Since human life began, people have misunderstood why God blesses us.
In the beginning Genesis 1 and 2 describe how the Creator blessed a few people with a beautiful land full of food and animals to enjoy. But those first few people did not enjoy the blessings God gave them in the way God commanded. They wanted to take every blessing from God for themselves.
The first humans disobeyed God's order to refrain from one specific tree and lost many blessings as their punishment. But God was gracious. He blessed people with many children and soon the earth was full.
People did not handle their newfound abundance well. Genesis 6 says people did not love each other. They did not work hard to provide for their families or care for each person's needs. Their hearts turned inward. They attacked and stole and killed each other to get more of God's blessings for themselves. So God punished them with a great flood. Humanity had failed to respond properly to the blessing of a burgeoning population.
In Genesis 10-11 human beings began to form large nations with strong cities and a common language for everyone to speak. The people could have thanked God for their success and shared their blessings with one another. But the leaders decided to build great monuments and towers to show that they were more powerful than the gods. They wanted to create a wonderful world without any great God, only Great people. So they were punished and their power and towers destroyed.
That is when the Bible introduces us to a man named Abram. In the land where Abram was born, most people thought gods lived above the sky. They thought the most powerful god was the moon at night and the sun during the day. Nobody knew who the real God was because their ancestors had rejected him and misused God's blessings. But God would not give up. He wanted us to know who he really is and the way we were created to live. So he spoke to Abram with a command and a promise.
In the beginning Genesis 1 and 2 describe how the Creator blessed a few people with a beautiful land full of food and animals to enjoy. But those first few people did not enjoy the blessings God gave them in the way God commanded. They wanted to take every blessing from God for themselves.
The first humans disobeyed God's order to refrain from one specific tree and lost many blessings as their punishment. But God was gracious. He blessed people with many children and soon the earth was full.
People did not handle their newfound abundance well. Genesis 6 says people did not love each other. They did not work hard to provide for their families or care for each person's needs. Their hearts turned inward. They attacked and stole and killed each other to get more of God's blessings for themselves. So God punished them with a great flood. Humanity had failed to respond properly to the blessing of a burgeoning population.
In Genesis 10-11 human beings began to form large nations with strong cities and a common language for everyone to speak. The people could have thanked God for their success and shared their blessings with one another. But the leaders decided to build great monuments and towers to show that they were more powerful than the gods. They wanted to create a wonderful world without any great God, only Great people. So they were punished and their power and towers destroyed.
That is when the Bible introduces us to a man named Abram. In the land where Abram was born, most people thought gods lived above the sky. They thought the most powerful god was the moon at night and the sun during the day. Nobody knew who the real God was because their ancestors had rejected him and misused God's blessings. But God would not give up. He wanted us to know who he really is and the way we were created to live. So he spoke to Abram with a command and a promise.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your family and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make a great nation out of you. I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” - Genesis 12:1-3
Let me ask you a critical theological question about this moment in time. Why does God promise to bless Abram? Why? What is the purpose?
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