Genesis 12:1-10
Ge 12:1
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will shew thee:
Terah, Abram’s Father had now died at the age of 205 in Haran. And the days
of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. (Genesis
11:32) This covenant points out how
God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and commanded him to go to a land
which God would show him. Within this covenant we see promises which must be
examined very closely to determine their meaning.
Abram was now commanded by God to leave Ur and to leave his family and
follow God to the land which He would show to him.
At this point, God did not tell Abram where he was going, instead Abram
followed God by faith. By faith
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive
for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
(Hebrews 11:8)
Ge 12:2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Here
God gives Abram a promise that he will become a great nation. The word "nation"
is the Hebrew word "goy," which may be translated "Gentile, foreign nation, or
heathen." Right at the outset we see that the nation God has in view will not be
limited to a single country. We establish this because within this nation there
are going to exist Gentiles. We may conclude this nation will be worldwide in
scope. Therefore say I unto you,
The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth
the fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43) Matthew
21:43 gives us an insight as to what type of nation will be built through
Abraham’s seed. The nation which
will be bringing forth much fruit will be the eternal church of Christ or the
body of believers. The fruit in
view is to make other believers as the Gospel is sent forth to the world.
It must be worldwide if foreign Gentile nations are to be included. God
also promised to make Abram’s name great, and this has been fulfilled. The
nation of Israel proclaimed him, the Arab world proclaims him, and the Christian
world proclaims him. God says he would be a blessing, but a blessing to whom?
Ask the Palestinians if modern Israel is a blessing to them.
I believe the answer to that lies in verse 3.
Ge 12:3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
And I will bless them that bless thee
There is probably no greater example of the blessing of God on a physical nation
than that of the United States.
When we were founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, their first desire was to advance
the Christian Faith as they recorded in the Mayflower Compact of November
11,1620. Our nation was founded on
Christianity and the majority of the founding fathers were Christians.
This nation was blessed as even the unbelievers who lived here had a fear
of God and did not persecute the Christians as is being done today.
The Government was formed according to Christian principles and the
acknowledging that Christianity was the true faith.
This led to the formation and building of a mighty nation under God.
God blessed this nation because it acknowledged Him as the Supreme ruler
over this country and He has protected it through the years.
He blessed this nation as the breadbasket to the world and with great
wealth. People flocked to the
shores to start a new life here.
All of my grandparents came from Hungary around the turn of the twentieth
century.
and curse him that curseth thee
We continue to look at the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram, we need to
look at countries that have cursed Christianity and even showed desire for it to
leave the shores. In India,
Hinduism has been very physical against Christianity and as a result they are a
very poor nation worshipping cows.
Saudi Arabia where Christianity is illegal, they may have much oil wealth but
their people worship a black box called the Kaaba.
To have no gospel is a greater curse because there is no chance for
salvation. The old Soviet Union
persecuted Christians and in 1990 they dissolved.
North Korea persecutes Christians and their country is just about broke.
Modern Israel hates Christians and the Lord Jesus Christ and they have
become a haven for sodomites and human trafficking which totally negates the
ridiculous moniker of “holy land.”
All
one has to do is just look at who persecutes Christians, whether corporately or
individually, and you will see God’s curse upon them.
The greatest curse that one can have is to be the enemy of God by means
of persecuting Christians. Remember
what the Lord Jesus said to the Apostle Paul when he was on his way to Damascus?
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? {5} And
he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
(Acts 9:4-5) What these hate mongers fail to understand, that when
they hate Christians, they are in actuality hating the Lord Jesus Christ who
will be their judge on the last day.
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed
Now we must look at what God chooses to bless as these blessings are not man
made but divine. Let us pose three questions:
Has God blessed Judaism?
Has God blessed Islam?
Has God blessed Christianity?
The answer to the first two questions is no because both of these systems deny
Christ in His deity. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:
(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (1 John 2:23)
The answer to the third is yes, because Christianity is not a world
religion with a cultic overtone. True Christianity exalts the person of Christ,
and God promised to bless those who are in Christ.
Now we must realize that the only way all families on the earth can be blessed
is if the gospel is preached to them. There is not a country on earth which is
void of Christians, Christianity, or the knowledge of Christ. Now when Russia
relaxed its strict control on the people in 1990, the cry was to send Bibles,
not other religious books. Wherever
Christianity was permitted, it left an indelible mark on that country.
Many times hospitals were built, schools were built, housing was built,
humanitarian aid was given in Christ’s name, when there is a tsunami or other
disaster, Americans are quick to offer help, whether believers or not.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, there were many Christian
groups on the scene to help. The
atheists in this country hate Christianity and yet I did not hear of one atheist
group on the scene in New Orleans.
It is common
knowledge that whenever mission stations were built in different countries, they
became centers of refuge for people.
They normally helped with their medical and dental needs, education,
clothing, and other necessities.
They were normally built in the poorer sections of a country.
I have been saved for 41 years and have yet to see a humanitarian station
built in foreign countries by either Muslims, Jews, atheists, or sodomites.
It is always the Christians who go in and not only help with the physical
but bring the eternal gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which when indigenous
people become saved, it changes their life eternally and they in turn go out and
preach the gospel to their fellow countrymen, thus fulfilling God’s promise to
Abram that all the families of the world would be blessed.
Genesis 12:1-3 is
in no way speaking of the modern nation of Israel.
When this promise was given to Abram, ancient Israel was 600 years from
being formed as an official nation.
In these verses, God is telling us that the Lord Jesus Christ would come through
the nation of Israel, the line of Judah and once He completed His salvation
program on Calvary and ascended back to Heaven, then would come Pentecost which
would usher in the last days and the sending forth of the Gospel to the entire
world. So God makes the promise to
Abram that it would be through his family line that the Messiah would come and
that is why neither Eliezer his steward or Ishmael could be the child of
promise. It had to be Isaac who
gave birth to Jacob who gave birth to Judah until his line came to the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is unfortunate
that so many Christians believe that the modern nation of Israel is some type of
holy land. As stated before it has
become a haven for sodomy.
Genesis 12:1-3
when interpreted properly yields only one focus and that is the promise of the
Lord Jesus Christ along with worldwide evangelism in His Name.
Those who try and claim that it is speaking of modern Israel are doing
disservice to these passages and will never come into truth on this subject.
This is also why so many churches and Christians have been derailed into
thinking that modern Israel is the place to keep their eyes on for prophecy.
The place to keep their eye on is the church and its persecution and
infiltration by false gospels.
When looking at
the covenant in Genesis 12:1-3 and when we understand it to mean the eternal
church, then we will understand much better when God states that He will give
Abraham a land forever. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I
give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis
13:15) What is the only
thing in Scripture which will last forever?
It is the eternal Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is what is in
view when we read “forever or everlasting.”
And I will establish my
covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
{8} And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land
wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God.
(Genesis
17:7-8)
When will we claim that
everlasting possession? It will be
after Judgment day when God remakes this entire world and universe.
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall
remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
(Isaiah 66:22)
Notice the similarity between
Genesis 17:7 and Isaiah 66:22. They
are both speaking of the seed. Who
is that seed? Now to Abraham and
his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as
of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
(Galatians
3:16) It is the Lord Jesus
Christ and all His followers, AKA Christians.
It becomes so clear once we analyze these verses properly.
Please do not get caught up believing false prophecy books and
dispensationalism which only spew more lies and causes more confusion and get
rid of those Scofield notes because they only cause confusion.
Ge 12:4
So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and
Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he
departed out of Haran.
So Abram departed out of the city of Haran.
This would have been approximately 2000 B.C.,
Haran was an important city in culture and commerce.
Abram was 75 years old when he left and he took his nephew Lot with him
who would play a chapter in Abram’s life later on.
Ge 12:5
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son,
and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had
gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the
land of Canaan they came.
Abram took Sarai his wife with him.
The name Sarai means “princess.”
He took Lot the son of his brother Haran along with all their
possessions. The souls they had
gotten in Haran refers to the servants they took with them. Abram was a rich man
and able to afford servants, even at this time.
They set out for the land of Canaan and they finally arrived at their
destination.
Ge 12:6
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of
Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
The first place Abram stopped was in the area of Shechem
which was about 35 miles (56 km) north of Jerusalem.
This initial journey was about 500 miles (804 km) from Haran to Shechem.
Moreh was a plain located near Shechem and had a large terebinth tree
known as the teacher’s tree where teachers gathered their students to teach.
Abram also noticed that the Canaanite was in the land.
They had lived there for about a thousand years at this time.
They were considered a wicked, idolatrous and immoral people who were
going to face the judgment of God.
Joshua would move many of them out in about 600 years when Israel goes into
Canaan.
Ge 12:7
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed
will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared
unto him.
The LORD appeared unto Abram and it is not known how he
appeared to him. There are two
scenarios in view. First, the
nation of Israel who is the physical descendants of Abram through Isaac, Jacob,
and the twelve sons will inherit the land by covenant with God.
They would only be allowed to possess the land if they were obedient to
the law given on Sinai. Then there
is the eternal scenario where the seed is referring to Christ.
Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to
thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
The land would be spoken of as an eternal possession for the body of
Christ in the future. Of
course, it is only a representation of the New Earth where the believers are
going to dwell eternally. Then
after the LORD met with Abram, he built an altar unto the LORD and no doubt had
prepared a burnt sacrifice.
Ge 12:8
And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of
Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the
east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of
the LORD.
Then Abram left the area of Shechem and settled in the
central hill country between Beth-el and Hai.
Hai would have been the village of Ai which would be a testing ground for
Israel under Joshua. Beth-el and
Hai were about 3 miles (5 km) apart.
They were about 10 miles (16 km) north of Jerusalem.
Then when Abram arrived he built an altar unto the LORD.
And Joshua sent men from Jericho
to Ai, which is beside
Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and
view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. (Joshua 7:2)
Ge 12:9
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
Then Abram continued his journey through Canaan, this
time he headed south toward the Negev which was the dry country south of Hebron.
Abram may have been looking for a place to live that was not so infected
with sin and idolatry.
Ge 12:10
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down
into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.