Abram would be identified with God to such an extent that what people do to him, they are seen as doing to God himself. Abram would be God’s representative, if you like, as if he was in God’s family. However you treat Abram is how you treat God. Does that idea sound familiar to you?

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. 2 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. 3 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.” 

(Gen. 12:1-3 ESV)

God makes a long series of incredible promises to Abraham from Genesis 12:2. There is no conditional statement here between v1 and v2.  God doesn’t say that if Abram does what he is told, then he will receive these blessings. No, the blessings are just promised.  God states often and firmly: “I will” do this for you. Look at the repetition of “I will” all through here. All of these blessings will come about not as a reward for obedience, but through God’s grace and God’s power.

Let’s work our way through the list of blessings briefly. God promises to make Abram into “a great nation”. We should note at this point that Abram is 75 with no children when this promise was made, married to Sarai who could not have children. One would be a miracle; a great nation seems ridiculous. The word “nation” means more than a ‘people’; it envisions a country with a government and a land. God promises a future where the descendants of Abram would be united under one rulership.

God then promises to “bless” Abram. That’s a very general word, but the key word of this section. It can mean in terms of money, but the word is more general than that. Abram would have the blessing of God.

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