A meme can share a thousand lies!!!!
Abraham was 160 years old when his grandson Jacob (Israel) was born. Since Abraham died at age 175, he lived for 15 years after the birth of Jacob and his twin brother Esau. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born, and Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born (100 + 50 = 160).
- Abraham's age at Jacob's birth: 160 years old
- Abraham's lifespan: 175 years
- Time together: Abraham lived 15 years after Jacob was born.
“I will bless those who bless you…“
So, who is the “you” in this context; who is the antecedent of “you?”
Who are the "all peoples on earth?"
"Earth" here is translated from Adamah, but Adamah is usually translated as ground, or land; meaning "from the same as Adam." Adam, the first man in the Bible story means from the soil, ground or land.
When people read the word, "earth," do they think: soil, ground or land, or whole entire world, "globe", "planet," or something else...?
Genesis 12
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran (modern day Iraq).5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
Abram in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
Abram, means "exalted father" or "high father." A name give to a man who had no children into his late age.
His name was changed to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude."
Based on Genesis 12:3, God promised to bless those who support Abraham (Abram) and curse those who oppose him. Key examples include God afflicting Pharaoh and Abimelech for taking Sarah, while blessing Lot for his association with Abram and Laban for harboring Jacob. These actions demonstrated divine protection over Abraham's lineage.
Examples of God Cursing Those Who Opposed/Harm Abram
- Pharaoh (Genesis 12:10-20): When Pharaoh took Sarai (Abram's wife) into his house, God brought severe plagues upon Pharaoh and his household until she was returned.
- Abimelech (Genesis 20:1-18): Similar to Pharaoh, King Abimelech took Sarah, and God appeared to him in a dream, warning him that he was a "dead man" because she was married to a prophet, and closed the wombs of his household.
- Egypt/Nations (Exodus 1-14): As a direct result of turning against the descendants of Abraham, Egypt was plagued, and Pharaoh’s army was destroyed in the Red Sea.
Examples of God Blessing Those Who Blessed Abram
- Lot (Genesis 13-14): Lot prospered while traveling with Abraham and was rescued by him. God blessed Lot with prosperity and safety due to his close relationship with Abraham.
- Laban (Genesis 30:27-30): Laban acknowledged that God blessed him because of Jacob (Abraham’s grandson), noting that his prosperity increased while Jacob served him.
- Potiphar (Genesis 39:5): Potiphar’s house was blessed by God for Joseph’s sake (a descendant of Abraham), showcasing the extension of the covenant blessing.
Theological Context
The promise, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse," is a central part of the Abrahamic covenant designed to ensure the protection and expansion of his lineage, extending ultimately to all nations.
More examples of blessings and curses.
- May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
Isaac is tricked into blessing Jacob instead of
Esau.
This was prophesied by Balaam who was hired to curse Israel by King Balak, but The Spirit of God had other plans!
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