The Promise by Faith

Genesis 12: 

1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2 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.” 

Scripture tells us that these three well-known and well- quoted verses are pointing - not to Abraham’s present time - but ahead of time; to the Salvation that will come through Abraham’s descendant Jesus Christ, through Abraham’s simple faith and obedience to the Lord: first to the Jew; then to everyone!  This is the first of many promises like this, that the Lord will give to Abraham, over the course of his sojourning.

vs.2 “I will make of you a great nation.”What is this “great nation”? 

1Peter 2: 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Peter is speaking here, not to the literal nation of Israel - many of whom were persecuting the Church at this point - but to those Jews who have come out from the nations of the world to follow Jesus the Messiah! 

See also Galatians 3:26-28 

Peter - like his ancestor Abraham - speaks not of a literal kingdom, but a spiritual one! As Hebrews 11:9 clearly shows us: “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse,”

...for if we do not believe in this Promise of God, through Abraham (which we now know to be Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ) we remain under God’s curse (the terrible punishment for a life of sin that has neither been atoned for or repented of) 

Read Romans Ch.4 

and Galatians 3: 

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”

7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 

9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” 

This is what Genesis 12:3 is referring to.

See also Hebrews 11:8-12

Genesis 12:3(b)“and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

We Christians, know this blessing to be salvation; but what will this look like in the end? 

Read Revelation 7

And then Revelation 21-22

This is the power of the cross:

1Corinthians 1: 

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

So, from the Scripture, here is what we Christians should know about the physical nation of Israel:

The Lord has given them the land (Ezekiel 36:24)

They will have trouble in the land (Zechariah 12:1-9)

This trouble will continue all the way until the return of our Messiah, whom they will finally recognize and receive as their Messiah. (Zechariah 12:10-14)

The Scriptures support nothing else; and as Christians, we should not be viewing this any other way:-

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8

Reading Genesis 32:22-32 - (When “Jacob” becomes “Israel”) 

Jacob is alone, wrestling with his own conscience: He and he alone has  wronged Esau and he knows, that without the Lord’s intervention, Esau will deal with him exactly as he deserves.

Why does Jacob “wrestle with God”? Maybe he struggles to trust the Lord enough, to know that God will see him through this: Maybe, because of his guilt, he doesn’t feel worthy of the Lord’s protection:

Through this encounter, Jacob will be humbled completely and permanently. He will understand that the Lord is protecting him, and will continue to do so - whether he deserves it or not! And it is through this understanding, that Jacob finally (in accordance with his name) grabs at the blessing for the right reason. Weak and powerless, he now knows he has no choice but to trust the Lord - and that the Lord truly will take care of him.

Jacob was guilty - and his fear was the fruit of that. He wrestles with the mercy of God because of that (as if he is thinking: “punish me now and get it over with.”) 

The Lord completely disables Jacob to show him: “You have my mercy, whether you deserve it or not!” This is a precursor to the mercy given to us, through the sacrifice of the cross; and the struggle, so common among us, with regard to receiving it. Jacob’s struggle is merely a picture of our own - in humbling ourselves to receive what we know we do not deserve. Romans 5:6-9

Now, with every limping step that Jacob takes, he is reminded of the Lord’s Presence with him and mercy upon him. May it be this way also for us. 2Corinthians 12:7-10

Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 

This could be compared to Jeremiah 30:7 (Jacob’s Trouble) And a prophetic foretelling of how his descendants will continue to wrestle with the Lord and his Messiah. We know this because of what happened when their Messiah literally came and walked among them.

To this day, the nation of Israel will strive with God, (Read Romans 9-11) until the Lord also puts out their socket; until they understand that Salvation is by grace alone; not by works, so that none can boast! (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

At this point, just like Jacob, they will recognize 

1. Who the Lord truly is (Peniel - “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

2. Their disparate need of him. “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Israel will hold on to God: And when the Day breaks, they will finally see: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Some scripture on the literal nation of Israel in the time still to come:

Isaiah 40

Ezekiel 37 - 39

Daniel Ch.11 & 12

Joel 3:2

Zechariah Ch.12 & 14

Matthew 24

Revelation 12:1-17