Advent 2 | Blessing to the Whole World 2024

"Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and 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

Cosmic Gospel

“Joy to the world the Lord is come, let earth receive her king!”

I love the song “Joy to the World”. It’s so good because in it we get to sing about a salvation that God has for the whole world. Not only that but in the third verse, Isaac Watts tells us that what Jesus is doing has enormous, cosmic implications. He is reversing the curse! This is awesome!

It started with one man

If you are not on a Bible plan where you read through the whole Bible every year then you need to be. And when you read through the Bible you need to not allow yourself to become numb to some of your favorite Bible stories like Father Abraham. Sure we know that, “many sons had father Abraham” but it is really important that we pause and reflect on what a crazy turn of events this is because the Creator of the universe singles out one man with whom to have this covenant relationship.

Covenants, Testaments, and Promises

When we say that God is establishing a covenant relationship with Abraham (He’s actually still called Abram at this point, but you know who we’re talking about) what we mean is that God is making a promise to him that He is going to fulfill. This moment provides a hinge in all of human history. The immaterial, all-powerful, Creator God is initiating a personal relationship with a sinful human being. 

So what exactly is God promising Abraham at this point? 

• Make a great nation from you
• Bless you
• Make your name great
• You will be a blessing
• Bless those who bless you
• Curse those who curse you
• Bless all the families of the earth through you

God is narrowing the means by which He is fulfilling the promise He made to Eve way back in the garden. The serpent crusher that God told Adam and Eve about is going to come through the family of Abraham. This is the only way that the whole world is going to be blessed through him. 

Reflection

So what do we need to be thinking about as we look forward to Christmas? We need to remember that God is good and that he keeps his promises. Jesus coming to earth as a baby was not just some sort of isolated, haphazard event but was the fulfillment of his promise.

God chose Abraham out of all the people on the earth and made a covenant with him. This is the beginning of the Jewish nation. But notice that from the beginning God did not just intend to bring salvation to the Jews, but also through the Jewish people. What an amazing promise. Not only do we see the promise that God made to Adam and Eve narrowing through Abraham and his descendants but also expanding to include the Gentiles. Praise God that in giving this blessing to Abraham, he also promised to bless us too.

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