The Promise That Changed History

Imagine you were God. Imagine you had created a race of beings in your image, endowing them with free will and moral responsibility. Imagine you had blessed them with all they could ever want or need. Now imagine they had rebelled against you, turned their backs on your blessings, and followed their own path. What would you do? Would you continue to bless them in spite of their rebellion? That's what God did.

Why would God do this? Well, way over in the New Testament Rabbi Saul gives us a hint. Hear what he says: 

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 ESV) (emphasis mine)

The kindness of God toward those who are in rebellion toward him is intended to lead them to repentance.

And that's what we read in Genesis. We read of a patient and longsuffering God who is good to those who hate him and are in rebellion to his commands.

Think of the awfulness of the human condition. God made us in his image and likeness. He made us a world in which to dwell and blesses us with intelligence and strength and freedom to produce and prosper. He blesses us with health and wealth and bountiful good things. When we are hungry he provides food and when we are thirsty he provides drink. Tired, he provides sleep. He satisfies us with all good things. Hear the words of Christ:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44, 45 ESV)

Here Jesus commands us to love as God does, to love even our enemies. How does God show love to his enemies? The sun rises on them every morning in spite of their wickedness. The rains come and bless them in due season in spite of the fact that they ignore him, do not seek him, in fact seek to live their lives apart from him without respecting or even caring about his existence.

Yes, God created a race of beings who choose to ignore him and his law and yet feel entitled to his blessings, even to the point of complaining if they do not get everything their way or if anything goes wrong as they seek to live their selfish, immoral, autonomous lives.

What does God owe a race in rebellion? Nothing. Then why does he continue to bless them? Love. God loves us in spite of us.

And that's where we find the human race in Genesis 12. It is a world gone after idols--gods made in their own image. To give credit to another for what God has done is the height of disrespect. Human beings are a contemptuous lot.

So what does God do? Does he judge us all? No. Right at this moment of darkness in human history God comes down and calls a single man out of idolatry and begins making wonderful, wonderful promises to him. Why? Because this man alone and above all deserves these promises? No. God does it because he loves. God's calling of Abraham is an act of unmerited favor. It is grace. It is love.

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. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2,3 ESV)

The blessing is in the form of a heptad. If you've read much in the Bible then you are familiar with the form. It is a seven-fold pronouncement or blessing or teaching. Here are the seven parts to the Abrahamic heptad:

1. I will make of you a great nation
2. I will bless you
3. and make your name great
4. so that you will be a blessing
5. I will bless those who bless you
6. him who dishonors you I will curse
7. in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

There are depths here to plumb and riches worth finding out. I'm going to take a look at each one of these in the next few posts. In the mean time, take a few minutes to wonder at the patience and mercy of God. The patience and mercy he shows the world in Genesis is mirrored in his dealings with us in our own lives.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 ESV)

Has God been patient with you? If you are honest with yourself, you know that he has. That patience is love and that love is calling you out. Will you respond?

Believer, think how much you have to be thankful for and thank God for his exceeding great and precious promises.