Son of Laughter - Chapter 6

God made a special promise to Abraham in Genesis 12.  The promise was more wonderful than anything Abraham could have done for himself, and met the deepest hope of his heart.  But there was something else about that promise that is like every other promise that God makes.  How often I overlook it though.
The promise God made in this passage was about children for Abraham - and generations to follow them.  They would be more numerous than the stars in the sky.

The promise was so unimaginably wonderful, that the LORD communicates it to Abraham in stages.  "I will make you a great nation" in Genesis 12:2.  "Do not be afraid, . . I Myself am your very great reward" in Genesis 15:1  Abraham responds by pointing out the impossibility of fulfillment because of his childless state.  For this the LORD does not castigate or reject Abraham, but leads him in for a deeper glimpse.  ""Look up at the heavens and count the stars.  .  . so shall your offspring be."  (Genesis 15:5)  God promised Abraham more than he could imagine, and more than he himself could ever produce.  Abraham's only options it seems were to either trust God and receive the promise in God's time and manner, or not trust God, and simply continue living as he had.

What strikes me as I read the story this time though is this:  this wonderful promise from God to Abraham contained within it God's blessing for all nations.  It was a wonderful gift to Abraham - more than he himself could ever produce - but the gift to him contained the most wonderful gift imaginable for all God's people through history - all nations.

I ask myself, "Do I really believe that the most wonderful promise imaginable that is made to me - ie. authentic life through Christ - actually contains within it, the most wonderful gift imaginable to all people?"  What God has worked in me, contains a blessing for all people.  For me to think of God's blessing as something for me alone, is to either miss the fullness of the blessing, or to call something a blessing that is really other than what God is gives as a blessing.  If the blessing is only about me and for me, it is from someone other than the God of Abraham.

God's blessings and promises to me - and to you - are good and great.  But part of what makes them good and great is that they also contain a blessing for our neighbors.  And for all all the nations.  When I only see God's blessings as about me, I make them very small and less than He intended them to be.  When I see the promises of God as extending to my children, I see them a bit larger.  Likewise, when I extend them to my own tribe.  But not until I scan the globe through all of history do I begin to come close to the size of the promise made to Abraham that night as he looked up at the stars.

The Gospel presents Jesus - God Himself incarnate - as the culmination and fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus - the great, great, great, etc., grandson of Abraham - fulfill the blessing for all the nations that the LORD had in mind that night.  All those generations of children to bring us to one person.  That one person the means by which all God's people through all time are offered reconciliation and union with Him.

Gracious Father, open my eyes to see that the promises and blessings you have for me are also your means for blessing the people around me.  Help me see past myself to others, and to see in your blessing your love for my neighbors, as well as for me.