Blessing number three in Genesis 12:2 and I will bless thee. God was not willing, however, to lay such heavy blessings on . God made the promise to Abraham and Abraham responded with faith and obedience. 0000015870 00000 n | 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 . This particular revelation also comes at a time of crisis for Abraham. By defeating the Mesopotamian kings, he could well be fearful that they will try to avenge his attack. God tells him, however, that there is no reason for him to fear for God will be his. Meeting: The Cry Out Prophesying the 7 Blessings of Abraham with 7 Pastors Day and time: Thursday, 6 May at 8pm Location: Rainbow Theatre, 232 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 3NX More info: Call or WhatsApp 020 7686 6000. name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: - 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and It could be a directive or even a summary of the blessings preceding it, although this is not how most commentators understand it. Nachmanides suggests that Abraham will become the standard by which blessings are bestowed upon others. The tree of life. 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 7. 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: (Jubilees 11:3). * It was directly before the Tabernacle that the blood of the red heifer was sprinkled seven times, Numbers 19:4. , At this time in history, Shechem was probably a fortified city. There is no mention in the Bible that Abraham actually went into the city, but rather he was in the location of the city in the , or location where Shechem was situated. Specifically, he was at an identifiable place in which there was a terebinth or grove of large trees that was called . written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written What will be your perpetual state of being? 5. Tony The call is followed by several promises of God, which are referred to as "The Seven Blessings of Abraham" or the seven-fold blessing: Throughout Abraham's life once called by God, we see . Cassuto points out, however, that there are other instances in the Bible where this form of the verb cannot have this meaning and he suggests it means - go alone, or with those close to you, and make a clean break from your present situation. For the past year I've been closely following Amir TSARFATI on his BEHOLD ISRAEL YouTube channel. Post Reply "6@FBuR[RmNxZZ} 4 QJJ 0H@TX01P* cKs^B8a There is, moreover, a fundamental problem with the notion that Abrahams sole claim to greatness was his defense of monotheism. The God who created and rules the world is Elokim. Yet it was YKVK, the God of individual providence, who called upon Abraham to leave in his old age his birthplace and family and to embark on a new and, at this stage, unrevealed mission. God wants us to be a blessing to all people.B. (Tenth paragraph, the history of Terah in ACommentary on the Book of Genesis , Part Two, from Noah to Abraham, p273) Both places are the land of his kindred and the contradiction disappears. However, the contradiction also disappears if one assumes that Haran and Ur of the Chaldeans were both in the same geographical area - in Aram. Saviour Jesus Christ. in our live to serve him. DANIEL MOSES . while the other two, and this includes the last, will result from Abrahams involvement as he builds upon the foundations provided by God. He knows what we have need of before we know ourselves. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Shechem is in the northerly section of the spine of the north-south mountain range that passes through the land of Canaan. Its location is a critical one since it is at the crossroads between the junction of the main north-south road that goes through Canaans mountain spine and an east-west road. The western branch of this road crosses the Jabbok and Jordan rivers and was an important entry point into Canaan from Syria and Mesopotamia. For a people wishing to take over the central mountain range this would be a critical city to control. Just another site 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 0000017974 00000 n Parshat Lech LCha Part Two. This son to be named Isaac will be circumcised at eight days of age so that he is firmly grounded in the covenant and it is only appropriate that this covenant be concluded prior to this son being born.. Blessing number four. them. What To Do While Waiting For Breakthrough, MAKING GOD FAMOUS: Honouring God As Apostle Paul. Bereishis, OU Press). B. The blessing of PRAYER OF THE DAY God of covenant, you promised Abraham land, descendants, and blessing Phone: +234 805 669 9920, Copyright 2022 - www.tfhconlinesermon.org, Powered by The Waymakers Technologies (DWT). The full implications of the Abraham story are now coming together. Why were Abraham and Sarah told to leave Haran in their old age? Clearly, no age is too late to confront spiritual challenges. Prior to God communicating with him at age 75, Abraham may well have concluded that he had led a meaningful life and little remained for him to accomplish. If he had thought this he was mistaken. The most consequential aspects of his life were yet to come. ' (Genesis 17:15-16). In the fourth and fifth blessings of this paragraph, God promises Abraham that others success will depend on how they relate to him and whether they bless or curse him. Those who appreciate what he stands for and bless him will be rewarded with material success, while those who denigrate Him and his message will be cursed. These sources are of interest not necessarily because of their accuracy, but because they all indicate that they were prepared to consider other locations for Ur other than southern Mesopotamia. On the other hand, these commentaries were all written when Ur was no longer inhabited and it is possible that they were unaware of this citys existence. However, there are other good reasons to consider a southern Mesopotamian Ur of the Chaldees as being unlikely. Southern Mesopotamia is the habitation of the descendants of Ham, whereas the descendants of Shem lived in present day Turkey, Iran, and Northern Iraq. According to Genesis 10:22-31, the five sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. Abraham was one of the descendants of Arphaxad (Genesis 11:12-25) Josephus suggests that these five sons gave rise to the nations of Elam, Assyria, Chaldea, Lydia and Levantine. An Ur of the Chaldeans in southern Mesopotamia also leads to a very obvious contradiction in the Biblical text. While in Haran, Abraham is told to leave, ). Also, when requesting his servant Eliezer to take a wife for his son Isaac, he tells him to go to Haran , Also, in the Covenant between the Pieces, God takes responsibility for taking Abraham from Ur Kasdim: , (Genesis 15:7). He also authors The Father's Menu, a power packed monthly daily devotional book. : 7*U hW9" The Sevenfold Blessing May we as children of God receive all God have for us through our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Hidden manna, the white stone, and a new name. Try, Slow Down, Big Fellawhat A Motorcyclist Taught Me About Preaching, Spit-Shine Tomorrow's Sermon Before You Go To Bed Tonight. 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 tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. The Sevenfold Blessing His Leaving started a chain of reactions. Rashi/ Commentary on the Torah. Abraham's story picks up with his family settling in Haran, which today would be the country of Turkey. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. The seven blessings with their accompanying stories concern themselves in the main with matters of faith and history. But what of the values that Abraham practiced? These will be the subject matter of the next essay. Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly How you respond to Gods promise will determine what God will do in your life. Abraham had to relinquish his present for a future he will never live to see. In the theology of Paul, all who believe in God are spiritual descendants of Abraham. The seven words to the woman of Samaria in John 4 are full of interest, and the perfection of Christ's dealings with her is thus stamped. By virtue of the covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 15:1-21), Isaac his son had the mandate to pronounce God's blessings upon his firstborn Esau. 0000003413 00000 n Conclusion We receive the gift of salvation when we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus and become born again. Shiurim in Chumash and Navi by Menachem Leibtag. - 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in When Lot was captured, 318 men trained soldiers fought the 4 kings Blessing number six of Abraham Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, Scriptures: We should know that God keeps his word and will perform everything he claims He will do. God is more anxious to bestow his blessings on us than we are to receive 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.