Abraham was given a promise by God. One aspect of that was his descendants being a blessing.
(Gen 12:3 KJV) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.Notice this is not just a blessing for his decedents but to all the earth.
How does that work? How has it worked? I can think of at least three levels that this was applied. I will look at them in chronological order.
The Children of Israel were given the Law. It was the blessing of the moral foundation for society. The law took values that we assume today and began to force them onto a totally pagan culture that knew nothing of the living God.
Don’t get confused by the way in which we always hear that Paul attacked the law. Paul did not mean what you usually hear being laid on him. Yes, he had a lot to say about the law. Most of it was negative. The problem is that most people interpret what he says in order to reinforce their own traditions rather than read and think for themselves.
Let’s look at Galatians and focus on chapter 5. Paul mentions the law before this but this will show the contrast I am talking about. Paul starts off this passage with a statement I am sure you have heard before,
(Gal 5:18 KJV) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.We read this, hear it quoted, listen to sermons on it and never keep reading with our brains plugged in. Notice what comes after this,(Gal 5:19 KJV) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
(Gal 5:20 KJV) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,I want you to take a moment and ask yourself, “How many of these behaviors that Paul says will keep us out of the Kingdom of God are found mentioned somewhere in what is called “the Law”? I hope you see a lot of similarities. Now think. Paul is condemning the law and then turning around and saying that the things forbidden by the law are also forbidden by him. This is not the only place you will find this kind of thing.
(Gal 5:21 KJV) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
What is Paul talking about then? One way to find out is to read what he says and make a list of the “laws” that he is condemning. I won’t claim to have the complete list but the only ones I have found so far are circumcision and special days such as the Sabbath and new moons.
On the other hand, what parts of the law does Paul tell you are expected? Read over the verses above. Consider also the words of Jesus. When Jesus teaches behavior that is expected it involves the Ten Commandments and certain parts of the law that we would consider moral or ethical.
The problem with the law it that it becomes a mechanical formula that makes us think we can deserve salvation because we dot all the “i’s” and cross all the “t’s”. It makes us look to our own righteousness instead of realizing that salvation is ultimately an act of God extended to us because of our faith.
Overall the law was a big step forward for culture and civilization.
The second is the blessing of an incredibly gifted group of people. Think of Jewish contributions to culture. Think how much shorter the list of accomplishments would be in science, music and the arts if the Jews had not made their contribution. They are an extremely gifted group of people.
Then there is the blessing of the Messiah, Jesus Himself.
Which of the three was God referring to in his promise? Again the answer is, “yes.
As to which one is the most important, that would have to be the Messiah. All of the rest of it work towards that moment in time, when Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross and fulfilled the requirement of a just God in paying for the sins of the world.
homo unius libri
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