Genesis 12:3 (KJV)
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.
It seems to me that there are three ways to understand this promise of God to Abraham:
Directly - that God would bless anyone who was a blessing to Abraham and curse anyone that cursed him.
This does not seem to be the intent of the passage, primarily because the promise also says, “and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The promise obviously has a broader meaning than a direct one.
“Familialy" - that God would bless any people who bless the family of Abraham, Israel/the Jews, and curse any people who curse the family of Abraham.
This is the most common way we Christians interpret this passage. It has led us to be friends of the state of Israel to this day. Bible-believing Christians, above any people in the world, support the country of Israel. We do so out of a compassion born from our faith but also out of our understanding of the Word of God. America has not always been a friend of the Jews, but America has not always had a strong influence of Bible-believing Christians. Our heritage is more of the Protestant/Puritan persuasion. Remember that those people fled persecution only to come here and persecute anyone who disagreed with them - including Jews. It was only after the ratification of the Bill of Rights that the influence of Baptists prodded our country toward religious liberty and, after the rise of Fundamentalism, that our country began to lean toward a more friendly position with Jews.
Hitler and the Nazi party could be put up as a demonstration of the counter promise of God’s curse. Germany lost the war, Hitler committed suicide, and as many of his officers as could be found were tried, convicted, and executed.
Representatively - That God would bless anyone anywhere on the earth and at any time in history who blesses or trusts in the fulfillment of the seed of Abraham’s promise - Jesus Christ. Conversely, there is a horrible, much more horrible curse than can be imagined upon all those people of all time who curse or reject Jesus Christ as Savior.
Most Bible-believing Christians, I think, see a blend of two and three. We do believe we ought to bless the nation of Israel, but we see the ultimate answer to the promise, so far as the individual is concerned, is the blessing of being saved through trusting Jesus or the curse of eternal hell for rejecting Him.
#GenesisPromise #BlessingOfAbraham #SupportIsrael #BiblicalProphecy #FaithInChrist
Faith, Israel, and the Promise to Abraham: A Christian Perspective
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