#3 — Parshat Lech Lecha
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Foundational Promises
Parshat Lech Lecha is full of foundational promises of blessing, which give hope to our cursed world.
“And the LORD said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great and be a blessing.”
The opening words of Genesis 12 present an incredible foundational promise, full of hope!
And God isn’t finished yet: “I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth, literally all the families of the ground, will be blessed.”
That’s a foundational promise, full of hope for the entire world!
The Core of the Blessing
God promises blessing, but what is this blessing? Rashi says “I will bless you” means “I will bless you…with wealth,” narrowing down the meaning of blessing.
Yes, Abram definitely receives wealth from God as a token of His favor. But is that all it means?
We also see promises of a great nation, a great name and a land for his offspring. But also with these promises we shouldn’t just look at these blessings and promises on a surface level. God’s grand scheme is about much more than giving Abram wealth, an interesting place in history and a nice piece of real estate!
Later in our parsha, God reveals what He is up to. We read it in Chapter 15: “The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, Fear not Abram, I am your shield, your reward shall be very great.” God gives Himself as a shield and reward for Abram.
In Chapter 17 the promise extends yet further: “I will establish my covenant between me and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
“To be God to you....” This is the core of God’s blessing.
Have you ever considered how amazing it is that God, who created the entire universe, wants to bind Himself so fully to lowly people like Abram and us? Because that’s what our parsha describes!
Listen also to how God immediately expands the promise of the land. “And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession AND I will be their God.…”
“I will be their God.” That’s the heart of it all: God is giving Himself and with it everything.
Blessing for Families of Cursed ground
A promise of such blessing is especially meaningful against the background which Genesis provides. Genesis repeatedly speaks about the opposite of blessing: curse. There is a curse on the ground. Ground upon which mankind has to toil until they return to it as dust.
Not for nothing does God say “In you all the families of the ground will be blessed….” God wants to bless again. This blessing is a beam of light piercing the darkness of the curse. There is now hope for humanity instead of just the doom of this curse. There is hope for eternal life in God’s presence again.
Abraham’s grandson Jacob understood this. God’s promise of blessing pertains not only to the limited time we have before we die. The dying patriarch said, “I wait for your salvation, O LORD.”
Why would Jacob say this, unless he knew the promises of the blessing extended beyond death?
So, how will this all come about?
As we continue reading Genesis and the Tanakh it becomes clear that the offspring, the seed of Abraham, is ultimately the Messiah. God promised kings would come from Abraham and this royal line culminates in the Messiah. The One to whom the nations will be obedient.
Messiah
Isaiah prophesies later that this promised One will be a covenant for the people. Through him God’s covenant promise for Israel: “I will be your God and you will be My people” will be completely fulfilled.
But not only that, this special person will also be a light to the gentiles. God says this offspring of Abraham will be His salvation to the ends of the earth.
God wants to bless again! This promise opens a door of hope for the doomed families of the Earth. And through the Messiah can we all receive this blessing.
Through Him, God’s promise: “I will be your God” is fully realized. It is not for nothing that the scriptures later say about the Messiah: “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”
We would love to talk more with you about this! Chat with us below to engage about this important topic. May Israel soon enjoy the blessing of Abraham to the utmost.