ABRAHAM: “FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL”
“The call of Abram is the most important event in the Old Testament, but it is also an eminent example of individual faith. For both reasons he is called ‘the Father of the Faithful.'”
~ Alexander MacLaren
A false teaching has permeated Christianity, that Christians must never be critical of the State of Israel or Jews lest they be cursed by God. In some churches this teaching has attained the status of a doctrine of the Faith. This false teaching is a misappropriation of the call of Abraham in Genesis 12.
Genesis 12:1 “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
In Genesis 12:5-7, God promised to give Abram and his descendants the land of Canaan.
Genesis 12:5 “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came… 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.”
Genesis 12:1-3 is God’s promise of blessing and protection for Abram and his physical descendants. The Hebrew word for curse is qalal which translated means to bring into contempt, accurse, despise, afflict, revile. (Strong’s #7043) In the book of Numbers, the prophet Balaam recited the first part of verse 3 to Balak, king of Moab, who demanded that the prophet curse Israel.
Numbers 22:17 “And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed…18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.’”
Numbers 24:5 “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!… 8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.“
Today, Jewish and Christian Zionists preach that Genesis 12:3 applies to the establishment, policies and actions of the modern state of Israel. They maintain that the Jews are still God’s Chosen People and, therefore, whoever praises the Jews and the State of Israel will be blessed but whoever criticizes the Jews and Israel will be cursed. The threat of being cursed by God has created a campaign of fear to the extent that most Christians accept the Zionist dogma without question or discussion. However, to be sound, a doctrine must take into account all that God has said on the subject.
The doctrine of blessing and cursing ancient Israel was provably true under the Old Covenant; however, the last clause of Gen. 12:3 “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” pertains to the New Covenant.
“Galatians 3:7 “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham… 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy Seed, which is Christ.”
God’s covenant with Abraham would ultimately bless all the families of the earth through the offer of salvation by faith in his Seed, Jesus Christ. Earthly Israel was a type of the Church, an example for the true Israel of God.
1 Corinthians 10:11 “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
The spiritual children of Abraham are the true Israel of God.
Romans 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Romans 9:6 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Galatians 6:15 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”
Colossians 2:11 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”
Galatians 4:28 “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”
Because Zionists do not rightly divide the word of God, they misappropriate God’s warning to bless and to not curse the modern State of Israel. They overlook the verses which state that the ancient nation of Israel forfeited their right to the promised land due to their iniquities and transgressions. In fact, God divorced national Israel for their open rebellion against His Law.
Isaiah 50:1 “Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”
Likewise, the nation of Judah forfeited their title to the land for their unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 3:8 “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.”‘
Centuries later the Jews willfully invoked a curse on their nation and their descendants when they called for Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
Matthew 27:22 “Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”
Indeed, Jesus Christ cursed Jerusalem and decreed judgment on the nation:
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.“
God’s Covenant with the nation of Israel and Judah was temporal and conditioned upon their OBEDIENCE to the Mosaic Law. God’s Covenant with the True Israel is eternal and unconditional salvation by grace through FAITH in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Galatians 3:9-11 “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”