to nations and kings. One way of looking at this sentence is to consider part of it as being in brackets: In other words, the Israelites will be in servitude and oppression but not for all these 400 years. www.tonyabram.comor At one time, it was the largest city in the ancient world. It also was on the coast and therefore a port; but the coastline has since moved further into the ocean and the ruins of Ur are now inland. The Chaldeans of Ur of the Chaldeans are a Semitic tribe who invaded Ur at the end of the 7th century BCE. , This very much points to the future, since the promulgation of the Jewish people is also destined to be unnatural. Even in situations of physical and/or spiritual bondage, the Jewish people will have children. This is not how the world naturally functions. People who are oppressed become extinct. And they certainly do not flourish. Yet the exact opposite happens to the Jewish people. Even after a catastrophic holocaust they rise again. The world will never run out of Jews. This is part of the Elokim-directed covenant. Out of this great nation will be people who will be called the people of God. name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: - 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Most nations are also endogenous to a land. Their country of birth defines their nationality and that country has been linked to that nationality from time immemorial. But this is not how it is to be for Abraham and his descendants. Everything is to be a gift from God and has to be earned children, land, and even agricultural sustenance on this land. B. So the greatest thing we can do as believers is to live to please Him on a daily basis. Parshat Lech LCha Part Two. , One opinion in the Talmud has difficulty accepting that walking alone is sufficient to establish ownership, and suggests rather that Abraham walked through the land. However, things began to unravel, and the people broke the law of God and followed other gods. Related Posts. The blessing of Abraham is also sometimes misused in prosperity theology to claim that believers today can be just as rich and successful as Abraham was. He promised to make Abraham a blessing. Never struggle to make a name for yourself. 4:7. God who desires to lead us by His Spirit would like to lead us to the place representative to the world to promote justice and righteousness.