God's Work with Planet Earth

There are different opinions and interpretations about dating Abraham’s time, but they’re all close to 2000 BC, plus or minus a couple decades. What God did here is significant for several reasons. God called Abram to leave Ur around 200 years before it was taken over by the first Babylonian dynasty. That’s interesting, because 1,500 years later, when Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, became more evil than the pagans, God sent them back to where Abraham came from – Babylon.

Why Abram out of all the people on earth? God knows our hearts, and while He doesn’t force or coerce us to do anything, He knows what our response will be, before we respond. I’ll learn more when I get to Heaven, but the Bible focuses on how God dealt with Abram, but not why He chose him.

The Call

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.” Genesis 12:1-3

It takes faith to leave everything you know, and go, not knowing the destination. And Abraham’s faith is mentioned multiple times in the rest of the Bible. In fact, it is fascinating that the Old Testament Abraham made many mistakes. But in the New Testament, none of those mistakes are listed when he is mentioned, and his faith in God is praised. What’s up with that?

“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

That is huge! God made promises to Abraham, and Abraham believed that God would do what He promised, even though God had not done those things yet. Because of that alone, God counted Abraham as being righteous.

What we see between Abraham’s faults in the OT and only his faith in the NT is forgiveness and salvation by faith. Those mistakes were no longer on Heaven’s record books because Jesus had already died for humanity by the time those inspired words were written. God forgives you and I the same way, when we come to Him in faith.

The Promise

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18

God promised Abraham two things: Land as far as he could see, and descendants as numerous as the stars. Yet he died with no land and Isaac being his only son from Sarah.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

“But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13, 16

How often do we modern Christians have our faith shaken when God doesn’t do something right when we expect Him to? But can you imagine the look on Abraham’s face when he is resurrected at Jesus’ second coming to meet millions of faithful Israelites and Jews, his descendants, who have lived and died over the last 4,000 years?

And can you imagine the look on his face when God finally gives him and his descendants a land more beautiful than Canaan ever was, when He creates a new heaven and a new earth?

“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Genesis 13:14-15

There are times in the Bible when the Hebrew or Greek words translated as “forever” do not actually mean without end, but the two Hebrew words translated as “forever” here mean everlasting, evermore, perpetual.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.” Isaiah 66:22

Amazing. God will do all of this for Abraham and his descendants just because Abraham listened to His voice and believed Him?

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Where we Gentiles fit in:

All through the Old Testament God was asking the Israelites (Abraham’s descendants) to share the good news of salvation with the rest of the world. Many times they did this, but other times they fell into idolatry. But when they came back from 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they determined not to let that happen again. So they isolated themselves from non-Jews (Gentiles) until they couldn’t even eat at the same table with them. This was why they were so puzzled when Jesus came and ate with sinners (as if they weren’t).

Finally, when the Jews rejected and crucified Jesus, the Gospel was given to the Gentiles to spread to the whole world. Speaking to the Jews:

“Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” Acts 13:46

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Romans 1:16

Salvation is for “everyone who believes”, and that is good news.

Families/Nations of the Earth Blessed

God’s promise to Abraham that He would bless all the families and nations of the earth through His descendants has been fulfilled in two major ways.

• Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and a descendant of Abraham, and His sacrifice ransoms the world back from sin to God, if they believe.
• Scriptural principles called Judeo-Christian values in western societies today have a positive effect that is a blessing in many ways. We all benefit from caring, just, fair, orderly societies which result when these ideals are followed.