The Genesis 12:3 Dilemma

Genesis 12:1-3 – “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 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.”

Israel is a small Middle Eastern Nation. Its landmass is approximately the size of New Jersey. This small county with a population that is a fraction of the size of the larger nations of the world dominates the news broadcasts and the headlines of our day.

What is the reason for all this attention? The answer can be found in the prophecies of Zechariah. Zechariah 12:2-3 teaches, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”

God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed. He promises a blessing to those who bless his seed and a curse to those who curse his seed. We learn in Psalms 105:9-10 that this covenant was confirmed to Abraham’s son, Isaac, his son Jacob, and to Israel as an everlasting covenant. The promise of Genesis 12:3 is still relevant today. There is a promised blessing to those who bless the Jewish people.

The Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world. For centuries Jerusalem and the covenant land of Israel was controlled by different Gentile nations and empires. Jesus referred to this as the “Times of the Gentiles.” His words are recorded in Luke 21:24, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

The small Mediterranean nation of Israel is important because the Bible teaches it is a sign that reveals that we are living in the last days. It is important in Bible prophecy because it is a sign that we are living near to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1967 during the Six-Day War Israel recaptured Jerusalem and for the first time many centuries it became the capital of the State of Israel.

There is a promised blessing to those who bless the Jewish people, who are the seed of Abraham. How can we be a blessing to Israel and the Jewish people? We can support ministries with our financial gifts that are working in the land. We can also pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Psalms 122:6-9 reads, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.”

The Tent Peg of Jael

Judges 4:21-22 – “Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.” The book of Judges covered a chaotic time in Israel’s history. A key Scripture for Judges in found in Judges 21:25, “Every man did was right in his own eyes.” There were seven cycles of apostasy, where the covenant children of God would turn away from the principles of the Word of God. When they had godly leadership they would serve the Lord. When that leader would die they would turn f...

A Declaration of Ownership

Psalm 24:1-2 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24 is the third part of a trilogy with Psalm 22 and 23. David opens Psalm 22 prophetically with the words Jesus would say on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” Psalm 23 reveals our Lord as the Great Shepherd who cares for His sheep. Psalm 24 reveals the Lord as the King of Glory. Psalm 24 begins with a declaration of ownership. The Psalmist identifies the Lord as the Creator. Psalm 24:2 says, “He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Psalm 89:11 says, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” The beginning of cr...

Rebuilding the Broken Altar of Prayer

In Matthew 21: 12-13 , “ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus made this declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!” I believe that God is calling us back to the altar of prayer. For several weeks the Lord has dealt with me about rebuilding the broken altar of prayer in our personal and corporate lives. If we are going to see spiritual breakthrough in our churches and communities then we must rebuild and return to the altar of prayer. Wayman Rogers writes, “The ministry of prayer is the most important of all ministries in the church. Prayer creates the atmosphere and binds the powers of darkness so the gospel of Jesus can go forward and the church can prosper....

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