Tag: Genesis 26:2-5

Israel—Chosen by God: A Blessing to All

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The nation of Israel was chosen by God to be a blessing to all people.

In my nine previous posts, the Israel—Chosen by God series, scripture has been clear about this promise God made to Abraham, the father of Israel, and to every generation of Israel until the end of time.    

God chose Israel to be His nation, to follow His ways (which results in blessing), and to provide the ultimate blessing—a Savior.

This promise was first made to Abraham in Genesis.

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. 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 12:1-3

This same promise was reiterated by God to Isaac, Abraham’s son of promise in Genesis 26:2-5, and later to Jacob, Isaac’s son, in Genesis 28:13-15.

Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel when he was on his way back to Canaan. Israel means “he strived with God and prevailed.” (Genesis 32:24-31)

So, it is from the nation of Israel that the blessed promise was given to all mankind.

This promise is salvation through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

                                                                                                           Matthew 1:1-17

Jesus’s birth was planned from the beginning of time. The Bible is about the creation of the world, sin, redemption, and defeating evil.

Jesus Christ is the center theme of the Bible and He was with God the Father at the creation of the world. (John 1:1-3)

Jesus is our redemption that was promised and prophesied throughout the Old Testament by the prophets, and He is the God man who left the throne-room in heaven and came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem of Judea in Israel.

He came to this world to teach truth, love, and forgiveness, but most importantly, to be the sacrificial Lamb.

The apostle John who walked with Jesus during His ministry here on earth testifies to this.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

                                                                                                                 1 John 2:1-2

The only perfect human to live on this earth was destined to become the sacrifice for our sins—perfection taking on the iniquity of the whole world.

This is how God the Father planned the redemption of mankind, past, present, and future.    

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

                                                                                                               John 3:16-18

Jesus did not come to this earth to condemn it, but to save the world through drawing the lost to Himself.

He is the fulfillment of the Law given by Moses, not the replacement of the Law, as some may think.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” 

                                                                                                         Matthew 5:17-18

One of the godly men that I have followed over twenty years is John F. McArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church and host of Grace to You, national Christian media ministry.

He explains Matthew 5:17-18 stating, “Jesus was neither giving a new law nor modifying the old, but rather explaining the true significance of the moral content of Moses’ law and the rest of the OT…Christ was indicating that he is the fulfillment of the law in all its aspects. He fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly…And he fulfilled the judicial law by personifying God’s perfect justice.”

McArthur further clarifies, “Christ was affirming the utter inerrancy and absolute authority of the OT as the word of God—down to the smallest stroke or letter…This should not be seen as supplanting and abrogating the OT, but as fulfilling and explicating it.”

Therefore, the ceremonial requirements of the law (Colossians 2:16-23) were fulfilled by Jesus Christ and are no longer required to be followed by Christians. However, other mandates of the law are not to be abolished and very much remain as a standard of scriptural truth in the New Testament. 

Because Jesus obeyed His Father in heaven and died for our sins—the whole world’s sins, we are resolved of our past wrongs if we surrender our lives to Him, ask Him for forgiveness of our sins, and abide in Him.

Jesus’s sacrificial love for us along with our personal acknowledgment of His deity and following Him in obedience shields us from eternal damnation.  

We are indeed blessed through Israel; if from Israel we were given Christ, what better blessing can we acknowledge?

From the twelfth chapter of Genesis, we have been called to bless Israel.

We should certainly want to because of what God has given us through the nation of Israel: Our Lord and Savior—and with Him, forgiveness, freedom, blessings, and eternal life with God.

If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who gives us eternal life through His loving sacrifice, I hope you will do so today.

I will be happy to help you in making your decision for Christ in any way that I can. Send me a message in the comments and I will respond.

I hope this series has been a blessing to you and has helped you understand why we should bless Israel.

Join me next for Why Stand with Israel?

Below is a song that glorifies our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May it bless you.

“Thank You Jesus for the Blood” – Charity Gayle

Israel—Chosen by God: Isaac

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Abraham fathered Ishmael and Isaac who both would be leaders of many nations. Isaac, however, was chosen by God to be the covenant heir and direct bloodline of Israel through Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

After Sarah died, Abraham sent the elder servant of his household on a journey back to his country to find for Isaac a wife. It was important that Isaac marry only from Abraham’s family and not from the Canaanites where he lived.

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 
Genesis 24:1-4

Abraham’s servant was concerned whether the young woman suitable for a wife for Isaac would refuse to leave her family and land to be Isaac’s wife. Abraham assured him that he must go and seek out a wife for Isaac from his family and that the LORD would direct his steps to the chosen woman. Abraham believed God would be faithful and provide a wife for Isaac.

The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” Abraham said to him, “see to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, “To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 
Genesis 24:5-8

It was customary for parents to choose spouses for their children in those days, so Abraham summoned his servant to go search for a wife for Isaac instead of sending Isaac himself. There was a covenant to be fulfilled and Abraham would not risk sending his son Isaac to the land that God told him to leave years before in search for a better land.

As Abraham’s servant traveled back to Mesopotamia, he asked God to let the woman he asks for a drink of water who gives him and his camels water, be the woman He has chosen for Isaac’s wife. The servant eventually stops near a spring for water and finds Rebekah. He asks her for water and she said that she would give him water to drink and also draw water for his camels. He was grateful that God led him to Rebekah and then asked her if there was room at her father’s house to stay for the night. She invited him to her home where he met her family. Abraham’s servant found out Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. The servant meets Bethuel, Nahor’s son and Rebekah’s father, and is intent on settling his business in Mesopotamia. He tells Bethuel and Laban, Rebekah’s brother, how he was sent by his master Abraham to seek a wife for his son and what happened at the spring with Rebekah. He tells them that his master Abraham is very wealthy and asks if they would be willing to let Rebekah go back with him to be Isaac’s wife. They acknowledge the request to be from the LORD and gave their consent.

“…Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now then if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.” Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.” When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 
Genesis 24:48-53

It’s important to add that Rebekah accepted the proposal as well and was willing to leave with Abraham’s servant the next day, as he wanted to waste no time in returning to Isaac with Rebekah.

When Rebekah reached Canaan she sees a man in a field in the distance, and asks Abraham’s servant who he is. He tells her that the man is his master Isaac, so she jumps off the camel and runs to meet him. The Bible tells us that Isaac falls in love with Rebekah, marries her, and is consoled of his mother’s death.

Isaac prayed to the LORD for children because Rebekah could not conceive. God answered his prayer and Rebekah becomes pregnant with twin sons, Esau and Jacob. These two brothers were very different and fought against each other even while in the womb. Rebekah was concerned about this and asked the LORD why this was happening.

And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” 
Genesis 25:23

Esau, the eldest was named as such because he was red and hairy. Jacob came out of the womb holding onto Esau’s heel and was therefore given his name which means “he cheats.” In Hebrew, “heel catcher” means supplanter which means “to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

As Esau grew up, he became a hunter of wild game and was Isaac’s favorite. Jacob was the opposite and preferred to be at home and was Rebekah’s favorite.

Once when Esau was out hunting, Jacob was home cooking stew. When Esau returned, he begged his brother for some of his stew because he was hungry and exhausted. Jacob tells him, of course! But first, you must sell me your birthright. Esau’s rashness led him to comply because he said what good was a birthright when he was going to die of starvation. Jacob made Esau swear to give him his birthright, which he did, and God despised Esau’s lack of gratefulness.

A famine in the land where Isaac lived became severe, so Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines for help. Then the LORD spoke to Isaac.

And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 
Genesis 26:2-5

Isaac remained in the land of Gerar and became very successful and wealthy. Even with success, Isaac experienced trials with his neighbors and continued disappointment in his children.  

Join me next for Israel—Chosen by God: Jacob

For additional information, look for Israel—Chosen by God: Abraham

In the meantime, I pray that God blesses you and reveals His truth to you.

I have included the song below for your listening pleasure and to encourage you in your walk with God.

“Waiting” – Healing Place Worship