Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
I really want to look closely at the Hebrew for this verse.
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wa·’?·??·r?·??h
And I will bless
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m?·??·r?·?e·??,
those who bless you
Essentially “barak” is the root word here – in both uses. “Barak” or “bless” means what you and I probably expect – to praise, to congratulate, to salute, to thank.
We looked at this a couple of days ago regarding the significance of God’s blessing.
Blessed is being within the borders of the very life force and life source of God.
To be blessed means to be INSIDE the borders of His tent. Not outside.
To be blessed means to come under the protection and provision of the Creator of the Universe.
Blessed. Not just happy.
It is happiness without the fault lines of luck running through it.
It is joy. It is peace. It is health of mind and body. It is walking together with the Lord in the Kingdom of God.
What is the Lord saying here to Abram?
Because I have chosen you and My Kingdom is invariably linked with YOU Abram, if people will even just praise you, look favourably towards you, speak well of you, help you – then I will bless them too.
I will praise them, and thank them, and promote them, and give them inventive ideas, and make their crops grow, and send rain, and resist their enemies.
WOW!
Lots of people write lots of books on the secrets of success. Here’s God giving His Word, His covenant to a man – Abram, telling him the greatest secret of success, backed by the power of heaven.
I’ll jump forward and add this prophecy from Balaam, who was ordered to curse Israel, but ended up blessing them and gave this prophetic word –
Numbers 24:5,9 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!
9 ….. “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.”
In short – bless Abram by acknowledging his nation and his Messiah – Israel, Jesus and all believers, and I will bless you.
Accepting Jesus as Messiah is a part of this ‘blessing’ Abram by acknowledging God’s plan of salvation.
On an individual level and a national level.
Do you think that this been borne out in history? Can you point to any nations in history that have blessed Abraham, Israel and believers in Jesus and have themselves been blessed?
What about yourself?
And what if the opposite happens?
What if I curse Abram?
That’s for the next Post.