I Will Bless You, Part 2

Let's be honest. Could we ever really get enough of "I will bless you"?

I was thinking about how to go about making the next in line of blog posts on God's heptad of promise to Abram that he gives in Genesis 12. Next in line would be the third part: "and make your name great." I know what the thrust of that post will be but I was having trouble deciding how to go about presenting it. So I decided to distract myself by reading a little bit from one of my commentaries, hoping it would get my mind focused in on the task at hand. I picked up this:

And opened it up to the book marker where I had left off last night. Here is the first sentence I read:

"By the Abraham narrative, the author of Genesis reveals how God's promissory blessing at creation intended for all peoples will be acquired through Terah's son, Abram."--Kenneth A. Matthews, Genesis vol. 1b, p.84-85

And that, my friends, is exactly why I chose to teach a series of lessons on Abraham's life. When God sets about to bless humankind anyway, God begins with Abram.

That anyway is a very important factor and it's important that we understand its significance. Humans do not deserve God's blessing. In fact, quite the opposite--we have earned, by our actions, his curse.

What is said about "Babylon" in the Revelation of John could easily be said about the whole human race:

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice,

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. (Revelation 18:1, 2 ESV)

Indeed, as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes says,

See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. (Ecclesiastes 7:29 ESV)

God made man perfect, worthy of receiving his blessings, with the full intention of blessing him all his days. In fact, God intended to bless an entire world of people from day one:

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it . . ." (Genesis 1:27, 28a ESV)

But man chose his own path, sought his own way apart from God.

Nevertheless, God's purposes are never thwarted. God will bless a world of people. Only now, because of man's sin and rebellion, God must first redeem man and make him "bless-able" again. This he will do, and this he will begin, beginning with a no-name nomad named Abram.

God's grace transcends all human frailty, all human rebellion, all human wickedness. You and I cannot out-sin God's grace. Be honest with yourself. Isn't it true that most of your life has been spent for you with little regard to your Creator? Isn't it true that you have sometimes, maybe even often held his authority over you in contempt, or even expected him to submit to your plans and your viewpoints? Who is really god in that mode of thinking? These are not momentary lapses, this is our nature. This is how we are fallen.

But now God begins the great and wonderful task of changing that. He begins in early human history with Abram. Perhaps he is right now beginning this in you as well. Take the time right now to bow your head in submission to him. Now. Go ahead. You know that's what he wants for you. And having done that you, too, will be on the path of blessing that God has always intended for you.

"I will bless you. . . ."