Genesis 12:2-3
I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
Today’s Reading: Genesis 12:1-5, Galatians 3:7-14 and Acts 3:24-26
The call of Abram (Abraham) is an amazing historical event that scholars have studied extensively. There is so much to learn from this single event. As we go through this year, we will see the writers of the New Testament quote Old Testament scripture to point us to the prophecy. This is one of those events.
We don’t know much about Abraham before this event. We know he is a descendant of Noah. By the way, everyone was a descendant of Noah. But that’s about all we are told. While he was living in the land of Harran, God calls to Abraham and tells him to move to Canaan. God also tells Abraham that if he obeys, God will bless him and make him into a great nation.
If you know the story, Abraham doesn’t see that blessing come true. Abraham doesn’t have a son until very late in life and dies while living a very similar life that he’s lived his whole life. This blessing comes true with Jesus. As you read the scriptures in Galatians and Acts, Paul and Luke (the writers of those letters) tell us exactly that this scripture was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus was the one through whom all peoples on earth would be blessed.
Let’s look at two aspects of this prophecy. The first is simple, this prophecy indicated that the Messiah would be a Jew. This is significant because God came first to the Jews who are his people and then to the Gentiles. As we will study, God will have a very intimate relationship with His people and He will weave the story of Christ throughout their history. Peter tells the Jewish people in Acts that God came first to them so that they could bless the world. Quite the calling!
The second part of this prophecy that I want us to look at is that Jesus came for us too. Paul tells us in Galatians that “those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ becomes part of this prophecy. As a Christ-follower, you are called to be a blessing to all people.
In the big picture, Jesus is a blessing to all people because he offers forgiveness and eternal life to anyone who chooses to believe and follow him. But in the everyday life of you and me, we are called to be a blessing to all people by showing them the love of Christ.
So the challenge for today is simple. Everyone you interact with today, be a blessing to them. Well maybe it’s not so simple! But that’s the challenge. Be a blessing both to those who deserve it and those who don’t. That’s what Jesus did.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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