In May of 2021, as a result of the Israel-Hamas Conflict, representatives from the far left group known as “The Squad,” tried to denounce our closest ally Israel, calling it an “apartheid state,” which means a racist state. Within days, the same anti-Israel sentiment spilled into several major U.S. cities.(1) For example, college students were at Times Square for a pro-Israel demonstration when a Jewish man heading to the same rally was beaten and kicked while anti-Semitic slurs were hurled at him. A Brooklyn man was charged with arson after attempting to set a synagogue and Jewish school on fire. In Boca Raton, Florida, a van drove through a pro-Israel rally with the words “Hitler was right” written across the window, as those inside waved a Palestinian flag and one wore a shirt with a Nazi symbol on it. In Los Angeles, people got out of a car outside a restaurant and began asking who was Jewish. The words “Dirty Jew” were heard, and then glass bottles were thrown at the table.(2)
It seems that Israel is always at center stage in the world scene, and that’s because God is at center stage, and Israel is backed by God; and throughout history people have hated the Lord and His people. One day, all history will culminate in the Holy Land as Israel takes center stage yet again for the commencing of the apocalypse and the return of Christ. The Bible says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). This goes for both Israel and her allies. Our country will be blessed so long as we support Israel, but should we stop, our nation will perish. This morning, we’re going to look at what’s called “The Blessings of Abraham,” which are the blessings extended to those who serve and obey they Lord. These blessings apply to both individuals and nations; but in helping us in our daily walk with the Lord, we’re going to be looking primarily at how these blessings apply to believers.
Blessings for the Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9, 13-14)
7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 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.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham . . . 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
This is an interesting passage of Scripture for believers in understanding who we are in Christ. We see mentioned here the “sons of Abraham.” The Jewish people are typically known as the children of Abraham and God’s chosen people. In Deuteronomy 7:6-8, we’re informed of Israel, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers” – particularly to father Abraham.
Israel was chosen as God’s elect; however, we read in Galatians that the qualification for being included in the seed of Israel is “faith” (v. 7). Verse 9 of our passage declares, “So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” In Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 8, the Lord said Israel was chosen “because the Lord loves you.” You see, the people of Israel were not selected because they were “more in number than any other people” (Deuteronomy 7:7), and they were not singled out because they were born into a specific bloodline. The people were chosen because they were people of “faith,” and thereby, they were blessed with Abraham, because Abraham was a man of faith. You see, it’s all about faith! The Israelites were a people of faith, and faith was their inheritance – not bloodline or circumcision – and all who are of faith are considered to be the spiritual seed of Abraham!
So, two good questions are: “What did Abraham have faith in,” and “What are we to have faith in?” In Hebrews 11:12-39, we learn that all the patriarchs of Israel lived by faith. In Hebrews 11:13, we are told, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, [and] embraced them,” and then, Hebrews 11:39 tells us, “All these [patriarchs], having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” So, the patriarchs, including Abraham, lived by faith in “a promise that was far off,” and, thereby, they “obtained a good testimony.” They were “justified by faith,” as we read about in Galatians 3:24.
We are told that since all these patriarchs did not receive the promise, but instead died before He appeared, then we too are supposed to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us . . . looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We need to be looking ahead always to the one we can only see through faith. In the book of Hebrews we are told that the promise the patriarchs looked to, and the hope they put their faith in, was Christ! Their hope was in the coming Messiah who was later manifested as Jesus. We too are supposed to place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and we can do so because that promise was manifested and became a reality when Jesus gave His life on the cross for you and me! It is all about having faith in the promise – the promise of the Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 9:6-8 states, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham . . . but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.”
Israel is known as the circumcision, and we read in Romans chapter 4, verses 9 and 11, that “faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness . . . and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had,” and then we read in Romans 4:12, that he is “the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had.” Through faith we are heirs to the kingdom, along with father Abraham, for in Galatians 3:29, we are told, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” and then in Philippians 3:3, we are informed, “We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit.” We are also told in Galatians 4:7, “You are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” So, if we are born of faith in Jesus, then our identity in Christ connects us to “the seed of Abraham.” We are like a branch engrafted into Israel (Romans 11:17-24)!
Looking at our main passage, in Galatians 3:13-14, we are told that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us . . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.” A Gentile is someone who is not born Jewish, and that describes most of us gathered here today. In Jesus, we are part of the spiritual seed of Abraham; and we are, therefore, entitled to “the blessing of Abraham.” Galatians 3:16 tells us, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made” – the promises of blessing – and Hebrews 2:16 declares, “For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”
First and foremost, we receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, and through the Spirit we are sealed unto redemption and salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14). Romans 8:16-17 declares, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are . . . heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” The greatest blessing that we receive as the spiritual seed of Abraham is our salvation through the promise and hope in which all the patriarchs placed their faith – and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the blessing – singular – of Abraham. However, in the Old Testament we find that there were many blessings – plural – that were provided to the seed of Abraham. So, I now want to direct our attention to Deuteronomy 28:1-13, as we examine what are called “The Blessings of Abraham.”
The Blessings Are Presented for Us (Deuteronomy 28:1-13)
1 Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 9 The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Right here, we have “The Blessings of Abraham” presented. Some would cringe to hear that God wants to bless us. Maybe they’re going through a hard time in life and feel like they’re being judged for having problems; or perhaps, they have difficulty reconciling the message of God’s blessings with the poverty and oppression found in some third world countries. The Lord’s will for us is that we be blessed and prosper in spirit, in provision and in health. We read in 3 John 2:2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” However, because this world is a sinful and fallen place, God’s desire for us is not always accomplished. But we must never forget that, as God’s chosen people, we are supposed to be a blessed people! The same can be said of any nation that serves the Lord and supports His people.
We read about Abraham in Genesis 13:2, “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” So, why was he blessed in such a manner? And why are we supposed to be blessed? According to Deuteronomy 28:10, we are blessed so that “all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.” We are blessed so that other people will take notice of what the Lord has done in our life; and thus, catch their attention. So, why do we need to catch people’s attention? Well, we read about Abraham in Genesis 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” God wants to bless us with the resources needed to bless others, for we are supposed to be a light and blessings to all nations!
So, why are we supposed to be a light and blessing? So that all those who would believe would become heirs of Abraham together with us through the promise, Jesus Christ! In 1 Peter 3:8, we are informed that we should bestow on others a “blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” God desires to bless us so we can bless others with the greatest gift of all, which is Jesus Christ. In Romans 15:29, Paul said, “I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ,” and in Ephesians 1:3, we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” We are blessed to enable us to be more effective in pointing others to the blessing of Jesus Christ!
So, what are the blessings we receive as the spiritual seed of Abraham? The Lord says, “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you”: You shall be blessed in the city, you shall be blessed in the country, and you shall be blessed in the fruit of your body. We learn from Psalm 127, that these three blessings will elevate us socially in the eyes of other people, friends, and neighbors, and will give us a good name so that even our enemies will speak with us in the city gate (Psalm 127:5).
We are also told: You shall be blessed in the produce of your ground; you shall be blessed in the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your flocks. This is a reference to God’s provision. People traded livestock for goods and livestock resulted in food on the table. It’s also the method by which the people paid their tithes and offerings to the Lord, and that’s why the Lord declared in Psalm 50:10 that He owns, “the cattle on a thousand hills,” and why we so often quote this verse in reference to God’s provision.
We go on to read: You shall be blessed in your basket and in your kneading bowl. Jesus said that we are supposed to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). The Lord also says: You shall be blessed when you come in, and when you go out; the LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face, and they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. What we read of here is that the Lord will protect us from harm.
The list continues: You shall be blessed in your storehouses, and you shall be blessed in all to which you set your hand. Once again, God’s provision is portrayed. Then, as the list continues, it states: You shall be blessed in the land which God is giving you; the LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself. So, here, we see how the Lord wants to make us an influence for His glory. Then again, we see His provision: The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season. In Malachi 3:10, we are told that if we tithe, the Lord will “open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Then, we discover here that the Lord will bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. A messianic Jew I once knew pointed out how the Jewish people always seem to prosper and have plenty of money to lend. This is actually a well-worn and negative stereotype of the Jews, suggesting dishonest gain; but their prosperity can be tied to the blessings of Abraham. We too should lend and not borrow, since we are of the spiritual seed of Abraham. And then finally we read that: The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; and you shall be above only and not be beneath. So, we shall be exalted above others.
Once again, I want to quickly reiterate the blessings we receive as the spiritual seed of Abraham: We will be elevated and exalted socially; we will be an influence wherever we go; the Lord will protect us from harm; the Lord will provide for our daily needs, and even bless us with abundance to lend unto others! This sounds like some of the blessings that Jesus promised His followers. Pertaining to being an influence, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). Relating to being protected, Jesus said in the Great Commission that if someone picked up a snake or drank poison that “it will by no means hurt them” (Mark 16:18). And then, in relation to having our daily needs met, Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32).
Time of Reflection
It is my hope that we’ve been able to see that God wants to bless His people! He also wants to bless any nation that stands with Israel. The Bible tells us that Gentiles who are part of the spiritual seed of Abraham are actually indebted to support the Jews. In Romans 15:25-27, the apostle Paul stated that the Christians in Macedonia and Achaia counted it a privilege to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. In the Holman Christian Standard Bible, here’s what Paul had to say: “They were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs” (v. 27). Also, let’s not forget what Psalm 122:6 says: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you.” May all who love Jerusalem and Israel be blessed!
Now, the greatest blessing of all is God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ, who came into this world to die on the cross (John 3:16), and take upon Himself the penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23), so that we might be held blameless in the eyes of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), and so we would be able to enter into eternal life in God’s kingdom (John 3:16). So, how do we obtain this blessing? We are told in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” We receive this gift from God (Romans 6:23) by believing in what Jesus did for us on the cross, and by confessing our belief before others; and at the very moment that we receive Jesus in faith, we become engrafted into the lineage of Israel; and, therefore, we have access to “The Blessings of Abraham.”
NOTES
(1) Juliegrace Brufke, “McCarthy Slams AOC, Squad as He Introduces Anti-Semitism Measure,” New York Post: https://nypost.com/2021/05/25/mccarthy-slams-aoc-and-squad-with-anti-semitism-measure/ (Accessed August 9, 2021).
(2) Mallory Simon, “Young Jewish Americans Rocked by New Hate Fueled by Israel-Palestinian Conflict,” CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/25/us/new-york-gen-z-students-antisemitism-soh/index.html (Accessed August 9, 2021).
