Open your Bible
Lets let the Word of God tell us exactly and walk through who Abraham was, the promise to him by God, the promise of God to his son Isaac, grandson Jacob/Israel, Abraham’s faith, and how as Christians we should view physical descendants of Abraham today.
It all starts back in the book of Genesis and Abram’s journey to Egypt. Let’s read the first four verses of Chapter 12.
“1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country, And from your relatives, And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
2And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who [a]curses you I will [b]curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
4So Abram went away as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”
The clarity here is that God is talking to Abram later called Abraham regarding the blessing and curses for those Abraham encounters in his lifetime. God doesn’t mention Israel for that would be Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, two generations later.
Covenant with Abraham.
In Genesis 17, God gives Abraham a Covenant of Circumcision.
1Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am [a]God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be [b]blameless.
2“I will [c]make My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.” 3Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5“No longer shall you be named [d]Abram,
But your name shall be [e]Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your [f]descendants after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your [g]descendants after you. 8And I will give to you and to your [h]descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
God’s Oath with Isaac
Genesis 26
2And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.
3Live for a time in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your [a]descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.
4I will multiply your [b]descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your [c]descendants all these lands; and by your [d]descendants all the nations of the earth [e]shall be blessed,
5because Abraham [f]obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Jacob’s Dream
Genesis 28
13Then behold, the LORD was standing [h]above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your [i]descendants. 14Your [j]descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will [k]spread out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your [l]descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have [m]promised you.”
Now that we read the covenant with Abraham, the Oath with Isaac, and Jacob’s dream where God repeats the same promise, we see that the whole bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you wasn’t repeated by God to Isaac and Jacob/Israel. In fact, that statement was when God called Abraham initially and before God even made a covenant with Abraham.
However, let’s keep studying more about who Abram/Abraham is and why it matters.
Who is this person Abraham?
Abraham was the tenth generation from Noah, the patriarch, along with his family, that survived the Great Flood.
The generations from Adam to Noah are the following:
Adam: meaning “man.”
Seth: meaning “appointed.”
Enosh: meaning “mortal.”
Kenan: meaning “sorrow.”
Mahalalel: meaning “the blessed God.”
Jared: meaning “shall come down.”
Enoch: meaning “teaching.”
Methuselah” meaning “his death shall bring.”
Lamech: meaning “the despairing.”
Noah: meaning “rest” or “comfort.”
If you put the name meanings in a sentence it reads, “Man is appointed mortal sorrow. The blessed God shall come down teach, and his death shall bring the despairing rest.” It literally tells the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The ten generations from Noah to Abraham are the following:
Noah, Shem, Arphaxed, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abraham.
Abram was his original name but after encountering the Lord, God changes him name to Abraham. There is a whole sermon message within that statement as when you encounter Jesus, your life is changed and what He calls us changes too. A joint heir with Christ, an adopted son or daughter, brother or sister with Christ.
Today, Genesis chapter 12:3 has been repeated or quoted by a lot of pastors, teachers, and even political leaders recently to create an idea that as a Christian, you are commanded to bless Israel so you will be blessed.
There are many problems with this type of theology. Let’s examine and walk through it all.
Problem 1. Context. Abram vs Israel.
God is talking to Abram aka Abraham here and not to his grandson, Jacob, who would later be called Israel. Abraham was obedient to God as we see in verse 4 as he went away as the Lord had spoken to him. Abraham would encounter several different nations on his journey to where God told him to go and God told him that the people of his day who blessed him would be blessed and those who didn’t treat him well would be cursed.
We see this play out in chapter 14. God gave favor to Abraham and his men to rescue his nephew, Lot, and all their possessions, and also the women, and the other people with them. Shortly after this victory, Melchizedek, the king of Salem, meets Abraham and brings bread and wine and blesses Abraham. This blessing and cursing was to those during Abraham’s life.
John Chapter 8
This chapter we see so much here with Jesus. First, the scribes and Pharisees try to trap him with an adulterous woman. Then Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world…”. The Jews and leaders at the time would have understood the reference and comparison Jesus was making calling himself the light of the world. The menorah in the temple is a symbol of bringing God’s glory, truth, and light into the world. Jesus then goes onto to talk about, “The truth will set you free.” The Jews said we are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone. Well this wasn’t true because they were enslaved to Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.
However, Jesus continues to talk back and forth with the group. They say “Abraham is our father.” To which Jesus replied, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.” The back and forth continues till Jesus tells them “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.” Pretty strong language Jesus uses.
The conversation finally comes to a climax when Jesus tells them “Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it, and rejoiced.”
Verses 56-59.
56Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” 57So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham [s]was born, [t]I am.” 59Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.
When did Abraham see Jesus’ day?
Let’s take a look at Abraham’s life and see where he would have seen the foreshadowing of a Messiah coming. We know of the story of God telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. When Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, the lamb, Abraham replied that God would provide the lamb/sacrifice. Tremendous amount of foreshadowing in this story to when God’s only son, Jesus, would be sacrificed.
Does being good at math equal righteousness?
Looking at Genesis Chapter 15, we read the Lord coming to Abram in a vision. In verses 5-6 we read the following:
“5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your [i]descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He [j]credited it to him as righteousness.”
The word COUNT, in Hebrew is saphar, pronounced saw-far.
It can mean to scribe, interpret, tell, declare, tally, or number.
The word DESCENDANTS, in Hebrew is zera, pronounced zeh’-rah.
It can mean seed, offspring, child, descendant singular, or descendants plural.
The word CREDITED, in Hebrew is chashab, pronounced khaw-shab’.
It can mean consider, hold, impute, reckon, regard, think, credit, account, and consider.
When reading this it doesn’t make sense that God told him to count or number the stars so Abraham started counting, God said as high as you count so shall your descendants be, so Abraham believed, and God credited it to him as righteousness.
So the question is, what caused Abraham to believe? It wasn’t math or just looking up at the stars as I’m sure he did that thousands of times throughout his life.
It is more likely and makes sense that the word count should be to scribe or interpret the stars?
Then that beckons the question, what is there to interpret within the stars?
There are many constellations and we know from Genesis 1:14-17 that God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as SIGNS and for seasons, and for days, and years…
We know that everything good God made from Genesis but has been perverted over time by pagans and satan. The names of the constellations and trying to use them to tell future isn’t biblical today but God did make the stars and constellations, that is a fact.
Let’s look at the stars & possible Gospel ties.
Virgo – The Virgin is holding wheat in her hand symbolizing the seed. Isaiah 7:14, “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”
Libra – The Scales, symbolizes judgement and the need for righteousness. Romans 3:23-26, Jesus is the One who paid the price, balancing justice and mercy, His blood is the payment that balances them.
Scorpio – The Scorpion, shows a scorpion striking a man’s heal. Genesis 3:15, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heal.” The suffering and crucifixion of Christ.
Sagittarius – The Archer, shows a mighty warrior with a bow, aimed at the scorpion. The Gospel depicts Christ as victorious, “riding forth conquering and to conquer.” Revelation 6:2, Jesus, having defeated death, now rides as the conquering King.
Capricorn – The Goat- Fish, a dying goat’s head with a living fish’s tail. The sacrificial death (goat) and resurrection life (fish). Jesus died as the scapegoat and rose to bring life to His followers. (Leviticus 16, John 11:25).
Aquarius – The Water Bearer, a man pouring out living water. Gospel connection is Jesus is the One who said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink, the one who believes in Me, I will give him living water. (John 7:37-38). Aquarius also represents the outpouring of the Holy Spring and new life after Christ’s ascension.
Pisces – The Fishes, two fish bound by a cord. Represents the followers of Christ, “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), connected to Christ and each other by the invisible cord of the Spirit.
Aries – The Ram, a ram or lamb with its head lifted up in triumph. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is high and lifted up.
Taurus – The Bull, a raging bull charging forward with horns lowered. Symbolizes Christ returning in power and judgement. “He will tread the winepress of the wrath of God,” Revelation 19:15
Gemini – The Twins, two figures united. Symbolizes Christ and His Bride (the Church) or Christ’s dual nature – God and man. Ephesians 5:31-32 likes marriage to Christ and the Church united forever.
Cancer – The Crab, a sheltering creature with strong arms protecting its young. Could represent the security of believers in Christ, held fast in His eternal arms (John 10:28-29)
Leo – The Lion, the lion of Judah, triumphant. The connection is with Christ’s second coming and eternal reign. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed” (Revelation 5:5). Jesus also was a descendant of David from the tribe of Judah.
Now after reading possible connections to constellations and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it makes more sense when reading that Abraham interpreted or another word could be to scribe or write out. A scribe was an ancient Jewish professional theologian. Abram interpreted the stars, believed the story of the Messiah coming, and God saw his faith and attributed him with righteousness.
This type of reading also fits the letters of Paul. Paul was Jewish, a Pharisee, and son of a Pharisee. He started out persecuting Christians but encountered the resurrected Jesus and become one of the most influential followers of Christ in the first century. He had authority as a Pharisee, knew the Law of Moses, and writes the following regarding who are the sons of Abraham.
Problem 2.
Are the sons of Abraham physical or by faith?
The answer is both. Yes, there are physical descendants from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who would be called Israel. These people are called Jews. This is undeniable. However, as Christians, what does the scripture say?
Galatians 3:6-9
6Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
8The Scripture, foreseeing that God [j]would justify the [k]Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”
9So then, those who are of faith are blessed with [l]Abraham, the believer.
Paul says those who are of faith who are the sons of Abraham. It isn’t the physical descendants.
Galatians 3:15-16
15Brothers and sisters, I speak [v]in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s [w]covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds [x]conditions to it.
16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as one would in referring to many, but rather as in referring to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
Galatians 3:29.
29And if you [al]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s [am]descendants, heirs according to promise.
Abraham was an example to us of a person of faith in the Lord and the promise of a Messiah.
Paul is crystal clear that if you are of faith in Christ, belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants. Therefore, if a Christian is teaching or preaching something different, they are in error, or pushing a heresy.
Problem 3.
How do Blessings work in God’s kingdom?
Can a person manipulate God so they receive special blessings? That is the mindset by some pastors, teachers, and leaders.
Ephesians 1:3, written by Paul again.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Those by faith in Christ, have every spiritual blessing already.
The idea behind treating one type of person, race, gender, color, or religion above another isn’t scriptural for a Christian. To say you are treating someone special so that God will bless you reveals a darker part of the the individuals heart as you believe in a works based God. That somehow if I show preferential treatment to someone, I can then make God bless me.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [l]this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Conclusion:
Abraham by faith believed in the promise of a Messiah coming. The blessing and curse comment by God to Abraham was before the covenant with Abraham, oath with Isaac, and Jacob’s dream. That statement was directed to Abraham during his life and the people he would encounter.
Looking at the stars as Abraham would interpret them leaves me in amazement of the Lord. Combine that with fact that the first ten generations tell the story of the gospel along with the created stars is something only God could do.
As followers of Jesus called Christians today, we have every spiritual blessing in Christ, we are the true descendants of Abraham, and elevating one people group over another goes against the scripture and commands of Jesus. We are called to love others, serve, and to hate one person or people group is anti-christ.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”….Second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Keep seeking the Lord and live eyes open.
