The Shape and Nature of Abraham’s Blessings

Genesis 1:22

22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:3

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Blessing first comes from God for His creation

God is relentless in His plan to bless creation

Genesis 9:1

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Abraham’s blessings

Genesis 12:1-3

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

– What does God’s blessing look like?
– What exactly is this blessing of God?
– Can I claim Abraham’s blessing for myself?

What does God’s blessing look like?

God’s blessing involves a call to leave our comfort zone (Gen 12:1)

God’s blessing involves moving towards a vision (Gen 12:1-3)

God’s blessing involves a process of hearing, obeying and confirming (Gen 12-50)

Chapter 15: Covenant of blood (cut animals)
5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Chapter 17: Covenant of circumcision
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Chapter 22: Sacrifice of Isaac
17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

God’s blessing is experienced through a life lived by faith, not by sight
(Gen 12-50)

Hebrews 11:9
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

So what exactly is this blessing of God?

Genesis 3:15

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring (seed);
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

Galatians 3:16

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Galatian 3:26-29

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Can we claim Abraham’s blessing for ourselves?

A renewed understanding of blessings

– Not personal or communal gain of wealth, health, power or fame
– Related to God’s original plan of a flourishing creation, ruled by a people for Himself
– It is today about “recreating” the people, despite their weaknesses and sins to bring about a “new creation” in Christ.
o Call to leave our comfort zone / old selves
o moving towards a vision
o Process of hearing, obeying and confirming
o Live by faith, not by sight
– Because of the fall, blessed are those who have their sins atoned for and can one day dwell with God in eternal bliss in the new heaven and new earth.

Blessed to become a blessing