Genesis 12:1–3 NKJV
“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.”
INSIGHT
–The Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional treaty which describes the Abrahamic blessing as recorded in the scriptures above. Abraham was brought outside and the Lord said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And Abraham believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:5–6). Abraham made an altar before the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. The actual ceremony is described in Genesis 15 and it indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. The covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments. Abraham brought to the Lord a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon (Genesis15:9), and when Abraham fell into a deep sleep the Lord blessed the sacrifice, and made a covenant of an eternal possession of entering the promised land through salvation, for many generations to come. We are reminded to call on the name of the Lord through faith as we look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Also to raise the altar of Jesus Christ through prayer, thanksgiving and sowing good seeds filled with love.
PRAYER
Abba Father our LORD and Savior, we love You. Thank You for loving us first. We praise You for only You deserve all the glory and honor. You are Jehovah Shalom we ask for Your peace that surpasses all human understanding in every sphere of our lives. We humbly ask You Lord to forgive us all our trespasses and wash us with Your precious blood. We casting down all arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against Your knowledge God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of You our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. We raise the altar of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified in our homes, work places, churches and nation that You may reign in every area of our lives. Thank You Lord for making us a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Your special possession, that we may declare Your praises for You called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light. Lord You have promised to make us a blessing, and cause showers of great blessing to come down in season. Thank You Jesus for Your gift of salvation unto us and all our generations. May Your revival be effective actualized in this nation and many nations of the world at Your appointed time. We thank You Lord and bless Your name, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Isaiah 51:1-2, Ezekiel 34:26
Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV
“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
INSIGHT
-The above scriptures describe the condition that Abraham must have walked in to receive the blessing. When Abraham was instructed to go and sacrifice his son at mount Moriah, he did not hesitate nor ask questions but he obeyed the voice of the Lord. The Abrahamic blessing pegged obedience. Since he did not withhold his son Isaac, the Lord swore by Himself because He could not swear by anyone greater, that He would perform His promise. This was an image of the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins. God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants who would possess the gates of their enemies. Deuteronomy 28 extend the Abrahamic blessings that accompany obedience and the curses that precipitate disobedience. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 reveals the blessings as follows, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” According to Romans 6:16, obedience to sin leads to death and obedience to God leads to righteousness. We are reminded to obey God’s word and instructions, and to believe His promises in our lives for He is capable of bringing them to pass even when we may not see how.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You for this day. Your mercies are new every morning. We come to Your throne of grace with confidence that we may receive grace and mercy to help us during our time of need. We come to You asking You to help us during this time that we need Your grace that enables us to obey Your will. May You show us Your ways and teach us Your paths. May You guide us in Your truth and teach us, for You are God our Savior, and our hope is in You all day long. May You bless us indeed and expand our territories Lord Jesus. May Your promises come to life in our lives, at Your appointed time, in Christ Jesus. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-68
Genesis 14:18–24 NKJV
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
INSIGHT
–Abraham knew of the Biblical principle of tithing, and exercised it. He gave a tithe of all to Melchizedek the king of Salem, king of righteousness, king of peace. Melchizedek a priest without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually (Hebrews 7:1-3). Melchizedek is likened to Jesus who was born in the tribe of Judah and not Levi, which emphasizes on the inauguration of a new priestly order. Melchizedek was both a king and priest and not like the Levitical priests who did not hold any kingly office. Melkizedeck is clearly the Son of God, our great High Priest. Christ has made us both kings and priests to Him, and has given us authority to rule on the earth for the glory of His name (Revelation 1:6, 5:10). Abraham knew this and refused to keep any of the spoils to himself but proposed the men who went to war with him and the three brothers, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who were entitled to part of it, lest king of Sodom claimed to have made him rich. Some people among us claim to make others rich and despise the grace of God. The Abrahamic blessing is an everlasting covenant that makes one rich and does not produce any sorrow to it. We are reminded to bring all our tithes to the storehouse, that there may be food in God’s house. The Lord will open for us the windows of heaven, and pour out for us blessing that there will not be room enough to receive (Malachi 3:10).
PRAYER
Jesus You are our Great I AM, our Great High Priest and our Sure Foundation. You are our Priest of peace and LORD of Lords. We love You, we bless Your Holy name. You are our king of Righteousness and king of Peace, may Your righteousness and peace remain in our hearts, minds, families, society, churches, nation and all the nations of the earth. May our children enjoy Your perfect peace as their go to school and in all their endeavor’s. May You teach us and help us to give a tithe of all as You have commanded. May Your truth reign in our hearts that we may perform our kingly and priestly duties well, for the glory and honor of Your name. May Your Abrahamic blessing never depart from us for Your names sake. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 110:4
Galatians 3:13-14 NIV
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
INSIGHT
-It is by the blessing of Abraham that we celebrate the Pentecost. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and those who have faith are children of Abraham. Further, all nations are blessed through Abraham, and those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Galatians 3:6-9). We are justified through faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ and we receive the Holy Spirit by the grace of God.
PRAYER
Dear Almighty Father we praise You for You are great and worthy of all praise. Father we exalt You and honor You for who You are to us and all You have done unto us. Thank You for Your love and mercies that follow us daily. Thank You oh Lord for Your promises unto us. Thank You that You have promised to bless us, make us a great nation and increase our descendants. We repent for where our faith has been wanting and we have not trusted in You enough. We humbly ask that You may renew our faith in You. That we may unwaveringly trust in You, for You are a faithful God. Dear Lord may You teach us to trust in You and look up-to You always. May You open our doors and expand our territories in You. May You increase us in all ways and lead us in Your path. Father may You speak to us and open the windows of heaven unto us and open the doors of 2023 for us. For what You open no man can shut and what You close no man can open. We thank You Father and exult Your name now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Galatians 3:2
Galatians 3:28-29 NKJV
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
INSIGHT
–Apostle Paul affirms that the promises were to Abraham and to his offspring, Christ. Baptized believers are “one (person)” “in” Christ (Galatians 3:28). Paul therefore declares that those who are “of Christ” are the corporate seed of Abraham and the heirs of the promises. To be in Christ, Abraham’s sole Seed and heir (Galatians 3:16), is to enjoy all the privileges of Abrahamic descent. Thus even Gentiles can enjoy those privileges through Baptism and faith.
SUMMARY
The Abrahamic blessing lays a firm foundation of faith for us Christians in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God’s blessing to Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12;1-3, was to make him into a great nation, make his name great, and to bless all people on earth through him. Abraham is the father of faith and God points to him in Isaiah 51:1-2 saying, “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” Abraham believed God and he received the gift of righteousness that is in Christ Jesus. He obeyed when he was instructed to go to mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac. Through his obedience, God swore by Himself to bless Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 22:15-18). God is calling us to obedience and His blessings will abound in us according to Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Abraham also gave a tithe of all to Melchizedek the priest and king, after the conquest, when Lot and his family were taken captive. Melchizedek is likened to Jesus who was born in the tribe of Judah and introduces the new priestly order as our great High Priest. We are reminded to give our tithes to the storehouse of the Lord and abundance will fill our bans (Malachi 3:10). Jesus has cleansed us with His blood and made us kings and priests, and calls us to represent Him effectively here on earth. God also engineers special blessings to come to His children, through special gifts and abilities as we find in Daniel 2 where King Nebuchadnezzar promised great gifts and rulership, if someone would interpret his dream, and only Daniel could do it by the grace of God. The blessing of Abraham makes one the ingredient of the nations. In Galatians 3:13-14, Apostle Paul relates this blessing as being bestowed upon the Gentiles through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This blessing has been released to all people, and those who have subscribed to the faith of Abraham, receive the gift of salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. The everlasting nature of the Abrahamic blessing through the gift of salvation is clear from Genesis 17:6–8, when God declared saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” If we believe in Jesus Christ, we belong to Him, and possess the blessing of Abraham as his seed, according to the promise.
PRAYER
Oh Holy and Almighty Father, we come before Your throne of mercy thanking You for the great promises You have planned for us. Dear Lord we thank You for You have promised us the nations as our inheritance. You have also promised us that we shall be fruitful, multiply and fill earth, and have experienced Your faithfulness. Lord You call a bird of prey from the east, and a man who executes Your counsel, from a far country, and indeed whatever You have spoken will come to pass. Abba Father we humbly ask that You may make all Your promises to us come to pass in our lives, families, churches and nation, according to Your great pleasure. Lord may You open our eyes to see the wonderful plans You have for us in our lives. May You teach us and lead us, according to Your truth, and help us to always obey Your will. May You bless us LORD and keep us. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Acts 3:25-26, Philemon 1:6