by jimwalton » Sun Apr 11, 2021 6:49 am
There are several problems with your thesis, as I think it through.
1. God's words to Abraham were indeed speaking of the land and nationhood, but obviously of more than that. Gn. 12.3 and 22.18 shows a global scope not limited by the promise of land.
2. God's blessing doesn't pertain just to nationhood, but also to descendants and blessing to the nations of the world, a thought that is developed through the rest of Genesis (beyond Abraham), as well as in the Pentateuch at large, as well as in the rest of the Bible.
3. God's covenant with Israel pertains to His presence with them and His relationship to them as their God. The goal of the covenant is not the land (that's a means), but rather for Him to be in relationship to the people He has created. The mechanism that drives this program of revelation is the covenant, which is the land, the blessing, and the Law. We can't be so narrow minded as to take one aspect (the nation) and make it into the whole.
So your question is: How do we know the blessings God promises to Abraham extend further than the nation and the people of Israel and into Christ and His followers and salvation through the cross? It's by taking into account the whole story.
1. Gn. 12.3. The blessing is global in scope, far beyond the reach of a national identity or the boundaries of land. Blessing of the world shows up again in Ex. 19.5-6 in Israel's priestly role, and it has nothing to do with nationhood. Isaiah 9.1-2 expands the thought spiritually to people living in darkness, as does Isa. 60.3. The verb form in Gn. 12.3 (niphal) shows the thought to be that blessing will come through the channel of Abraham and his family, and this blessing is not conditioned on obedience (as was the covenant of nationhood) and does not come as a result of domination (military power possessing the gates of its enemies).
2. In Genesis 17, one of the aspects of the covenant is righteousness (a spiritual quality, not a geographical one). The nature of the covenant is in character, relationship, and dedication. He will be the father of "many nations" (Gn. 17.4, 16), not just Israel as a nation. The blessing extends beyond national borders. Romans 4.16-17 shows the spiritual extension of this promise.
3. The universal aspect of the blessing is reiterated in Gn. 22.18, the text you have chosen. The covenant God offers is unconditional, not dependent on human response, belonging to the nation, or even technically belonging to Abraham's offspring. Through the Bible this understanding is expanded (Mt. 3.9; 8.11; Acts 3.25; Rom. 4.16 et al.)
> Genesis 49.10
Yes, leadership (the monarchy) came to Judah through David. The latter part of the verse mentions a much broader view, one of a coming king whose kingdom stretches far beyond Israel's nationhood. This thought is developed in the Davidic covenant of 2 Sam. 7.12-16, where the reach of the prophecy is global, messianic, and salvific, not just national.
- David's house is not just his physical descendants, but an ideality.
- The throne mentioned refers to the dignity and power of an ideal king, not a material throne.
- The kingdom refers to a political entity, but reach further than that to a sphere of rule.
- It is an eternal kingdom, not an earthly one. Ps. 89.3-4, 28-37.
None of what I have written, however, is to deny that the land belongs to Israel and that the prophecies about Israel in the land are invalid. I believe that Israel being given the land in 1947 is the fulfillment of prophecy, and that God truly gave the land to them as an inheritance. At the same time, I believe that the prophecies have a second layer—a spiritual fulfillment in Jesus and His work of salvation.
There are several problems with your thesis, as I think it through.
1. God's words to Abraham were indeed speaking of the land and nationhood, but obviously of more than that. Gn. 12.3 and 22.18 shows a global scope not limited by the promise of land.
2. God's blessing doesn't pertain just to nationhood, but also to descendants and blessing to the nations of the world, a thought that is developed through the rest of Genesis (beyond Abraham), as well as in the Pentateuch at large, as well as in the rest of the Bible.
3. God's covenant with Israel pertains to His presence with them and His relationship to them as their God. The goal of the covenant is not the land (that's a means), but rather for Him to be in relationship to the people He has created. The mechanism that drives this program of revelation is the covenant, which is the land, the blessing, and the Law. We can't be so narrow minded as to take one aspect (the nation) and make it into the whole.
So your question is: How do we know the blessings God promises to Abraham extend further than the nation and the people of Israel and into Christ and His followers and salvation through the cross? It's by taking into account the whole story.
1. Gn. 12.3. The blessing is global in scope, far beyond the reach of a national identity or the boundaries of land. Blessing of the world shows up again in Ex. 19.5-6 in Israel's priestly role, and it has nothing to do with nationhood. Isaiah 9.1-2 expands the thought spiritually to people living in darkness, as does Isa. 60.3. The verb form in Gn. 12.3 (niphal) shows the thought to be that blessing will come through the channel of Abraham and his family, and this blessing is not conditioned on obedience (as was the covenant of nationhood) and does not come as a result of domination (military power possessing the gates of its enemies).
2. In Genesis 17, one of the aspects of the covenant is righteousness (a spiritual quality, not a geographical one). The nature of the covenant is in character, relationship, and dedication. He will be the father of "many nations" (Gn. 17.4, 16), not just Israel as a nation. The blessing extends beyond national borders. Romans 4.16-17 shows the spiritual extension of this promise.
3. The universal aspect of the blessing is reiterated in Gn. 22.18, the text you have chosen. The covenant God offers is unconditional, not dependent on human response, belonging to the nation, or even technically belonging to Abraham's offspring. Through the Bible this understanding is expanded (Mt. 3.9; 8.11; Acts 3.25; Rom. 4.16 et al.)
> Genesis 49.10
Yes, leadership (the monarchy) came to Judah through David. The latter part of the verse mentions a much broader view, one of a coming king whose kingdom stretches far beyond Israel's nationhood. This thought is developed in the Davidic covenant of 2 Sam. 7.12-16, where the reach of the prophecy is global, messianic, and salvific, not just national.
[list][*] David's house is not just his physical descendants, but an ideality.
[*] The throne mentioned refers to the dignity and power of an ideal king, not a material throne.
[*] The kingdom refers to a political entity, but reach further than that to a sphere of rule.
[*] It is an eternal kingdom, not an earthly one. Ps. 89.3-4, 28-37.[/list]
None of what I have written, however, is to deny that the land belongs to Israel and that the prophecies about Israel in the land are invalid. I believe that Israel being given the land in 1947 is the fulfillment of prophecy, and that God truly gave the land to them as an inheritance. At the same time, I believe that the prophecies have a second layer—a spiritual fulfillment in Jesus and His work of salvation.